News

Jonathan Smithers, president of the Law Society The Law Society of England and Wales has warned that proposals being developed by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) to change the way solicitors qualify could damage the global competitiveness of UK law.

A judge in the High Court has ruled the system meant to ensure vulnerable claimants receive legal aid and access to justice is “not in accordance with the law” and must be changed. Mr Justice Collins made the ruling in a test case brought on behalf a blind man with cognitive impairments and come

Nick Atkins New laws relieve land of permanent stigma over contamination, writes Nick Atkins.

Michael Collins bto solicitors has announced that senior solicitor Michael Collins has been admitted as a solicitor advocate.

The Court of Session has made an act of sederunt amending child witness notices, counter-terrorism legislation and the summary warrant procedure.

Magistrates and crown courts could be brought to a standstill as barristers join a protest by solicitors over cuts to legal aid fees. The Criminal Bar Association (CBA) announced this morning it had voted to join the protest.

A German man who worked as a bookkeeper at the Auschwitz concentration camp has been convicted of being an accessory to the murder of 300,000 people and jailed for four years. Oskar Groening did not personally kill anyone but worked at the camp in Poland where he sorted bank notes from the belonging

A man found guilty of stealing electricity has seen his conviction overturned because police officers failed to secure a warrant before searching his home. Charles McKenzie, 57 from Dundee, was arrested in September 2013 after police discovered he had illegitimately provided electricity to his 14th

Legislation meant to strengthen laws on strike action has been revealed by the UK government. The Trade Union Bill provides for limits on mandates for industrial action as well as minimum turnouts in strike ballots and changes to political levies.

Two trials can take place in secret under the provisions of the Justice and Security Act 2013, the Court of Appeal has decided. The court has rejected challenges to the legality of closed material procedures (CMPs), in which evidence is presented without claimants or members of the public present.

Manufacturing firms based in Scotland are at less risk of insolvency than manufacturers based south of the border, according to new analysis. A report published by insolvency trade body R3 shows the proportion of Scottish manufacturers with a heightened risk of insolvency falling in every month sinc

Four new members have joined the Faculty of Advocates, against a backdrop of a vivid reminder of the importance of the rule of law. The intrants – Stephen Donnelly, Brian Crook, Giles Reid and Faryma Bahrami – were admitted to membership of the Faculty and to the public office of advocate at cer

The judge chairing the inquiry into allegations of historical sexual abuse of children south of the border is to be paid more than £480,000 a year. Justice Lowell Goddard will receive a salary of £360,000 plus an annual rental allowance of £110,000 in addition to £12,000 for utlities.

Chinese President Xi Jinping Dozens of lawyers in China have been detained by police in the past few days in what appears to be a coordinated operation.

A hospital consultant has been ordered to pay his wife his entire £550,000 in assets in an unusual complete divorce award. Essam Aly, 54, an anaesthetist, left his wife, Enas, 46, three years ago and relocated to Bahrain.