News

The Legal Services Board (LSB) has announced plans to review the enforcement and investigative tools available to the legal services regulators, including the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). This could include increasing financial penalties available to regulators, as well as enabling regulat

Collected property taxes in Scotland have risen almost 50 per cent in the past two years, according to recent analysis. Property firm DJ Alexander Ltd reports that revenues from the Scottish government’s Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT) in June 2023 stood at £61.7 million from 8

The Scottish Law Agents’ Society has responded to Holyrood's consultation on the Regulation of Legal Services (Scotland) Bill. A condensed version of the response is reproduced below. We are deeply uneasy about why the Scottish government feels that it is desirable, appropriate or necessary to

A career criminal who acted as a “wages” paymaster to elite gangland figures and their families has been jailed for four years and eight months. Surveillance officers watched Gerard McTaggart, 47, of Glasgow, delivering bags containing thousands of pounds in cash to several locations lin

A new BBC podcast series uncovers what really happened when the Leonardo da Vinci painting, The Madonna of the Yarnwinder, was spectacularly taken from Drumlanrig Castle in Dumfries and Galloway in 2003. The Missing Madonna, which is available from 25 August on BBC Sounds, marks the 20th anniversary

The Scottish government has launched a consultation on draft regulations transferring certain appeal functions of the Transport Tribunal and allocating new appeal functions relating to bus services improvement partnerships to the Upper Tribunal for Scotland. The consultation on draft regulations per

The Flexible Working Bill will likely see more employees become aware of the right to make flexible working requests and the volume of these requests will increase, Laura Salmond suggests. On 29 July 2023, the Employment Relations (Flexible Working) Bill received Royal Assent. These amendments

The City of Edinburgh Council has decided not to appeal a Court of Session ruling that found its short-term lets (STL) licensing policy to be unlawful.

A notorious Italian mobster has been apprehended after being spotted in a photo of celebrating S.S.C. Napoli football fans in Greece. Vincenzo La Porta, 60, fled Italy 11 years ago and was sentenced in absentia to 14 years' imprisonment in connection with organised crime, tax evasion and fraud offen

Shepherd and Wedderburn has reported seven per cent turnover growth to £66.7 million in the year to 30 April 2023, the sixth year of consecutive growth. Net profits (before partner distributions) grew three per cent to £27.1 million. The firm also announced that an exceptional bonus of f

Pictured (L-R): Emma Gray, Ryan McKay and Fiona Muirs Fiona Muirs has joined Blackadders LLP.

The Scottish Legal Complaints Commission (SLCC) has welcomed the proposed reform of the complaints and regulation system in its response to the Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee’s call for evidence on the Regulation of Legal Services (Scotland) Bill. Neil Stevenson, chi

Balfour and Manson has appointed a new associate and solicitor to its property team. Kirstyn Logan has joined the team, from Drummond Miller, as an associate. She is an experienced property law professional who has also worked for McEwan Fraser, Gilson Gray and Clancy Hendrie Legal - and is well-kno

A celebration of the life of David Michael Preston will take place on Monday 14 August at 11.30am in the Victoria Halls, Sinclair Street, Helensburgh, G84 8TU, to which all friends are respectfully invited to attend, and thereafter at the Royal Clyde and Northern Yacht Club. Immediately following th

Gilson Gray has appointed Tracy McAlpine as a director in its residential property division to lead a new dedicated team for newbuild conveyancing. Ms McAlpine brings more than two decades of experience to the firm and has spent the last 10 years specialising in newbuild transactions, working closel