News

Landmark new EU rules on nature restoration could be introduced in Scotland. The EU Nature Restoration Law (NRL) aims to restore at least 20 per cent of the EU’s land and sea areas by 2030, and all ecosystems in need of restoration by 2050.

The Scottish government has ruled out review or reform of the fatal accident inquiry (FAI) system. Justice Secretary Angela Constance told Lib Dem MSP Willie Rennie by letter that the government has "every confidence in the system that is in place for FAIs".

Several Sheriffs contacted SLN recently to report that they were not receiving their daily Scottish Legal News newsletter. The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) has investigated and found that security filters had wrongly identified SLN as "spam". SCTS has now made the necessary adjustmen

Smith Solicitors Stonehaven has raised over £6,000 through the annual Will Aid campaign, making it one of the highest-donating firms across the UK this year. The north-east firm has taken part in the annual charity will-writing campaign since 2000, raising a grand total of £28,906 to dat

Hamiltons Law Accountants has strengthened its team with the appointment of Sharron Mullady as a senior administrator. Director David Hamilton said: "With years of extensive experience in administrative roles, Sharron brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to Hamiltons Law Accountants."

The Royal Faculty of Procurators in Glasgow is sponsoring this year’s Glasgow Legal Walk – set to take place on Wednesday 25 September. The annual charity event coordinated by the Access Justice Foundation encourages members and supporters of the legal community to walk to raise money fo

A rapist who subjected two former partners to a campaign of violent and controlling abuse has been jailed for seven years. Charles Fyfe Morrison was found guilty of five charges – including three serious sexual assaults – following a trial at the High Court in Paisley.

Home sales in Scotland are expected to rise over the next three months despite a falloff in new buyer enquiries during June, according to the latest Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Residential Market Survey. A net balance of 26 per cent of respondents to the survey in Scotland expect

Shoosmiths has announced its results for the 2023/24 financial year. The firm, which has offices in Edinburgh and Glasgow, saw a six per cent jump in revenue, up to £206.7 million from £194.1 million last year.

Greek authorities have begun issuing €350,000 fines in a major crackdown on unlicensed tourist beaches. Tourist companies have been accused of effectively taking over entire public beaches by installing and renting out deckchairs and parasols at an expensive rate.

The centuries-old distinction between "criminal contempt" and "civil contempt" will be scrapped in England under proposals set out by the Law Commission of England and Wales. 'Contempt of court' refers to a wide variety of conduct that may impede or interfere with the administration of justice, for

The Scottish Parliament’s Social Justice and Social Security Committee has opened a consultation to consider the impact of the Child Poverty (Scotland) Act 2017. The Act aims to measure, tackle and report on child poverty in Scotland. It set out specific targets that seek to virtually eradicat

AI can help humanitarians gain crucial insights to better monitor and anticipate risks, such as a conflict outbreak or escalation – but deploying systems in this context is not without risks for those affected, a new study warns. AI-supported disaster mapping was used in Mozambique to speed up

A judge has been accused of bullying and sexist behaviour in Employment Tribunal hearings. One woman said that Judge Philip Lancaster shouted at her at least 16 times. The women told the BBC that they had all lost cases heard in Leeds before Judge Lancaster.

A violent rapist who defrauded former partners out of more than £210,000 has been jailed. Christopher Harkins targeted single women on dating websites, quickly befriending them and gaining their trust.