News

Ampersand Advocates has announced that Dorothy Bain QC, Ailsa Carmichael QC, Aidan O'Neill QC and Laura-Anne van der Westhuizen have been appointed to the new panel of counsel of the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

Hundreds paid tribute to criminal defence lawyer Joe Beltrami (pictured) at his funeral in Glasgow yesterday. Something of Mr Beltrami’s character was revealed at the requiem mass held for him following his death last week at the age of 82.

A man who settled his personal injury damages action has successfully appealed against a sheriff’s finding that no expenses were due to or by either party. Sheriff Principal Alastair Dunlop QC (pictured) found the defender liable to the pursuer in the expenses of the action after ruling that the s

The solicitor general, Lesley Thomson QC(pictured) has today announced a full review of the way agricultural crimes are prosecuted in Scotland. The issue of agricultural crime was recently discussed at a round table event in the Scottish parliament.

The Scottish parliament’s justice committee is to start taking evidence on new laws to fight human trafficking in Scotland. The Human Trafficking and Exploitation (Scotland) Billaims to clarify and strengthen the criminal law by introducing a new single human trafficking offence as well as increas

Councils across Scotland have received a barrage of freedom of information requests. Members of the public have asked such questions as Scotland’s contingency plans in the event of an invasion by ISIS as well as a request asking how many crocodiles there are in Perth and Kinross.

A Dundee law graduate had been made chief executive of a trade organisation for the offshore industry. Deirdre Michie (pictured) will replace Malcolm Webb as chief executive of Oil & Gas UK in May.

From left: Brandon Malone, chairman of the Scottish Arbitration Centre; Professor Pieter Bekker of CMS Cameron McKenna and ICEA partner CEPMLP; Andrew Mackenzie, chief executive of the Scottish Arbitration Centre; and Philippa Charles, head of international arbitration at Stewarts Law.

The devolution (further powers) committee today published its report on the section 30/63 order that would see the powers allowing 16 and 17-year-olds to vote in future Scottish parliament and local authority elections transferred to the Scottish parliament. The Smith Commission recommended the tran

CMS has announced the appointment of partners Shona Frame (pictured right) and Ian McCann, adding further resource to the firm’s growing construction team in Scotland. Ms Frame, a construction disputes specialist, will be joining the firm from MacRoberts.

The Law Society of Scotland has welcomed proposals for new legislation to tackle human trafficking but believes more protections are needed for victims. Alan McCreadie, deputy director of Law Reform at the Law Society, said: “Human trafficking is an appalling crime and it is absolutely right that

Parents and people with disabilities are being hit hardest by the UK government’s programme of welfare reform according to new research commissioned by the Scottish parliament’s welfare reform committee The report, published today, represents the first time the impact of the UK government’s we

The protection of human rights, growing the economy and gaining long term clarity on the UK’s membership of the European Union should be among the key priorities for political parties, the Law Society of Scotland said today. The Law Society has published a new document, which sets out four major p

A lawyer who breached a court order that meant he could not work as a solicitor has been jailed for three months. John O’Donnell, 64, ignored the terms of an interdict granted in 2009 at the Court of Session preventing him form practising for five years after a ruling of the Scottish Solicitors Di

A party to a legal action who was ordered to pay £150,000 to a Scots lawyer who was suspended from practice has had the decree which was granted in his absence reduced. A judge in the Court of Session ruled that the initial writ served by the solicitor was “defective” because he had been suspen