News

Finance Secretary John Swinney (pictured) has, as expected, set out new rates for the land and buildings transaction tax (LBTT), a move forced upon him by UK chancellor George Osborne, whose changes to UK stamp duty undercut Mr Swinney's initial proposals. The new rates will see 50 per cent of all h

Sheriff Kevin Drummond expressed his dismay yesterday when Peebles Sheriff Court was closed. The judge told a gathering of local lawyers that the Peebles court, which has existed since Medieval times, was a “a model for the provision of rural justice services across the country” given as

The UK government has published a draft bill detailing the powers to be transferred to the Scottish parliament following the recommendations made by the Smith Commission. It comprises: constitutional matters, fiscal framework, tax, welfare, public bodies, executive agencies and the crown estate, civ

A petition for judicial review of legislation which will see a “named person” assigned to almost every child in Scotland has been refused by a judge in the Court of Session. Four charities and three individuals contended that provisions in the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 passed

A “white van man” found guilty of three charges of breach of the peace after repeatedly staring at children in public places and attempting to lure a young boy into his vehicle has failed in appeal against conviction. The Criminal Appeal Court ruled that a sheriff’s decision to repel a “no c

The debating society of the Inner Temple has produced a video inspired by something called “Your Barrister Boyfriend”. The video alleges that Inner Temple students are “the cutest boys at the bar”.

Kerri-anne Payne

Trainee solicitor John Morgan (pictured) discusses his experiences in his banking seat. Any time I meet up with friends, I’m always met with the sympathetic look and tilt of the head as they ask: “So, how are you coping in banking?”

A new report has found that while local authorities have developed successful Gypsy Traveller sites throughout Scotland, more work is still needed. The research, published by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), was commissioned in response to claims from some councils in Scotland who sa

Lawyers have said Facebook is now regularly cited in divorce cases and is used as evidence inappropriate behaviour. A survey of law firms’ caseloads found that the site is mined for evidence of infidelity, new relationships and expenditure on various things.

From left: Scott Milne, Lynne Hopkins, Caroline Kelly and Craig Nicol  

The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has held that the European Commission acted correctly in rejecting a complaint brought by an airline against a competition authority’s handling of its case against an airport authority over alleged abuse of a dominant position in the internal market. In 2008 eas

Scottish Information Commissioner Rosemary Agnew (pictured) has called for freedom of information (FOI) rights to apply to bodies responsible for social housing. Ms Agnew warned there is a risk that damage will be caused by the outsourcing of important public services unless immediate steps are take

The Law Society of Scotland has welcomed new Home Office rules which mean that Sikh solicitors will no longer have to remove articles of faith when meeting clients in UK detention centres. The Law Society had pressed the Home Office to update the detention services order dealing with search procedur

A man who was wrongly convicted of rape is entitled to claim compensation after judges dismissed an appeal by the Scottish Ministers against a ruling that their decision to refuse his application was “unlawful”. The Inner House of the Court of Session upheld a judgment of the Lord Ordinary, who