News

A new initiative to expedite the resolution of summary cases will short-change defence lawyers, without extra pay. The Summary Case Management pilot, which begins today, seeks to reduce the number of unnecessary hearings at summary level, which contributed to over 400,000 witness citations last year

Eleven new sheriffs have been appointed. Shona Gilroy, John Hamilton QC, Michael Hanlon, Paul Haran, David Harvie, Krista Johnston, Derek Livingston, Charles Lugton, John MacRitchie, David Taylor and James Varney have been appointed to the office of sheriff on the recommendation of the First Ministe

Two successive earthquakes have rocked Liechtenstein's national parliament – just as lawmakers were debating a new law on earthquake insurance. Footage from the parliament shows a slight tremor as MP Bettina Petzold-Mähr makes the case for making earthquake insurance a legal requirement,

UK businesses can expect a crackdown on furlough fraud after HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) revealed that almost 14,000 whistleblowers had come forward with information about misuse of the scheme. In total, officials received 13,775 tip-offs from employees about fraud against the furlough scheme co

The Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care (PSA) has successfully appealed a disciplinary decision of the Medical Practitioners Tribunal (MPT) concerning a doctor. This is the first reported Scottish case in which the PSA succeeded in persuading the Court of Session to grant suc

 Pictured (L-R): Curtis Preston, Deborah O’Donnell, Stephanie Goudie and Ronan Duff A group of newly-qualified lawyers who began their training at the height of the coronavirus pandemic have secured permanent roles at Lindsays.

A round-up of human rights stories from around the world. China denounces U.N. report detailing human rights abuses of Uyghurs

A new initiative to manage summary cases in Scotland is to be piloted in Dundee, Hamilton and Paisley Sheriff Courts from Monday 5 September. The Summary Case Management pilot seeks to reduce the number of unnecessary hearings at summary level, which contributed to over 400,000 witness citations las

Brodies LLP has opened its new Highlands and Islands office in Inverness, following a busy year for its clients in the region. In the past 12 months, Brodies has worked with businesses, organisations and individuals, including Inverness College, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Lerwick Port Authori

The Scottish Young Lawyers' Association is hosting an online event on Monday for first-time buyers. The speakers are:

An Edinburgh taxi driver who was convicted of a statutory offence of making sexual remarks to two young female passengers has had his conviction replaced by one for the common law offence of breach of the peace after appealing to the Sheriff Appeal Court. Faisal Aziz was originally convicted under s

James Mollison has been appointed as the new judicial complaints reviewer. The reviewer offers an "independent, impartial and free service" for anyone unhappy with the way their complaint about the conduct of a member of the judiciary – including judges, sheriffs and justices of the peace &nda

James Chalmers and Fiona Leverick respond to recent articles about jurors’ assessment of credibility in criminal trials. Our recent study of the way in which jurors assess credibility in criminal trials has been the subject of some attention in Scottish Legal News. In this study, we reported o

A politician has appealed for help after his bike was stolen less than 90 minutes after he pledged to tackle bike theft in his city. Rick Shone, a mayoral candidate in Winnipeg, Canada, said his bike was stolen from his truck while parked outside a shop, CBC reports.

Increased interest in and enjoyment of the Scottish countryside by the public over the last few years has resulted in many not just taking to the hills, but enjoying land by the water too, and Scotland's rivers are renowned for the quality of fishing by those that enjoy the sport. You may have heard