News

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has released its annual report on work-related ill-health and injury statistics for the period ending 2022/23. The report states that work-related fatalities rose in 2022, increasing by 10 per cent to 123. 26 of those deaths occurred in Scotland. Once again, the

Jane Malcolm has been appointed as the new chair of the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission. Ms Malcolm has a strong track record of strategic leadership in professional regulation, working in the public interest. She has a particular interest in consumer centred services and policy, with a sharp f

Sheriffs across Scotland make decisions every day in contact/residence cases that will affect the lives of children not just for this month or this year but will influence their relationships for the rest of their life. Their decisions are made ‘in the best interests of the child’. But h

The Edinburgh office of Brodies LLP has become the first project in Scotland to achieve WELL certification at the platinum level by the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI), in recognition of its health and wellbeing considerations for colleagues and visitors.

A round-up of human rights stories from around the world. UN human rights chief tells Israel to ‘heed the calls’ of anti-overhaul protesters

Kennedys has reported record revenue of £313 million for the financial year 2022/23. This represents an 11 per cent increase on the previous financial year and is the first time the firm’s revenue has topped £300m. The most significant growth came in North America and Bermuda, wher

The Law Society of Scotland has said elements of a new government bill on legal services regulation which threaten the independence of the legal profession are “dangerous and wrong”, and must be dropped. Responding to the Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee’s call

Scotland could take a "fairer, and more welcoming approach" to citizenship as an independent nation, according to a new paper published by First Minister Humza Yousaf. Citizenship in an independent Scotland, the fifth paper in the Building a New Scotland series, sets out who could automatically beco

A man was forced to stop removing letters from a sign at Twitter's San Francisco headquarters after complaints were made to the police about the work. Elon Musk, who owns the social media giant, wanted to change the sign above the city’s Market Street on Monday after the company’s name w

Dear Editor, In his opinion piece on the Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill, published yesterday, Douglas Cusine states that there is no evidence for the assertion that jurors rely on so-called “rape myths” that does not come from mock trials. This is not the first ti

A human rights and criminal KC and her 11-year-old daughter have launched a new international not-for-profit organisation to inform and empower girls across the world to further their rights locally, nationally and globally. The Girls Human Rights Hub – co-founded by Sultana Tafadar KC of No5

The Supreme Court has ruled that litigation funders must redraft their agreement terms. In PACCAR Inc & Ors v Competition Appeal Tribunal & Ors, four out of five justices declared that these types of agreements fall under the statutory definition of damages-based agreements (DBAs).

The funeral of well-known Dundee solicitor William Boyle will take place on Wednesday 9 August at Dundee Crematorium at 11.30am. Scottish Legal News published an obituary for Mr Boyle earlier this week.

Paul Watchman, who has died aged 70, was a larger than life lawyer who has had a major influence on those working to address the issues of global warming and the role of corporations in perpetuating this process. He worked both as an academic and within the legal profession in Scotland and England.

Scottish business insolvencies have increased by 19.7 per cent to 292, compared with the first quarter of 2022-23, according to the latest figures released by the Accountant in Bankruptcy (AiB). There has also been a 2.9 per cent rise in personal insolvencies in Scotland during Q1 to 2,098. Bankrupt