News

Lawyers are debating how to deal with a German man who had an anti-aircraft gun, torpedo – and a tank – in his basement. Prosecutors and the defence are negotiating penalties, including a suspended sentence and a €500,000 (£427,000) fine.

The makers of Hendrick’s Gin have succeeded in extending the range of an interdict preventing a discount supermarket chain from selling a product that infringes on their trade mark to the whole of the UK after the chain brought a reclaiming motion to the Inner House of the Court of Sessio

CMS has announced the promotion of five colleagues to the role of of counsel in Scotland. Construction law specialist Claudia Russell and two further Edinburgh-based colleagues, Kirsty Nurse and Keith Simpson from the firm’s banking and finance team, have been elevated to the senior position.

DWF has appointed five newly-qualified solicitors and taken on six new trainee solicitors across its expanding Scottish teams in Edinburgh and Glasgow. Taking up newly-qualified solicitor positions in the Scottish offices in September are Katherine Lynch, Sara Baskin, Hope Donnachie, Katy Smith and

A solicitor who let a sex offender access confidential files has been fined £2,000 by the Scottish Solicitors' Discipline Tribunal (SSDT). Leon Kondol, 40, from Glasgow, was hired to represent a man accused of the sexual abuse of children.

The now 81-year-old daughter of influential English judge Lord Devlin has told an inquiry that she suffered sexual abuse at his hands throughout her childhood and adolescence. Clare Devlin spoke to The Observer over the weekend about her experience of her late father, who served on the High Court fr

Legislation comes into force today to help siblings in care stay together. Part 13 of the Children (Scotland) Act 2020 and the Looked After Children (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2021 mean local authorities have a duty to ensure siblings are supported to stay together, where appropriate. 

Frontline services for women and girls affected by gender-based violence will receive £5 million to deal with additional pressures that have occurred during the pandemic. The funding will go to rape crisis centres and domestic abuse services to cut waiting lists, helping to ensure those affect

New figures reveal hope for the Aberdeen property market as confidence and activity is back to the pre-downturn level. The Aberdeen Solicitors' Property Centre (ASPC) has published a new report showing that after five years of steep decline, annual house prices have now risen 3.2 per cent across Abe

Rumpole of the Bailey is to make a return – albeit in a form easier on the eyes. The famous series is being revived three decades after Leo McKern's last closing speech at the Old Bailey. The series was created by Sir John Mortimer, whose daughter, Emily, is updating it for modern times.

A woman managed to dupe the legal profession into believing she was qualified to practise law for three years. Sessy Xavier, 27, from Kerala in India allegedly forged documents to join the Alappuzha Bar Association.

The post-Brexit UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) risks damaging trust between the UK and devolved administrations, according to a think tank. In a new report, the Institute for Government said that the UKSPF, which will replace EU ‘structural funds' and will be launched in April 2022, could a

To assist with jury trials in the High Court, eight sheriffs have been appointed by the Scottish ministers to act as temporary judges from 1 August 2021. The appointments are: Sheriff Olga Pasportnikov, Sheriff William Summers, Sheriff James Gilchrist QC, Sheriff William John Gallacher, Sheriff Doug

Brandon Malone has been called to the bar of England and Wales by Inner Temple. Mr Malone will continue to deal with disputes in the Scottish courts as a solicitor advocate and will continue to act as an arbitrator, adjudicator and mediator.

Sue Gilchrist considers the impact of the latest public health guidance on Scottish business.  Scottish business, just as much as our English counterparts, was switched on to review the UK government guidance issued on working safely during coronavirus in England.