News

New figures have shown that health boards are straining to work through over 1,500 legal claims, some worth up to £5 million. NHS Grampian is facing payouts of up to £24 million in respect of about 100 alleged failures. The health board was recently accused of having “weak leadership and low mor

A man has admitted to attempting to procreate with a postbox after he was spotted in a shopping centre in Wigan. Paul Bennett, 45, was seen rubbing himself up and down the box in the Scholes Precinct shopping centre by a passer-by who called the police.

Pupils from schools across Scotland are getting ready to debate the pros and cons of immigration controls in the second round of the Law Society of Scotland’s national debating tournament. The opening rounds of the Donald Dewar Memorial Debating Tournamentsaw 128 teams from 97 Scottish schools put

New guidelines put out to consultation today by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) will radically change how victims and witnesses are treated in the courts. The consultation comes in the wake of suicides linked to rape trials.

In a study published in the journal Legal and Criminology Psychology, researchers from the University of Surrey have argued that eyewitnesses to crimes can remember details more accurately when they close their eyes. In addition, the researchers found that building rapport with the witnesses assiste

The Crown Office has responded to a Dundee sheriff’s criticism of it as “ill-informed and wrong” after he lambasted prosecutors for bringing a case to trial which fell apart in less than an hour, The Courier reports. Sheriff Alastair Brown said the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (C

Deputy first minister and finance secretary John Swinney (pictured) will consider revised residential tax rates for the land and buildings transaction tax (LBTT) – which will replace UK stamp duty land tax from April 2015. Mr Swinney will review the rates as part of the Scottish budget bill proces

The Crofting Commission last week lodged a request that a special case be stated on a question of law for the opinion of the Court of Session in connection with the Scottish Land Court’s decision of 18 December 2014 in the case of MacGillivray v Crofting Commission. That case concerned the Croftin

Lord McCluskey Lord McCluskey, the former solicitor general, has launched another attack on the Scottish government’s plans to get rid of corroboration.

A lawyer who is instructed by a person initially represented by a duty solicitor is only entitled to payment of half of the fixed fee where the accused changes their plea to guilty prior to the commencement of the trial or where the client offers a “mixed plea”. A sheriff has ruled in favour of

Two wealthy couples who have spent half a million pounds battling it out in court over a “few feet” of muddy ditch between their properties have been admonished by judges for their “absurd” waste of money. The couples’ dispute concerns a drainage ditch that runs alongside a bridle path bet

A group of students has been prepared for a national mooting competition, courtesy of some expert tuition from the Faculty of Advocates. The hopefuls intend entering the moot organised by the United Kingdom Environmental Law Association(UKELA) which asked the Faculty to provide some training in advo

Brodies LLP has been awarded a gold ranking in the World Trademark Review’s global list of the 1000 leading trademark professionals. The magazine describes Brodies as “the leading Scottish IP practice” and commends the firm for delivering “a premium service across all aspects of brand protec

Families Need Fathers Scotland, a family rights charity, has called on schools to adhere to legislation requiring them to involve both parents in the school life of a child. FNF Scotland said: "The Scottish Schools (Parental Involvement) Act 2006 spelled out the obligations of schools and education

In this blog Norman Dalgleish discusses strategies for saving and the benefits of the new pension rules. Following the recent reforms of pension rules, which overall are highly beneficial to savers, the question has arisen as to whether people should be putting more money into their pension and shou