News

The introduction of group procedure (class actions) in Scotland in 2020 has given litigation-savvy claimants another choice of forum in which to raise a class action. Under the new procedure, groups of two or more people with the same, similar, or related claims, can unite to raise proceedings in a

The recent Scottish government consultation in respect of its new Land Reform Bill included proposals in relation to a new form of agricultural tenancy that would allow the tenant considerable freedom to use the land within the tenancy for environmental purposes including planting trees and carbon s

Two pilots were suspended after getting into a fist-fight while climbing thousands of feet in the air, it has emerged. The Air France pilots were disciplined after the incident in June, according to a damning report published by France's Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety (BEA)

Crime is at the lowest level recorded by police for a 12-month period since 1974 according to statistics published today. The latest National Statistics: Recorded Crime in Scotland bulletin for the year ending June 2022 shows there was a five per cent fall in police recorded crime overall compared t

A commercial judge in the Outer House of the Court of Session has granted decrees for registration of stock transfer forms in two connected actions raised by a company which acquired shares in housebuilding companies as part of loan facilities agreements. BV10 Ltd raised the first action against six

Police officers have been told to reveal to their bosses the identities of news reporters, according to The Guardian. The measure, already used by some police forces, follows guidance from the College of Policing and was only discovered by accident.

Academics have called for judges to stop directing juries to take body language into account when assessing the credibility of witnesses. Sixty-four mock juries were set up for research, featuring a total of 863 participants. Half of them were shown a recorded rape trial while the remainder were sho

The Scottish Sentencing Council is holding a public consultation on Scotland’s first offence guideline, which covers offences of causing death by driving. The draft guideline sets out sentencing ranges to assist judges when deciding sentences for the statutory offences involving causing death

A new card game inspired by party hit Cards Against Humanity has been refused patent protection in Bulgaria for insulting the country's "ancient and eternal values". Much like the US game, Cards Against Bulgarianness sees players combine cards with short phrases to create funny and offensive stateme

Major law firms in the City of London are in the middle of a recruitment boom with a sharp increase in vacancies, according to a recruiter. JMC Legal said there are currently 2,680 vacancies for lawyers, a 14 per cent rise on the previous year, with an even larger 58 per cent rise in in-house openin

Scottish craft brewer start-up, BrewDog, has been caught up in a copyright dispute over its 'Lone Wolf' gin line-up. A filing made with the US Patent and Trademark Office shows that BrewDog's usage of the name has been challenged by Lone Wolf Cigar Cellar, claiming it is damaging its business and is

Andy Hornby and James Crosby, the former HBOS bosses who were under investigation for their part in the failure of banking group in 2008, have been let off without penalty. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) have completed protracted joint investigat

Two Scottish universities have begun paying settlements to students who were sexually abused by a disgraced academic. Strathclyde University and Heriot-Watt University have paid five-figure sums to at least two victims of professor Kevin O'Gorman, with payouts expected to total hundreds of thousands

A private member's bill proposing the establishment of a domestic abuse register similar to the sex offenders register has gone out for consultation. The proposed Domestic Abuse (Prevention) (Scotland) Bill, put forward by Scottish Conservative MSP Pam Gosal, would require those placed on the domest

A rapist who beat and tortured several partners has been jailed indefinitely after posthumous testimony from two victims. Unemployed Alexander Thomson, 42, of Broxburn, West Lothian, was made the subject of an order for lifelong restriction at the High Court in Glasgow on Friday.