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The Supreme Court should be brought to heel in the wake of high-profile constitutional rulings, a former government lawyer has said. Sir Stephen Laws, former first parliamentary counsel, has called for curbs on the court's power and clarification of judges' powers.

Plans to incorporate human rights treaties into Scots law have been announced by Equalities Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville. Subject to the outcome of May's Holyrood election, a new Human Rights Bill will incorporate four United Nations human rights treaties into Scots law, including legislat

The Scottish Human Rights Commission has welcomed the passing of the Redress for Survivors (Historical Child Abuse in Care) (Scotland) Act at Holyrood. The legislation creates a new independent body, Redress Scotland, to administer a scheme making financial payments to survivors of historical child

Sibel Top, a PhD fellow of the Flemish Research Foundation (FWO) at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, considers whether EU extradition laws have passed the "Catalan test". On 8 March 2021, the European Parliament voted to lift the immunity of Catalan MEPs, Puigdemont, Comin and Ponsati. Although this

Black Chambers have welcomed Kenneth Cloggie to the stable. Mr Cloggie called to the bar last year, having previously practised as a solicitor advocate and as a partner in his own firm. 

From May the majority of domestic abuse summary trials in Aberdeen Sheriff Court will be conducted virtually, with only the accused person and their solicitor having to be present in the court premises, Sheriff Principal Derek Pyle has announced. This follows a pilot project which was conducted last

Agents report strong buyer demand for homes in Scotland despite the second lockdown ESPC agents across the southern half of Scotland are reporting significant buyer demand and enquiries for homes, despite the current lockdown restrictions. 

A Belfast man arrested for allegedly exposing himself in a Subway restaurant was found to have a Kinder Egg full of drugs concealed in his backside, police say. John Goddard, 48, was arrested on suspicion of being drunk and causing disturbances after reports he had exposed himself in a Subway in sou

A sheriff in Glasgow has made an order under the Forced Marriage etc. (Protection and Jurisdiction) (Scotland) Act 2011 in order to prevent the parents of an Indian student studying in the UK from attempting to force her into a marriage. The pursuer, referred to as AB, alleged that he

Aberdein Considine has appointed senior finance specialist Stuart Hunter. Mr Hunter has joined the firm as its director with responsibility for training and competency following senior roles with a number of major financial institutions including CYBG (now Virgin Money), Prudential Financial Pl

Thorntons has taken on 13 new trainees. Three of the new recruits started their traineeship in September but, this month, 10 others have joined them. All 13 will undertake a two-year traineeship across the firm’s network of offices and will develop their skills and knowledge working across a v

A judge who suffered bullying after she complained about cuts to the justice system has been awarded a payout for harassment and discrimination, The Times reports. Claire Gilham, 62, said she had been victimised and became suicidal after her claims that courtrooms were unsafe and that judges had bee

Civil liberty campaigners have warned of a “staggering assault” on the right to protest as police revealed how they would implement government proposals to limit demonstrations. Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) has published plans fo

Details of a proposed bill on housing will be published next week as part of a new 20-year route map for housing in the coming decades. Housing to 2040 – Scotland’s first long-term housing plan – aims to set the path for how homes and communities should look and feel in 2040.&

It is usually (but not always) a truism in the legal profession that what happens in London will eventually happen in Edinburgh. The most recent example of this is in relation to the way in which lawyers north of the border are entitled to charge for their work. For some time now, English lawyers ha