News

Highland Council has dropped plans to require prior authorisation for bagpipes at funerals after an outcry from pipers. The measure was included in draft burial and crematorium management rules put out for consultation but has now been abandoned, The Times reports.

An owner of a property on the west coast of Scotland who claimed he was wrongly charged for ratings payments on the property has been unsuccessful in an appeal against the dismissal of a judicial review petition raised challenging the decision of the local authority’s ratings board. Brian Phil

Priti Patel's Home Office was yesterday accused of insensitivity after an immigration raid was ordered in the First Minister's constituency and phone calls from Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf to the Home Office were ignored.

The firm that dealt with the administration of Rangers when it collapsed is suing the Lord Advocate for £25 million over the case that alleged the club was sold fraudulently, The Herald reports. Duff & Phelps' suit is the latest in the malicious prosecution scandal, the cost of which has n

Morton Fraser has appointed Martin Minton as a senior solicitor in its agricultural and rural team. He joins from Inksters, where he started his career almost 10 years ago as a student researcher and subsequently a trainee solicitor.

Following the Scottish government’s announcement that most of Scotland will move to Covid Protection “level 2” on 17 May, the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service has reviewed the operating arrangements in place across the courts. From 17 May cases will be allocated within the max

Defence lawyers are to boycott courts on Monday due to a dispute with the Scottish government over legal aid funding. The Scottish Solicitors Bar Association (SSBA) said the profession was at breaking point.

The Law Society of Scotland's Racial Inclusion Group (RIG) is currently running a survey about the experiences of people from an ethnic minority background studying and/or practising law.  The Law Society established the RIG last year and is keen to get a more up-to-date account of the exp

CMS is joining forces with Interpath Advisory to stage a free-to-attend seminar for Scottish hotel and leisure businesses as they reopen after the second Covid-19 lockdown. The event will include a presentation by Stephen Montgomery, spokesperson for the Scottish Hospitality Group, a body which repr

A woman who allegedly posed as a school student to promote her Instagram account has been charged with trespassing. According to police, 28-year-old Audrey Nicole Francisquini walked into American Senior High School in Miami, Florida dressed as a student and told security she was looking for the reg

A sheriff in Edinburgh has set aside a post-nuptial agreement between a divorcing American couple living in Scotland in which the husband agreed to give his wife nearly everything he owned if they divorced. The defender, M(M), had signed the agreement with the pursuer, M(C), who raised the

The recent opinion of the Inner House in Keatings may help to clarify whether passage of the proposed Draft Independence Referendum Bill is within the competence of the Scottish Parliament, Stephen Tierney of Edinburgh Law School has said in a new blog. Lord President Carloway, for a unani

One of the UK’s leading energy lawyers, Bob Ruddiman, has joined Burness Paull. Mr Ruddiman will lead and grow the energy team at Burness Paull – combining its renewables and oil & gas practices.In his previous role at Pinsent Masons, where he held a number of senior leadership posit

Calls have been made for an inquiry to address how failings by the Scottish government led directly to Covid transmission in care homes and the death of residents. Following the announcement by Prime Minister Boris Johnson that there will be a public inquiry in Spring 2022 into the handling of the C

Generations of students have been inducted into the study of law with Professor MacQueen's lectures and writings. One of the most popular figures in legal academia, he is admired by his colleagues and held in great affection by his students. Ahead of his retirement next month he talks to Margaret Ta