News

A working group considering a standalone offence of misogynistic behaviour is to begin its work this month. The independent working group, chaired by Baroness Helena Kennedy QC, to consider the creation of a standalone offence to help tackle misogyny, will hold its inaugural meeting later this

The Scottish Legal Complaints Commission (SLCC) should lower the levy on lawyers rather than keep it the current level, the Law Society of Scotland has said. The SLCC has opened a consultation on its budget and operating plan for 2021-22 that proposes to freeze the levy on lawyers.

As part of its commitment to set a pathway towards a net-zero carbon future, UK law firm Shoosmiths has committed to setting science-based targets through the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). Shoosmiths has committed to set emissions reduction targets across the entire value chain that are c

The Scottish Young Lawyers' Association (SYLA) is hosting an online meet-up to bring trainees from the 2019/2020/2021 intake together. It is hoped this event will allow trainees to get to know one another virtually – with a view to meeting in person in the future.

A man has been arrested on suspicion of using a radio to give fake air control instructions to passenger jets and helicopters. Police in Berlin raided the home of a 32-year-old following multiple incidents of "dangerous interference in rail, ship and air traffic".

A man has been refused permission to appeal against a decision of the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission that a firm of solicitors he instructed to wind up his deceased father’s estate had not failed to communicate effectively with him about the fact they had not received a death certificate

A programme aimed at tackling justice system backlogs caused by the Covid-19 pandemic will benefit from an extra £50 million in the Scottish government's budget for 2021/22, Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf has announced. Mr Yousaf yesterday announced a £104.4 million increase across the j

Eric McQueen, chief executive of the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS), has written to bar associations in response to a letter raising concerns about the implementation of Covid-19 protections in court and tribunal buildings. We reproduce his letter in full below. Thank you for your lett

The unpaid work element of community payback orders (CPOs) will be slashed by more than a third in most cases in order to ease pressure on local authorities during the Covid-19 pandemic. The new measures announced by the Scottish government will not include CPOs imposed for domestic abuse, sexual of

The presidents of the UK's three law societies will set out their ongoing response to Brexit at an event early next month. The briefing has been organised by the UK Law Societies' Joint Brussels Office and will explore the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement and what this means for UK qualified so

Joanne Gillies, partner and insolvency disputes specialist at Pinsent Masons, examines a recent ruling by the Court of Session. Banks will be able to reduce the amount of compensation paid to customers who claimed they were mis-sold payment protection insurance (PPI) in order to recover debts owed b

Wall Street clearing houses will be able to provide central clearing services in the EU following a decision which financial experts are calling a blow to the City of London. The European Commission has adopted an equivalence decision determining that the United States Securities and Exchange Commis

A full obituary of Professor Robert Rennie, who passed away earlier this month, has been published by The Herald. Douglas J. Cusine, who studied with Professor Rennie at the University of Glasgow and went on to co-write books with him, describes him as "one of a sadly declining number of academics w

The Chagos Archipelago is part of Mauritius rather than the UK, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea has ruled in a further blow to the UK's claims on the islands. The tribunal examined the issue of sovereignty over the islands as part of a broader dispute between Mauritius and the Mald

Responsibility for animal cruelty prosecutions in England and Wales may be transferred from the RSPCA to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) ahead of the introduction of stricter sentences for offenders. The move, included in the RSPCA's new ten-year strategy, would bring England and Wales into line