News

The new vice-president of the Scottish Criminal Bar Association has been announced as Jennifer Bain – and she wants to use the position to repay a debt. Ms Bain’s election completes changes at the top of the SCBA, following Tony Lenehan’s move from vice-president to president.

A dispute resolution expert from Brodies LLP has been re-elected to serve a second term as president of the Society of Advocates in Aberdeen. Ken MacDonald, who specialises in commercial disputes and international arbitration, is the first president in more than 40 years to have his term extended by

Gordon Lindhurst examines a recent US judgment on religious meetings during the pandemic, finding that it parallels European cases. In granting injunctive relief against fixed limits on the number of attendees allowed at religious services due to Covid, the US Supreme Court (SCOTUS) in Roman Ca

Martin Devine discusses the evolution of the office space in the wake of Covid-19. It’s almost as hotly contested as the lockdown v no lockdown debate – will the UK ever return to 9-5 office working or is trillions of sq ft of prime office space doomed to lie empty?

New measures to increase the maximum available penalties for the worst cases of animal cruelty have come in to force. The Animals and Wildlife (Penalties, Protections and Powers) (Scotland) Act 2020 increases the maximum penalty for the most serious animal welfare and wildlife crimes to five years i

Nearly a quarter of a million people are waiting for their court cases to be heard in London, new figures show. The logjam was revealed as mayor Sadiq Khan called on the UK government to create a “large-scale, secure facility” to begin processing high-priority cases.

Clear expectations on the management of common good land by local authorities will help make the most of this form of ownership for communities, according to the latest protocol from the Scottish Land Commission.

Police are under fire for posting a photo on social media of a Christmas tree decorated with mugshots. A sheriff's department in the US state of Alabama called the Facebook photos "thugshots".

The English High Court of Justice (Queen’s Bench Division) has granted judicial review of a judge’s decision not to extend the custody time limit (CTL) for a suspected drug dealer, but refused to allow a review challenging an extension for a teenager accused of perverting the c

While workloads for Scottish legal firms have increased since the early part of lockdown, turnover has not yet recovered to pre-pandemic levels. A situation most firms expect to see continue into 2021. The Law Society of Scotland has published its second survey into the financial impact of Covid-19

The Dean of the Faculty of Advocates, Roddy Dunlop QC, has complained to the UK government about Home Office allegations of abuse of court process by immigration lawyers. Mr Dunlop said: “Suggesting widespread abuse when there is absolutely no evidence of that at all is not only unhelpful, it

The Scottish Arbitration Centre has announced that Lord Glennie will replace Brandon Malone as chair of the board of the centre when Mr Malone steps down after ICCA Edinburgh next year. He will be joined by three other new directors, including Mary Thomson who will become vice chair when Lord G

The Scottish Solicitors Benevolent Fund has seen a 50 per cent increase in applicants seeking assistance, due to the financial pressures faced by solicitors in meeting the levy charged by the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission (SLCC), the fund's secretary has said. The fund provides assistanc

There were 36 evidence led trials in the High Court in the latest quarter and no adjournments due to lack of court time, new figures show. The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service quarterly statistical bulletin contains figures on activity in all High, Sheriff, Justice of the Peace and criminal app

The Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has found that the fact that the Minister for Justice in Iceland selected a judge for appointment, in favour of candidates shortlisted by an independent evaluation panel, without providing sufficient reasons, meant that the judicial app