News

Prosecutors are seeing a 30 per cent surge in the number of rape trials as a backlog of new cases and historical allegations are bearing down on the courts. Alison Saunders, the director of public prosecutions (DPP) (pictured) and the Metropolitan Police’s assistant commissioner, Martin Hewitthave

Following 11 years of service to the community, the University of Strathclyde Law Clinic has expanded its activities. Collaboration with the Refugee Survival Trust has enabled it to employ Barbara Coll as a part-time supervisor to oversee assistance to asylum seekers.

Susan Mendelssohn Murray Beith Murray has announced the appointment of Susan Mendelssohn as an associate within the Edinburgh-based law firm.

McClure Naismith has appointed five new partners and one new associate based in the firm’s Scottish and London offices. The new partners are: Colin Brown and Robert Binning(real estate, Edinburgh); E-Ming Fong and Suzanne McGarrigle (dispute resolution, Edinburgh); Nils Reid(commercial and financi

Thorntons has announced a 13 per cent boost in turnover, as it lodges its accounts for the financial year to 31 May 2014. Thorntons has increased its turnover by almost £1.9 million to £16.27m over the last year, following careful strategic planning and investment.

84% of Scottish solicitors calling LawCare in 2014 have reported stress according to the latest figures from the helpline. LawCare, is a free and confidential support service for members of the legal profession.

At the Court of Session this morning, Lord Doherty sentenced Paul Mackenzie to 10 months imprisonment following a petition and complaint by Mackenzie Hall Ltd & PRA UK Holding PTY Limited in respect of his breach of interim interdict and breach of interdict. On sentencing, Lord Doherty made the

Prosecutors have successfully challenged a decision of a trial judge to uphold a defence submission of “no case to answer” in the case of a man accused of an attempted armed robbery at a bank. The Criminal Appeal Court allowed the appeal by the&nbs

A lawyer accused of having sex with an underage girl who claims she was also ordered to have sex with the Duke of York has rebutted the claims, calling them "salacious and scurrilous", and has requested his name be removed from the accusatory documents. Alan Dershowitz, 76, has said he can prove he

A man has avoided jail by using his trainers as bail bond in lieu of money. Judge Douglas Stoddart at a district court in Massachusetts accepted the deposit after he offered Jason Duval, who was charged with drug offences, the opportunity to “be creative”.

Following on from yesterday’s news that Inksters Solicitors has been ranked third in the UK for the quality of its Twitter account, the firm has now been shortlisted for the “most innovative use of social media” award at the 2015 Managing Partner Forum Awards for Management Excellence, in asso

Edinburgh Tax Network & TrustBar Seminar

The Law Society of Scotland’s new three-year equality strategy aims to improve equality in the legal profession and support solicitors as they progress through their careers. Published today, the new strategy builds on the work of the Society’s equality and diversity work over the past decade an

Research covering 5,000 law firms across the UK has found that 55 per cent of respondents see improving profitability as the biggest challenge of 2015, The Lawyer reports. In response to the question of the level of growth expected, 43 per cent of those questioned said they expected increases of bet

Perthshire property bosses are reflecting on ‘a year of stability’ in the local market, and predicting a similar theme to 2015. Recently collated statistics from Perthshire Solicitors Property Centre (PSPC) reveal that 2014 was a strong and steady year for the local market, and a year which perf