News

First Minister John Swinney has paid tribute to the eight Scottish recipients of The Elizabeth Emblem. The emblem is awarded posthumously to family members of those who died in public service. It is the civilian equivalent of the Elizabeth Cross, which recognises members of the UK Armed Forces who d

Members of the public are being asked to have their say on proposals aimed at boosting the health, prosperity and wellbeing of communities by improving Scotland’s environment. The draft Environment Strategy sets out the opportunities for strengthening Scotland’s economy and improving peo

A round-up of human rights stories from around the world. Global firms ‘profiting from genocide’ in Gaza, says UN rapporteur

A first-of-its-kind public inquiry in Australia has published its recommendations for redress for the indigenous people who suffered genocide at the hands of British colonists. The Yoorrook Justice Commission was set up in 2021 as Australia's first formal truth-telling process and was tasked with ex

BTO Solicitors LLP has launched CyberProtect, a new specialist legal service aimed at supporting businesses and public sector bodies in proactively managing the risk of cyber-attacks and more effectively responding to and recovering from cyber incidents. As the frequency and sophistication of cyber

Work to promote mutual understanding of the differences in adults with incapacity law across the UK will benefit the public, according to the professional bodies for solicitors north and south of the border. The Law Society of Scotland and the Law Society of England and Wales have jointly developed

Thorntons has expanded its commercial real estate team with two appointments. Simone Young, who has more than 25 years’ experience of advising all parties involved in the construction sector, joins as partner, and Stephanie Zak, who has worked in both practice and industry during her 17-year c

Professor David Garland, one of the world’s most influential criminologists, was awarded an honorary doctor of laws by the University of Edinburgh on Tuesday, in recognition of his contributions to the study of punishment and social regulation. An Edinburgh Law School graduate, Professor Garla

A new bill in Ireland would introduce a disregard scheme for historic convictions for consensual sexual activity between men prior to the decriminalisation of homosexuality in the country in 1993. Sinn Féin TD Aengus Ó Snodaigh this week introduced the Disregard of Historic Offences fo

An oil and gas company which secured a $660 million judgment against Greenpeace in the US courts is now being sued in the Netherlands in what the environmental NGO says is the first major test of the EU's anti-SLAPP laws. Texas-based company Energy Transfer accused Greenpeace of defamation and orche

Award-winning documentary series Murder Case will return later this year with a new three-part series focusing on two cases – Tony Parsons, the charity cyclist who went missing in 2017, and the violent murder of Lucretia ‘Kiesha’ Donaghy in 2023.  The forthcoming new series of

Holyrood’s Rural Affairs & Islands Committee has endorsed the Dog Theft (Scotland) Bill despite the fact stealing dogs is already a crime. Publishing its stage one report, the committee said that it supports the general principles of the bill but detailed areas for reconsideration and deve

The University of Strathclyde Law Clinic has negotiated a significant five-figure settlement in a disability discrimination and unfair dismissal case brought before the Employment Tribunal. The clinic's client alleged that their dismissal was both unfair and discriminatory. Central to the claim was

The chief executive of the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) has resigned following mounting criticism over the body's handling of two of the most serious miscarriages of justice in British history. Karen Kneller, who had led the organisation since 2013, announced her departure on Thursday mor

The High Court has ordered a “robust and independent” investigation into how MI5 submitted false evidence to multiple courts, after dismissing two internal reviews by the Security Service as seriously “deficient”. The decision follows a BBC investigation which revealed that M