News

Criminals who plead guilty at the earliest opportunity could see their sentences cut by up to a third under new proposals by the Sentencing Council. The council said its plans, currently out for consultation, would spare victims the trauma of trial.

A home carer who was injured after she slipped and fell in icy conditions en route to a client has won her appeal to the Supreme Court based on the admissibility of the evidence of an expert witness and whether the respondents had been in breach of their statutory duties or negligent. Lord Reed and

Alison Britton Glasgow Caledonian University professor Alison Britton has been re-appointed as convener to the Law Society of Scotland’s health and medical law sub-committee.

An application for leave to appeal against a decision of the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission to refuse a complaint as “totally without merit” has been refused. A judge in the Court of Session dismissed the application on the ground that it was lodged after the statutory time limit of 28 day

A pro-life campaign group has warned Scotland will become a destination for abortion tourists if termination laws are changed. The Don’t Stop A Beating Heart campaign opposes the extension of UK termination laws and raised its concerns over the planned devolution of abortion powers to the Scottish

Lorne Crerar Harper Macleod has been appointed to provide commercial and employment law advice on the City of Edinburgh Council legal framework.

Michael Matheson The Scottish government is to challenge a legal loophole critics have said makes Scotland a target for money launderers and tax evaders, The Herald reports.

The High Court in Belfast has ruled in favour of an unmarried mother who launched legal action over her inability to access a widowed parent's allowance. Siobhan McLaughlin won the action against the Department for Social Development (DSD) in a case that could have implications for the delivery of b

(L-R): Euan Mackenzie, Simon Crabb and Dorothy Bain QC A Scottish lawyer has given an illuminating talk on the struggle for human rights in conflict-stricken Colombia.

The University of Strathclyde Law Clinic has given advice to over 100 clients at their initial advice clinics (IACs) in the last 6 months. IACs run on the first Wednesday and third Monday of every month, and are staffed by student advisors from the law clinic, and volunteer solicitors from across Gl

Ian Forrester QC Places are still available to hear the UK Judge of the General Court of the European Union, Ian Forrester QC, give a talk, “Of Sporrans, Fishing Nets and Judicial Review…”

A man accused of drug dealing in Spain who challenged a sheriff’s decision to order his extradition has had his appeal refused. The Criminal Appeal Court refused the appeal after ruling the appropriate court to hear any human rights argument based on “injustice or oppression” would be the Span

A bill which would both abolish Scotland's “not proven” verdict and change the majority required in jury trials for a conviction has failed to receive the backing of Holyrood’s Justice Committee. A clear majority of the committee supported the intention to abolish not proven verdicts, but the

Criminal justice experts have called for jail terms of up to a year to be scrapped, The Herald reports. Her Majesty’s Inspector of Prisons as well as penal reform charities, social workers, councils and a former judicial studies director have all called for a different approach to reduce recidivis

Andrew Blain Shepherd and Wedderburn's 2015 Corporate Review testifies to a record year for corporate deals and M&A activity. The firm closed over 97 deals last year with an aggregate deal value of £5.4 billion.