News

Thorntons has appointed two new partners to its commercial real estate team. Paul Haniford joined Thorntons at the beginning of this month, followed by Jayne Macfarlane.

Communities are being urged to have their say on how new control zones could be used to tackle firework misuse. A key part of the Fireworks and Pyrotechnic Articles (Scotland) Act which was passed last year, control zones will give local authorities the power to designate areas where fireworks will

The publication of the 2022 edition of the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) highlights that the perceived risk of bribery and corruption in many countries has shown no improvement - and in some important markets such as the UK is unfortunately worsening – which highlights the need for busine

M&A volume in Scotland last year rose by 10.7 per cent to 446 announced deals, up from 403 in 2021, with a total deal value of £24.8 billion, the latest Experian United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland M&A Review shows. The value of deals was 22 per cent higher than the p

The High Court of Justiciary has refused an appeal against conviction by a man charged with involvement with an organised crime group and the murder of a man shot outside a club in Amsterdam after ruling that the jury was correctly directed on how to use evidence provided by a police informant. Appe

It comes as no great surprise that Shamima Begum has lost her appeal against the Home Secretary's decision of 19 February 2019 depriving her of United Kingdom citizenship, writes Ronnie Clancy KC. This latest judgment from the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC) is the culmination of proce

Terra Firma Chambers’ Scott Blair and Graham Dunlop appeared in the recent case of Bruce v Moray Council [2023] CSIH 11, an appeal to the Inner House which set in sharp focus the situation where a local review board allowed an appeal by a developer seeking planning permission for houses and wh

PBW Law has announced that Professor Peter Watson has been appointed president elect of the British Academy of Forensic Sciences (BAFS). As an organisation BAFS encourages study, improves practice, disseminates information and advances knowledge in forensic science and forensic medicine for public b

A private member's bill extending Ireland's rent freeze by a year has sailed through second stage – after a government minister forgot to oppose it. The Eviction Ban Bill 2022 was introduced to the Dáil by Richard Boyd Barrett of the left-wing party People Before Profit, which has just

A former prison officer caught smuggling Class A drugs into a top security jail has been jailed for six years and three months. Heather McKenzie secretly ferried cocaine and mobile phones into Shotts Prison in Lanarkshire.

Sir Iain Livingstone is to step down as chief constable of Police Scotland in the summer. He took the role on in 2018 and has been a serving officer since 1992. Sir Iain is responsible for 23,000 officers and staff in what is the second largest police force in the UK.

Three new members have been appointed to the Scottish Civil Justice Council for a three-year term.

The contemporary challenges that contract draftsmen need to overcome will be the key theme at CLT Scotland’s Contract Conference taking place exclusively in-person on Monday 6 March at the Hilton Glasgow. Chaired by Brandon Malone, the conference will include topics ranging from limiting liabi

Deep and wide-ranging concerns have been expressed about a UK bill which will create a ‘legal cliff edge’. These concerns are contained in a new report by the Scottish Parliament’s Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee. The report follows the committee’

An independent review of new policing technologies, chaired at Edinburgh Napier University, has suggested statutory codes of practice could be considered to provide greater clarity and safeguards around the future use of live facial recognition and certain artificial intelligence (AI) applications.