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A newly published judgment from 2019 details how former Scottish MP Natalie McGarry, who was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment for embezzlement that year, won an appeal against a sheriff’s decision not to allow her to withdraw her guilty pleas, with the Crown granted authority fo

A notorious cat dubbed the "most prosecuted" in her local area has been vindicated in court after years of litigation. Miska, a brown tabby cat in Bellevue, Washington, racked up more than $30,000 (around €28,500) in fines for allegedly trespassing on neighbouring properties and taunting other

Senators of both parties have agreed a deal over a draft bill that would widen the ambit of a 1996 war crimes law to give American courts jurisdiction in cases involving foreign atrocities, in an apparent response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The draft bill, obtained by The New York Times, wo

A lawyer who was fined after telling a joke in court suffered a violation of his right to freedom of expression, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has ruled. Mirko Simic, a lawyer in Bosnia and Herzegovina, told the joke – about a professor who expected his students to provide not onl

Shoosmiths, which has offices in Edinburgh and Glasgow, is to increase NQ salaries. The firm announced that salaries will rise by 16 per cent on November 1 this year.

Following a two-year financial support package for Scottish solicitors to mitigate the impact of the pandemic, the Law Society of Scotland is proposing a practising certificate fee which is "lower in real terms" compared to the pre-pandemic fee level.  The Law Society agreed a £2.2 millio

A former lawyer breached his duty of care to his client, a Kazakh mining giant, while the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) acted with "bad faith opportunism" before a major criminal investigation, the High Court has ruled. Former Dechert lawyer Neil Gerrard, who represented Eurasian Natural Resources Corp

Last week was not a good week for the Faculty of Advocates. The findings of an internal disciplinary hearing provoked Rape Crisis Scotland to allege that there existed "a culture of misogyny amongst some members of the Faculty of Advocates and lay bare an environment where entitled, arrogant attitud

Hamilton man James McGee, a retired tax inspector who stole a dead man's identity to carry out a £170,000 VAT fraud, has been sentenced to two-and-a-half years' imprisonment at Ayr Sheriff Court. James McGee, 66, utilised his 40 years of expertise to obtain false payments from HMRC.

At the High Court in Glasgow, Lord Fairley sentenced Brandon Boyd to six years and 10 months and Connor Clark to eight years' imprisonment after the offenders pleaded guilty to hamesucken and robbery. On sentencing Lord Fairley made the statement below in court. On the evening of 13 June 2019, Marga

Edinburgh solicitor and musician Joe Boyd has released two songs. Ballads Solace and Take Me Away are now available to stream on Spotify, iTunes, YouTube Music and elsewhere.

A Qatari couple whose four daughters fled to the UK in January 2020 after facing abuse at home have been unsuccessful in an action seeking an order for the return of their youngest daughter. Pursuers ZA and MN sought a specific issue order for the return of M, aged 13, to Qatar. All four sisters wer

The Law Society of Scotland has congratulated John Scott QC as he today takes the precedent-setting step from solicitor advocate to senator of the College of Justice. Lord Scott is one of five new senators taking up their roles today in the College of Justice – the appointments were publicly a

Influential businessman Sir Angus Grossart has passed away at the age of 85 after a short illness. He was educated at Glasgow Academy and Glasgow University, where he obtained an LLB following an MA.

A man who taunted police on social media with a message reading "catch me if you can" has been jailed for eight years. More than 5,500 people liked 20-year-old Jordan Carr's comment on a post seeking his whereabouts in connection with an aggravated burglary in Bedfordshire, England.