News

Two Scottish men involved in creating false invoices as part of a £45,000 tax fraud have been given prison sentences. David Paterson of Scone collaborated with his accountant Kevin Sinclair of Kirkintilloch to reclaim VAT not due to them, an HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) investigation revealed

Burness Paull has been awarded a band one ranking in the first ever fintech guide for Scotland issued by the Chambers and Partners legal directory. Industry figures interviewed by Chambers cited the fact there was “no other firm with such a high-profile and in-depth connectivity to the Scottis

DLA Piper has appointed Lord Tyrie, former chair of the Competition and Markets Authority, as a political consultant. Lord Tyrie will advise clients across a wide range of financial, public policy and corporate governance issues and will work alongside an established team of consultants including Lo

The Judicial Institute briefing paper on restarting solemn trials has been updated. In Chapter 1 under the heading “Procedures”:

A former lawyer detained for more than six months because she reported on the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan has been given a feeding tube so she can be force-fed after going on a hunger strike. Zhang Zhan, 37, was arrested in May and accused of “picking quarrels and stirring up trouble”,

A night owl who couldn't stand the crowing of his neighbour's rooster has been given a five-month suspended prison sentence for shooting it. The 47-year-old fireman from southern France, known only as Gérard A, shot and beat rooster Marcel to death after being woken too early in the morning.

The Sheriff Appeal Court (Criminal Division) has allowed separate appeals by two men convicted of drink driving against the length of their respective driving bans. Graham Hendry and Walter Grant both pled guilty to charges in contravention of Section 5(1)(a) of the Roa

The Scottish Parliament’s Justice Committee has said it will support the general principles of the Hate Crime Bill on the condition it is amended in line with recommendations the committee is unanimously making.  These recommendations go further than the commitments already made by the Ju

Scotland's legal profession "has to change" to reflect the progressive values it promotes in society, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said in an interview with her alma mater. As part of its celebrations to mark the centenary of women being allowed to practise law, the University of Gla

The Lord Advocate, James Wolffe QC, is to apologise to the former administrators of Rangers for their malicious prosecution. The news follows confirmation that a settlement has been agreed in a multimillion-pound claim against the chief constable of Police Scotland.

Students are to be called in to handle an anticipated surge in coronavirus-related legal issues under plans being drawn up by the Law Society of Scotland, The Times reports. Data from Police Scotland show a nine per cent increase in domestic abuse cases three months after lockdown measures were intr

Taxes on land and property could help Scotland develop a robust economy, according to a new report published today. The report – Land and property taxation in Scotland: Initial scoping of options for reform – has been written for the Scottish Land Commission by Alma Economics.

DWF has reported a double-digit increase in revenue and profits in the first half of the fiscal year in spite of the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. In the half-year ending 31 October 2020, DWF saw group revenue growth by 15.4 per cent to reach £167.6 million. This was mostly dr

Property giant Savills has seen reported a 74 per cent year on year increase in home sales across the north east of Scotland in a post-lockdown market bounce. Savills said that the increase between July- October 2019 and the same period this year mirrors what is happening across Scotland as a whole.

Audacious thieves have apparently raided a military plane designed to keep Russian president Vladimir Putin safe in the event of nuclear war. The Russian government said equipment worth roughly one million roubles (around €11,000) was stolen from the Ilyushin-80 plane while it was undergoing ma