News

A man found guilty of a statutory breach of the peace who claimed there was “insufficient proof” that he committed the offence has had an appeal against conviction refused. The Criminal Appeal Court refused the appeal after ruling that where there is a single positive identification “very litt

The detention of an Algerian national who acquired permanent residence in 2003 and 28 criminal convictions by 2012, pending a decision to deport him, was not unlawful, the Supreme Court has ruled – as it additionally declined to make a preliminary reference to the Court of Justice of the European

Police have investigated nearly 70 alleged sex offences committed in Scottish prisons in the past five years, The Herald reports. Between 2010 and 2015, officers investigated: six alleged rapes; 45 sexual assaults and 14 reported cases of sexual harassment. All of the victims and accused individuals

Dr David Parratt

Shoosmiths has expanded its family offering in Scotland with the hire of leading lawyer John Fotheringham, who joins the firm’s Edinburgh office as a consultant.

Lord Carloway The Scottish Civil Justice Council (SCJC) has extended its current membership by adding two newly appointed judicial members.

Public access barristers are expecting the volume of work obtained directly from clients to increase over the next few years as a result of the public access scheme which allows consumers to use barristers directly, without needing to instruct a solicitor or other intermediary. These findings are ta

An advocate general of the EU’s highest court has expressed disappointment that a Brexit vote could see legal cooperation between the UK and EU come to an end. Eleanor Sharpston QC told The Guardian that a vote to leave the EU would deprive the European Court of Justice (ECJ) of some of its best t

A man who alleged that he was sexually abused as a child in a Catholic boarding school more than 50 years ago will not be allowed to pursue his claim. A judge in the Court of Session ruled that the pursuer’s case failed on the basis that any obligation of the defenders to make reparation for any w

Lord Neuberger delivers the closing keynote address at the World Bar Conference in Edinburgh. Photo credit: Phoebe Grigor. The importance of independent advocates as “a very precious asset” in a democratic society has been underscored by Lord Neuberger, President of the UK Supreme Court.

Anthony Fincham

John Halford The UK government has been forced to back down on introducing a residence test for civil legal aid claims in England and Wales.

Toni Ashby Clyde & Co has promoted 16 of its lawyers to equity partner across its international network, including Edinburgh-based Toni Ashby and Bruce Goodbrand, both from the insurance sector group.

Robert Carr

The European Court of Human Rights will be delivering a Grand Chamber judgment in the case of Murray v the Netherlands at a public hearing on 26 April. The case concerns the complaint by a man convicted of murder in 1980, who consecutively served his life sentence on the islands of Curaçao and Arub