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Defence counsel Tony Lenehan KC writes that juryless trials are being driven by ideology rather than evidence.  After reading the Victims, Witnesses and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill I was disappointed but not surprised. I am disappointed at the many politicians, lobbyists, academics and

The Scottish Young Lawyers' Association (SYLA) will be holding its Annual General Meeting at 6pm on Wednesday 31 May 2023. The meeting will be held both in-person and virtually (via Zoom). The meeting will be at Burness Paull, Edinburgh (Exchange Plaza, 50 Lothian Road, EH3 9WJ).

Joanna Cherry KC MP is to take legal action against a comedy club if it fails to apologise to her by next week over its cancellation of an event at this year's Fringe. Lawyers for Ms Cherry have given The Stand until next week to apologise, reinstate the gig and admit that cancelling the In Conversa

The rebellion against the Scottish government’s plans for juryless trials in rape cases has intensified, with lawyers in Aberdeen joining the boycott. Bar associations in Edinburgh and Glasgow have already declared that their members will not participate in the pilot scheme proposed by the Sco

The Scottish government is considering reforms to the role of the lord advocate, years after they were originally mooted. The SNP pledged to consider reforms in the wake of the Alex Salmond case and the police investigation into the SNP's finances. A consultation on the matter was promised in the SN

Craig Whyte, the former owner of Rangers, has dropped his £500,000 malicious prosecution claim against the Crown Office. In 2015, he was arrested and charged with taking over the Glasgow football club by fraud. However, he was acquitted two years later following a seven-week trial. Mr Whyte so

A motorist arrested in the Netherlands on suspicion of drink driving was allegedly found to have a fake Ukrainian driving license with Boris Johnson's name and photograph. Police in Groningen, in the north of the country, said they arrested a 35-year-old man on Sunday night in the vicinity of an aba

Compass Chambers' Reparation Conference will take place in Glasgow on Friday 2 June 2023 at 200 Conference & Events Ltd (200 St Vincent Street) from 1pm until 5pm and is open to all solicitors, in-house lawyers, trainees and paralegals. Under the Law Society of Scotland's Guidelines, delegates m

The UK government is considering plans to reduce reoffending and address labour shortages in England and Wales by allowing more prisoners to go on day release and work in industries such as construction, haulage, and hospitality. Currently, only a quarter of those leaving prison have a job within si

A round-up of human rights stories from around the world. Faced with jail for defending Kremlin opponents, Russian lawyers are leaving | The Wall Street Journal

Lawyers in Glasgow and Edinburgh have voted to boycott the proposed juryless trials pilot in rape cases. Members of the Edinburgh Bar Association voted overwhelmingly to boycott the measure contained in the Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill should they come to fruition.

Lindsays has reported that average house prices in the city have risen by over £60,000 since before the Covid-19 pandemic. The firm noted that prices across Edinburgh and throughout the Lothians show no signs of dropping – with values remaining stable and strong.

Dear Editor, Douglas Cusine writes that there is “no evidence” that jurors subscribe to rape myths. He states that the “only way one could get ‘evidence’ would be to sit in during a jury’s deliberations, or interview jurors afterwards” and rightly points out

Neil Beynon considers recent Public International Law (PIL) in respect of the prohibition of a sovereign state acting relative to aircraft and state sovereignty over its airspace.

Businesses will be able to borrow more easily against assets such as whisky stores and machinery under legal reforms passed by the Scottish Parliament. The Moveable Transactions (Scotland) Bill, which aims to make it easier for businesses to raise finance, will also enable them to borrow against int