News

Scottish Water has reappointed CMS Cameron McKenna and DLA Piper to their commercial legal team following a public procurement exercise. The publicly-owned water company has also appointed BLM and Anderson Strathern for litigation advice, and Lindsays and Anderson Strathern for conveyancing.

Prime Minister David Cameron The UK government could restrict the voting rights of Scottish MPs through a change to Parliament's standing orders, according to a senior government source.

Law Society president Andrew Caplen The Law Society has expressed concern about the survival of the justice system in England and Wales as the government moves ahead with plans to reduce fees for solicitors in criminal legal aid cases.

Burness Paull has been named "Exemplary Employer of Choice" at The cHeRries Awards 2015, which recognises excellence in human resources, recruitment and training in the north east of Scotland. The judges were impressed by “Burness Paull’s ability to create a new and attractive employment culture

A very unexpected but welcome surprise greeted a Faculty delegation on a visit to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. The visit co-incided with the hearing before the Grand Chamber of the Jean Charles de Menezes case.

Kenneth Shand Maclay Murray & Spens LLP (MMS) has promoted 40 of its lawyers.

Justice secretary Michael Matheson MSP Justice secretary Michael Matheson will not intervene in the police investigation into the death of Sheku Bayoh and has rejected calls for the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner (PIRC) to be given new statutory powers.

A transcript of a passage of Tommy Sheridan’s cross-examination of Andrew Coulson during the former MSP’s perjury trial was inadmissible in evidence at the trial of the ex-editor of the News of the World for allegedly making false statements under oath. The Criminal Appeal Court ruled that the e

The Faculty of Advocates has raised a fundamental question over planned legislation for Scotland which aims to alter attitudes to apologising – where is the evidence from anywhere in the world that such laws are an effective means of bringing about the desired change? Under the Apologies (Scotland

The Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) is hearing the case of a Brazilian man who was killed by police in 2005 on the London Underground after he was mistakenly identified as a suicide bomber in the wake of the London bombings. The case has been brought by Patricia Armani Da

Alistair Carmichael MP Liberal Democrat MP Alistair Carmichael will face a legal bid from four constituents who want to see him ousted from his seat over allegations of lying.

Sir Stephen House Sir Stephen House, the chief constable of Police Scotland sparked a row between the police and the judiciary after he criticised a sheriff for making “unsubstantiated comments” at the trial of one of his colleagues last year.

Registers of Scotland (RoS) has published its third 10-year property market report, detailing trends in the land and property market between 2005-15. The report is based on all property sales, even those which do not involve a mortgage, and so delivers "an insight into what's going on in the Scottis

A trainee greenkeeper who was jailed for 21 months after being convicted of assaulting a university student following an argument in a pub has successfully challenged the sentence imposed by a sheriff. The Criminal Appeal Court ruled that the offence was not one which ought to have attracted a custo

Stephen Gibb (Jo Hanley Photography/johanley.com) Shepherd and Wedderburn has announced its year-end results. Turnover grew 26 per cent to £48 million, whilst profits increased to £18m, results which also reflect the contribution since October 2014 of the firm’s acquisition of Tods Murray.