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Ampersand Advocates has welcomed Chris Stephen to the stable. Mr Stephen was called to the Scottish bar in 2022 as a Lord Hope Scholar and is also qualified as a barrister in England & Wales. His practice focuses on administrative and public law (including public inquiries), international law, a

The Law Society of Scotland’s Property Law Committee is reviewing how climate change risks might impact the advice which solicitors should give for property transactions. The committee is aware of a practice note recently issued by the Law Society of England and Wales titled Climate change and

Levy & McRae has announced that Cameron Irons is continuing his legal career with the firm as a qualified solicitor. Mr Irons has gained a wealth of experience across multiple practice areas, particularly within our specialist private crime team. In recent months he has been working on some of t

Scots lawyers have called for the international law against genocide to be enforced in Gaza in an open letter to the Scottish and UK governments. Rachel Moon, partner at Govan Law Centre, explained what motivated her to draft the open letter with legal colleagues.

Tributes have been paid to human rights lawyer Professor Conor Gearty KC following his sudden passing at the age of 67. Professor Gearty, who was born in Ireland and studied law at University College Dublin before moving to England in the 1980s, was a widely-respected scholar as well as a pract

The Scottish island which hosts the World Stone Skimming Championships has been rocked by a cheating scandal. Easdale, one of the Slate Islands, in the Firth of Lorn, which has a permanent population of just over 60 people, welcomed more than 2,200 people from 27 countries to this year's event.

Shepherd and Wedderburn has announced that corporate finance specialist Donald Smith has joined the firm as a partner in the corporate finance team. Mr Smith brings a wealth of corporate finance and boardroom expertise, including in M&A, private equity and equity capital markets matters across a

Thorntons has appointed a new chief people officer to lead the development and implementation of its people policies. Helen Honeyman joins from Lothian Pension Fund (LPF), the second largest local government pension scheme in Scotland. She has more than 20 years’ global experience in senior op

More than 10,000 arrest warrants are currently outstanding in Scotland, with police leaders warning they lack the resources to clear the backlog. Figures show 10,064 warrants were active on 3 September, up from 9,071 last November. They include seven for murder, 42 for rape and attempted rape, five

Seven men who murdered a father in Greenock by shooting him on the doorstep of his home have been jailed for life.   Neil Canney, or Wilson, was left seriously injured following the early morning attack on Nairn Road on 28 February 2023.  

Senior defence lawyers have raised concerns about the right to a fair trial after Justice Secretary Angela Constance introduced amendments to extend “rape shield” protections in sexual offence cases. The measures, to be voted on by MSPs on Tuesday as part of the Victims, Witnesses, and J

An Edinburgh solicitor has won the top award at the Bloody Scotland crime writing festival, three years after taking the debut prize. Tariq Ashkanani, a solicitor at NHS National Services Scotland, received the McIlvanney Prize for his novel The Midnight King. The award, which honours excellence in

A nightmare neighbour has been arrested and charged after allegedly tunnelling into an adjacent home following a dispute. Police in the Canadian city of Calgary said the bizarre incidents followed weeks of intensifying conflict between neighbours on two floors of an apartment building.

Deputy President of the Supreme Court, Lord Hodge, has entered the debate over the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), suggesting its terms may need to be “reconsidered” to address challenges posed by migration. The senior judge said Britain should consider working with other cou

A sheriff has issued an eviction warrant against members of a self-styled “African tribe” who have been camping on private land near Jedburgh. At Jedburgh Sheriff Court on Friday, Sheriff Peter Paterson granted the order against the so-called Kingdom of Kubala, saying it would take effec