News

Potential changes to the council tax system that could see those in the highest value properties asked to pay more if they can afford to have been published. A joint consultation with COSLA is seeking views on plans to increase the amount paid by people in bands E, F, G and H. This aims to address c

Marcus Di Rollo discusses housing issues in Scotland, from a shortfall of homes and rising rents to the impact of government policies on landlords and the construction of new homes. In recent weeks, we’ve heard about a handful of city centre properties in Glasgow being turned into student acco

The Cyber and Fraud Centre – Scotland has added six new partners to its Incident Response network, including two law firms, as it issues a warning to organisations to have plans in place for cyberattacks. Anderson Strathern and Burness Paull join the specialised Incident Response Cadre, along

There is an epidemic happening on Scotland’s roads. Road defects, especially potholes, have been blamed for 15 deaths and over 700 injuries since 2013 according to figures obtained from Police Scotland. Any death on Scotland’s roads is a tragedy, but the occurrence is even more tragic wh

Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain KC has ordered a review of how prosecutors deal with diversion from prosecution in cases of serious sexual offences such as rape. Diversion from prosecution is one of a range of community justice interventions prosecutors will consider. Its application is guided by the Sco

Donald Findlay KC has accused the Scottish government of undermining the justice system for mere "vote-gathering". His comments come in response to proposals from Scottish ministers to pilot juryless trials for rape cases and to eliminate the 'not proven' verdict.

The Toronto Police Service has confirmed the closure of a licensed, fully-stocked bar at its headquarters after an officer who had allegedly drunk there was charged with impaired driving. The decision was communicated to senior officers in May, with the liquor licence not due for renewal. A spokespe

Thorntons is formally opening its new Glasgow office – its first permanent home in the city. The George Square premises, which feature a bespoke artwork by Glasgow graffiti artist Bobby McNamara – better known as Rogue One, the creator of several murals around the city – are key to

The Illegal Migration Bill will effectively extinguish the right to seek asylum in the UK, say lawyers who have examined the proposed legislation on behalf of human rights charity, Freedom from Torture. Key aspects of the bill are incompatible with the UK’s international obligations under the

Pictured (L-R): Louisa Clark, Lauren Irwin, Alanis Hunt, Sorcha Hill, Emma Kelly, Shona Christie, Martin Clement, Daniel Leyden Dallas McMillan Solicitors has taken on four new first year trainees, taking the total number of trainee solicitors employed by the firm to eight. They will work in the pro

The Inner House of the Court of Session has this week condemned a solicitor’s “extraordinary lapse of professional judgement” in failing to produce a response to a complaint, but stopped short of making a finding of contempt of court.

A round-up of human rights stories from around the world. Prosecutor in Argentina launches investigation into alleged human rights crimes in Venezuela

The Supreme Court has handed down its decision in the appeal of McCulloch & Ors v Forth Valley Health Board [2023] UKSC 26. The court was asked to decide on the extent to which a doctor is required, under a duty of care owed to a patient, to inform the patient about possible alternative treatmen

Michael Upton, FCIArb, advocate, mediator & arbitrator, discusses an aspect of the Scottish Law Commission’s Discussion Paper No. 175, on Heritable Securities: Non-monetary securities and sub-securities, to which the commission is now seeking responses. As you may know, in the context of h

The Supreme Court has held that a high street bank did not have a duty not to carry out a customer’s instructions if it had reasonable grounds for believing that customer was defrauded after an appeal against a decision of the Court of Appeal of England & Wales finding that such a duty cou