News

The Scottish government's proposed regulatory reform of legal services would remove power from the Court of Session in an "unacceptable interference by the government and parliament with the judiciary", judges have said. In a response to the consultation on Legal Services Regulation Reform, the judi

Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokesperson Liam McArthur has revealed the longest outstanding waits for fatal accident inquiries in Scotland now run to almost a decade and branded such inquiries “next to useless and an insult to families”. The party are now calling for the Scottish g

Christine O’Neill QC, chairman of Brodies LLP, has been re-elected to serve a fourth consecutive term in the role. First elected to the position of chairman in 2013, she plays an integral role in the firm’s business planning and governance and will continue to represent the partnership i

Holyrood's Criminal Justice Committee is detailing some of the changes it wants to see made in the Scottish justice sector in a new report published today. Following a series of hearings looking at justice issues, the committee is setting out the actions it wants to see taken to improve outcomes in

The Inner House of the Court of Session has allowed a reclaiming motion by the Scottish Ministers challenging a Lord Ordinary’s decision ordering them to reassess a fishery pilot proposal for the waters around the Inner Sound of Skye. The Scottish Creel Fishermen’s Federation had been gr

Regulators in France have fined tech giants Google and Facebook €210 million over their use of "cookies", which track users online. Various tech firms have come under scrutiny over their activity in Europe, where they have already faced significant fines.

Car adverts will be required to include a message encouraging viewers to walk or cycle instead of driving under a new French law. Under regulations coming into effect from March, all types of car adverts will have to include messages like "Think about carpooling" and "Take public transit daily", CTV

A round-up of human rights stories from around the world. Kazakhstan president says he gave order to ‘open fire with lethal force’ | The Guardian

The Scottish government has been accused of “legalising littering” after a mere 34 of 135,000 reported fly-tipping incidents were sent to prosecutors. Despite incidents being reported in 30 of Scotland's local areas, only eight councils passed cases on to the Crown Office.

New measures targeted directly at keeping women and girls safer have been added to the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill the government has announced. Under the changes, victims of domestic abuse will be allowed more time to report incidents of common assault or battery against them. Cu

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has dismissed the so-called "gay cake" case brought by Gareth Lee, a UK national, represented by Ciaran Moynagh of Phoenix Law, against the United Kingdom government. The ECtHR found that Mr Lee had relied on national legislation to advance his discriminati

Benjamin Bestgen takes a philosophical look at corruption. In November 2021, Prime Minister Boris Johnson felt the need to tell the world’s media at the COP26 conference that the UK was not remotely a corrupt country. The PM took this step as both he personally and his Tory party are, not for

Forbes Leslie has stepped down as senior partner of Dallas McMillan after 20 years in the position, with head of litigation Gordon Bell taking his place. David McElroy meanwhile became the firm’s managing partner. His role will focus on the firm’s business development and strategic plann

Three Aberdeenshire men have been sentenced after admitting using dogs to hunt wild hares. Peter Anderson, Philip Starr and Phillip Wilson, all from Macduff, had previously pled guilty to wildlife offences at Forfar Sheriff Court.

Scottish ministers have appointed 15 part-time sheriffs and 17 part-time summary sheriffs. The new part-time sheriffs are: Robert Carr, Duncan Hamilton QC, Kirsty Hood QC, Krista Johnston, Gareth Jones, Neil Kinnear, Mark Lindsay QC, Scott Manson, Christian Marney, Robert More, James Mulgrew, Iain N