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A politician has received a surprise birthday cake while in the dock. Julius Malema, leader of South Africa's Economic Freedom Fighters party, was in court in the city of East London charged with firing an automatic rifle in 2018.

Scottish Legal News continued its successful start to the year with 262 new subscribers to the free daily newsletter taking its readership to 14,433. Twitter followers reached 12,000 for the first time with an additional 60 readers signing up while SLN's LinkedIn page attracted 124 new follower

The Council of the Law Society of Scotland passed a resolution on Ukraine and international rule of law when it met today which condemned the ongoing illegal invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces. The Council of the Law Society of Scotland:

Based on the real-life theft of a Goya portrait of the Duke of Wellington from the National Gallery in London in 1961, The Duke is that rarest of movies – a gentle comedy that packs a punch, in this case a powerful defence of the right to trial by jury. Jim Broadbent as Kempton Bunton, the ecc

Lawyers have been gathering donations for Ukraine. Amanda Wilson of Amanda Wilson Family Law has been "overwhelmed by the generosity of everyone in Dundee".

The Times has published an obituary of Sheriff Principal Brian Lockhart, who passed away last month at the age of 79. "In a distinguished legal career spanning more than 50 years, Lockhart was the first solicitor to sit in the High Court as a temporary High Court judge. He was also involved in the f

Human rights campaigners have called for the release of lawyer Mohammad Najafi, who has been imprisoned in Iran since 2018 on multiple convictions for his defence of basic civil and political liberties. Lawyers for Lawyers, an independent and non-political Netherlands-based foundation and the Center

A faulty computer system has potentially let hundreds of criminals out of prison erroneously. Justice Secretary Keith Brown revealed at Holyrood yesterday that an IT blunder in a vital risk assessment system has meant that the records of hundreds of prisoners were wrongly marked with the wrong risk.

New legislation to amend the system through which transgender people can gain legal recognition has been published. The Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill will amend the Gender Recognition Act 2004 to introduce new criteria for applicants who wish to obtain a Gender Recognition Certificate (G

France’s Court of Cassation has upheld a ban on advocates wearing religious symbols with their robes in courtrooms. In June 2019, the Lille Bar Council told its members they would not be permitted to wear “decorations or signs” displaying “religious, philosophical, community

A round-up of human rights stories from around the world. Bachelet leads calls for ceasefire in Ukraine during urgent debate at UN rights council

Paul Bonner Hughes has become a full tenant of 3 Verulam Buildings (3VB). He brings a wealth of experience in litigation and arbitration to the bar, having previously practised as a litigation attorney with Davis Polk & Wardwell and Quinn Emanuel in New York and more recently as a solicitor with

Evidence led trials in Scotland decreased by 15 per cent to 1,716 in Q3 2021/22 compared to Q2, new figures show. The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) quarterly statistical bulletin contains figures on activity in all High, Sheriff, Justice of the Peace and criminal appeal courts with na

A free service to connect Ukrainians in need of UK immigration advice with a network of volunteer lawyers – the Ukraine Advice Project UK – has been established. John Vassiliou, a senior associate at Shepherd and Wedderburn, is one of the immigration lawyers involved.

A driver who hit and killed a pedestrian while fleeing police has been jailed for eight years. Shaun Rimmer was speeding along Great Northern Road in Aberdeen on 16 August 2021 when he hit Simon Musabayana before driving off.