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Councils will be given powers to ensure short-term lets are safe and meet the needs of their local communities under legislation laid before the Scottish Parliament. Under the legislation, all local authorities will be required to establish a short-term lets licensing scheme by October 2022. Existin

Trainee solicitor Lauren Bowie, founder of Legable, has been named as one of Young Women Scotland’s 30 under 30. She is also a mentor, a LawScot Foundation fundraising committee member and is passionate about improving social mobility and diversity in the legal profession.

Seven more convictions of former subpostmasters linked to a flawed Post Office computer system have been overturned. Subpostmasters were victims of a scandal which saw the Post Office use its private prosecution powers over a 15-year period from 2000 onwards to prosecute and convict them of crimes.

Actor Kevin Spacey has been ordered to pay a production company more than $30 million for breach of contract. An arbitrator ruled that sexual misconduct scandals surrounding the actor meant he fell foul of his contract and had to pay the production firm behind the Netflix show House of Cards, in whi

Prosecutors would find it harder to use rap lyrics as evidence of alleged crimes under legislation proposed in New York. Two members of the New York State Senate have proposed a bill following controversy over the conviction of rappers in trials where their lyrics were used as evidence.

A former investment firm employee who became convinced that his activities were being monitored by a Russian gang has lost an appeal against an employment tribunal’s decision that he did not have a mental disability. Stephen Sullivan was employed by Bury Street Capital Ltd, a small capital-rai

The UK government must address ethical, legal, logistical and political challenges arising from new border checks due to launch next year that will affect UK residents travelling to the EU, according to the House of Lords Justice and Home Affairs Committee. In a letter to the Home Secretary, the com

Scotland is to introduce 'sobriety tags' for offenders who commit alcohol-fuelled crimes. Offenders guilty of such crimes will have to wear the tags upon their release. The devices will trigger an alarm if the wearer has a drink during their probation period.

The number of traineeships begun in the last practice year totalled 744, up from 434 in the previous year, new figures from the Law Society of Scotland show. The increase indicates that parts of the profession are recovering from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, with increased activity in some p

On Thursday 18th November 2021 I appeared on John Beattie’s Drivetime Show on BBC Radio Scotland to discuss the circumstances surrounding the tragic death of Esther Brown – and the criminal proceedings that followed. It occurred to me that there were certain public misconceptions about t

New homes and buildings such as supermarkets and workplaces, as well as those undergoing major renovation, will be required to install electric vehicle charge points from next year, under new UK government legislation announced today. Up to 145,000 extra charge points will be installed across Englan

Thompsons Solicitors has announced the appointment of Craig Snee to the role of senior solicitor in its Dundee office. Mr Snee was attracted to Thompsons because of the firm's commitment to social justice, as exemplified by its close work with the trade union movement.

A paper that brings together the evidence about Covid certification has been published. The paper reports on the operation of the current certification scheme, reviews the approaches adopted by other countries and examines the evidence behind expanding the scheme. It considers Covid transmission, pu

Justice Secretary Dominic Raab has been attacked by the bar over claims he is ignoring the problems in the criminal courts, The Times reports. Mr Raab was accused of snubbing the Bar Council's annual conference over the weekend after he failed to make a speech in person. He sent a pre-recorded video

Just Employment Law has raised £73,000 for Pancreatic Cancer Action Scotland through an online auction. The proceeds from the auction will help fund vital research, awareness and support for those impacted by Pancreatic Cancer.