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The Coronavirus (Recovery and Reform) (Scotland) Bill is currently before the Scottish Parliament. The bill seeks to preserve on a permanent basis a number of changes to the law that were introduced temporarily to address the challenges of the pandemic. Many of these changes deal with administrative

Scottish average property prices increased by nearly 10 per cent in 2021, led by rises in the cost of larger homes, according to an analysis of the latest data by property firm DJ Alexander Ltd. DJ Alexander Ltd said that between January 2021 and December 2021 average property prices in Scotland ros

Dog thefts have risen, new figures from Police Scotland show. In 2020/21 there were 88 crimes in which dogs were stolen or there was an attempt to steal them, up from 62 in the preceding financial year.

Legal requirements to wear face coverings on public transport and most indoor public settings will continue until at least early April given the current spike in Covid case numbers, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said. Remaining legal requirements for businesses and service providers to collect

An English law firm can recover unpaid legal fees from Ryanair where the airline has bypassed it to make compensation payments directly to its clients, the UK Supreme Court has ruled by a narrow majority. Bott & Co Solicitors, which specialises in flight delay compensation cases, brought proceed

Retaliatory Russian sanctions against US officials may have targeted President Joe Biden's late father by mistake, the White House has joked. White House press secretary Jen Psaki pointed out that the Russian sanctions list named "Joseph Robinette Biden" where it should have said "Joseph Robinette B

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) will make a ruling this afternoon on proceedings brought by Ukraine against Russia over the legal basis for its ongoing invasion. Ukraine denies Russian allegations that it has committed acts of genocide in the territory of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People'

David J Black continues to investigate the biggest medical scandal of the 21st century. Read part one here and see also his series from last year for SLN. October the 29th 2021 was something of a red-letter day for those who believed the psychiatric biopsychosocial (BPS) model had, fo

The latest quarterly report on the number of suspected drug deaths during 2021 shows a fall of eight per cent (116) on the previous year. The report from Police Scotland shows there were 1,295 deaths between January and December 2021. The equivalent number of suspected drug deaths for 2020 was 1,411

A man who assaulted a nurse in a Dundee hospital and sang offensive remarks at another nurse with an Irish accent has successfully had the length of his cumulative sentence reduced by the Sheriff Appeal Court. It was argued by counsel for William Hutchison that the overall headline sentence imposed

Russia is no longer a party to the European Convention on Human Rights, having withdrawn from the Council of Europe before an expected expulsion over its invasion of Ukraine. The decision was announced hours before a vote at the CoE's assembly yesterday. Russia accused Western countries of undermini

Following the news that the UK government proposes increasing criminal legal aid funding by up to £135 million per year south of the border, the Law Society of Scotland has criticised the lack of progress on resolving the legal aid crisis in Scotland as one lawyer said the system can no longer

A motorist who led police on a 35-mile chase was found to be carrying a toy driving license from Legoland. After a long pursuit, a 21-year-old man was arrested by officers from Kent and London on suspicion of multiple driving and drug-related offences, KentOnline reports.

British judges have upheld Bermuda's ban on same-sex marriage as constitutional in a challenge brought to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC), which remains the island territory's highest court of appeal. The JCPC, based in London, is the highest court of appeal for British Overseas T

The Faculty of Advocates has again objected to any rise in civil court fees, saying they are already “excessively high and should not be increased”. The Scottish government is currently consulting on proposals to increase court fees over the next three years – a two per cent rise d