News

Former pensions lawyer Elizabeth Gordon has been appointed to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) Council. Mrs Gordon is one of four new members of the Council, which is responsible for deciding if an ad has broken the advertising rules and therefore needs to be amended or withdrawn. The Counc

A construction and telecommunication company has been fined £550,000 after an employee fell from a stepladder and was impaled on metal piping. The company was also ordered to pay the deceased’s family £200,000 in compensation.

Kirstin MacDonald, associate at Wright, Johnston & Mackenzie LLP, has been appointed as a director of the Inverness Chamber of Commerce. Ms MacDonald, a specialist in corporate law, will advocate for the Chamber’s 400+ business member organisations as she takes on the leading role for the

A suspected drunk driver tried to switch seats with his dog in the passenger seat and then claimed he wasn't driving, according to police. Police in Springfield, Colorado took to Facebook to explain what happened after pulling over a motorist allegedly driving at 52mph in a 30mph area.

The Scottish University Law Clinic Network (SULCN) has invited student advisors from law clinics to attend its annual conference later this month. SULCN's annual conference offers a fantastic opportunity to come together with fellow Student Advisors and learn new skills and gain updated knowledge to

Dr Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, the Chief Justice of India, will deliver a public lecture at Edinburgh Law School next month. The free event on Thursday 1 June, 5.15pm will focus on "Global Change and the Legal Profession, Past and Future: Perspectives from India".

Melissa Rutherford, a criminal defence solicitor and specialist in trauma-informed practice, is to address the next meeting of Disabling Barriers Scotland. The group, founded by Tom McGovern and Fraser Mackay, is open to support from all who have an interest in making the Scottish legal sector more

Banking lawyer Grant Docherty has been appointed as head of Shakespeare Martineau's Edinburgh office. Mr Docherty joined the firm in 2022 as a consultant and was later promoted to partner. He heads its banking practice in Scotland, having more than 32 years' experience in the banking sector.

Morton Fraser has been appointed to road safety charity Brake's National Road Victim Service in Scotland. Under the 12-month partnership, Morton Fraser will join the National Road Victim Service's Scottish legal panel, along with two other firms, in providing crucial legal support and advice to road

The Law Society of Scotland has signed up to an international declaration on protecting the independence of the judiciary and the legal profession. The move follows the organisation’s warnings about new proposals to reform regulation of legal services, which could see unprecedented direct inte

Lawyers have underscored the escalating risks that companies face for failing to adequately safeguard children's data. Video games companies, social media platforms and companies using facial recognition technology have all recently come under fire from data protection regulators across Europe for n

Commercial law firm MacRoberts has strengthened its corporate finance and employment practices with the promotion of two new partners. Bonar Mercer specialises in corporate law, focusing on transactional work including mergers, acquisitions and investments. He advises on transactions across numerous

A man who embezzled £170,000 from a deceased woman who had hired him as a financial advisor and later appointed him executor of her estate has lost a High Court appeal against his conviction.  Gordon Couch, who was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment for embezzling funds from the

Portugal has approved new legislation allowing for assisted dying and euthanasia in limited circumstances. The bill was approved by parliamentarians from the governing Socialist Party and its centre-left allies in spite of serious opposition from the country's conservative president, who had vetoed

Plans to hold young offenders under the age of 18 in secure care rather than young offender institutes (YOIs) will require additional resources, a Holyrood committee has warned. There are significantly higher costs associated with holding young people in secure care rather than YOIs, the criminal ju