News

A man who was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment for assaulting his ex-partner and his son has been unsuccessful in his challenge of a non-harassment order preventing him from making contact with both of his children for three years. GRPW, the appellant, was prohibited from approaching his w

The Law Society of Scotland has announced that Diane McGiffen will be appointed as its new chief executive. She succeeds Lorna Jack, who will leave after 13 years in the role. Diane McGiffen has worked in senior roles at Audit Scotland for the last 20 years, most recently as chief operating officer,

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton has called on the Scottish government to hand back unprecedented emergency powers granted to it during the Covid-19 pandemic, as a consultation into making powers permanent closes today. The 12-week consultation has invited commentary on whether a

An increase in the number of people buying and selling homes for £1m-plus has been experienced this year according to the residential property team at Lindsays. According to Lindsays, the team have already been involved in more than twice as many seven-figure transactions so far this year than

The week, in addition to being the second week of COP26, is also International Mediation Awareness Week, and events across the world are taking place in an effort to raise awareness of the power of mediation to resolve conflict. That power is something not lost on those working on the fringes of the

Westcor International Limited has announced the appointment of Kirsty Noble as senior underwriter and solicitor for Scotland and opens its first Scottish office. Ms Noble joined Westcor from Blackadders LLP earlier this year and brings over a decade of experience as a practising solicitor.

Raeburn Christie Clark and Wallace (RCCW) has reported a 40 per cent rise in demand for rural homes. The firm said it had sold around £170 million-worth of properties in the year to July 31, £110m of which involved rural homes.

Macdonald Henderson has been double shortlisted in two leading Scottish corporate awards along with major corporate law firms in the sector.

Family Law Matters Scotland LLP has welcomed Marisa Cullen as a partner in the firm. She joins the firm from Morton Fraser, where she has developed a reputation as one of the leading international child law practitioners in Scotland. Ms Cullen is accredited by the Law Society of Scotland as a specia

Financial penalties would be imposed on parents who bring vexatious claims to the family courts under plans being drawn up by the government. Justice Secretary Dominic Raab wants mediation to be the default process in divorce cases to stop couples from burdening the courts, The Times reports.

A woman who claimed to have forgotten about her divorce has narrowly avoided jail after trying to claim her late ex-husband's estate. Bernadette O'Loughlin, 56, pleaded guilty at Letterkenny Circuit Court to using a form to get letters of administration to Keith O'Loughlin's estate, despite divorcin

A judge in the Outer House of the Court of Session has ruled that an action seeking over £72 million in damages relating to defects in the construction of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Glasgow is competent in spite of a contractual provision requiring disputes to be referred to adjudication.

Proposals on remote hearings advanced by Scottish Civil Justice Council (SCJC) would adversely affect access to justice and the quality of justice, the Faculty of Advocates has said. The Faculty submitted its response to the SCJC Consultation on Mode of Attendance at Court Hearings today. The consul

Davidson Chalmers Stewart has announced the appointment of three new partners at its offices in Glasgow and Edinburgh. Nicola Scott, a commercial property and renewable projects specialist, joins from Brodies. She previously served as in-house counsel at SSE advising on property law aspects of their

In March 2020, I wrote about the rising tide of climate change litigation and how the courts were being used by activists as an alternative to traditional protest activities. The trends we were beginning to see have continued unabated over the last 18 months. As of October 2021, almost 1,900 climate