News

In advance of Julian Assange’s next hearing ahead of his possible extradition to the US, Amnesty International has reiterated concerns that Mr Assange faces the risk of serious human rights violations if extradited and warns of a profound ‘chilling effect’ on global media freedom.

A judgment of the European Court of Human Rights this month found that the Slovak justice system had taken too long to enforce an order for contact between a mother and her son and had breached their rights in terms of Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights. The mother who brought the

Nearly two-thirds of specially-trained rape barristers in England and Wales say they will quit because of poor pay, according to a landmark new survey. A survey by the Criminal Bar Association (CBA) found that 64 per cent of prosecutors and 66 per cent of defence counsel on the rape and serious sexu

The Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill is fundamentally incompatible with the UK’s human rights obligations, Westminster's Joint Committee on Human Rights has warned. Following scrutiny of the bill to assess its human rights implications, the committee has published a report highli

A judge in the Netherlands has blocked the export of F-35 fighter jet parts to Israel because of the risk they could be used in war crimes in Gaza. The appeal court ruling, in a case brought by three NGOs against the Dutch government, will prevent the US-owned parts from being transported directly t

A father and son who, over a number of years, illegally possessed and sold wild peregrine falcon chicks for large sums of money, have been ordered to carry out periods of unpaid work. Both men are also prohibited from possessing or having under their control any bird of prey for a period of five yea

Armed police officers stormed a hotel after a Harry Potter fan with a wand was mistaken for a knife-wielding lunatic. Police were despatched to the hotel in Enderby, near Leicester, after a member of the public reported seeing a man carrying "a large knife", The Guardian reports.

The Trusts and Succession (Scotland) Bill was passed at the Scottish Parliament on 20 December 2023 and received Royal Assent on 30 January. Stewart Dunbar looks at two aspects of the Act that impact the individual who created (or plans to create) the trust, known as the truster. It is essential tha

The Scottish Housing Regulator (SHR) has emphasised the importance of social landlords listening to tenants and service users in its new regulatory framework and statutory guidance. Published today, the new framework, which will go live from 1 April, sets out how SHR will regulate social landlo

Deborah Anne Lovell has been appointed as a new part-time legal member of the Scottish Land Court. Ms Lovell has also been appointed by the Scottish ministers as a part-time legal member of the Lands Tribunal for Scotland.

Edinburgh Law School’s Professor Burkhard Schafer is participating in a 10-month project led by the University of Strathclyde that aims to help researchers and their institutions make informed decisions on how they use generative AI. The project has received £100,000 in funding from REPH

Lord Malcolm is to deliver the 2024 Dundee Law School Alumni Lecture. Lord Malcolm graduated with an LLB in Scots Law from the University of Dundee in 1975. He became an advocate in 1977 and was appointed as a Queen’s Counsel in 1990. In 2001 he was elected dean of the Faculty of Advocates, an

This year’s Macfadyen Lecture is to be given by Dame Siobhan Keegan, Lady Chief Justice of Northern Ireland, on Thursday 18 April. Her subject will be evaluating the expert witness in the modern legal landscape.

The Lord President, Lord Carloway, has made three new appointments of salaried employment judges. The new judges are:

Jones Whyte has announced the appointment of Ruth McIntosh as its first professional support lawyer. Ms McIntosh, a Law Society certified specialist in essential business and leadership, joined Jones Whyte in 2020 and has played a key role in the firm’s growth.