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A Holyrood committee has called on the Scottish government to set out the steps it is taking to ensure women and children at increased risk of domestic abuse during lockdown have access to the support services they need to escape violence. In a letter to the minister for older people and equalities,

The creation of a new, unified tribunal empowered to look at a full range of remedies under mental health law would enable individuals’ cases to be dealt with in a prompt, holistic and person-centred way. The Law Society of Scotland has called for an approach that would promote robust protecti

Lord Burrows has been sworn in as a Supreme Court justice in a small ceremony in the court’s library. He recited the judicial oath in front of the court's president, Lord Reed. All the other justices tuned in to the session remotely.

Richard McMeeken details new proposals to deal with the contract law implications of the current crisis. Following a meeting on 7 April 2020 of the British Institute of International and Comparative Law attended by (among others) Lord Neuberger, Lord Phillips, Sir David Edward and Sir William Blair

A barrister has been fined £1,000 for making faces at a judge and criticising one of her decisions as "insane". A finding from the Bar Tribunals & Adjudication Service stated that, over a three-month period in 2016, Marguerite Russell, who called in 1972, behaved in a "rude and unprofessio

A hijab-wearing Muslim woman has been appointed as a deputy district judge in a UK first. Nottingham barrister Raffia Arshad, 40, will begin sitting part-time on the Midland Circuit later this year while continuing to practise from St. Mary's Chambers.

Pinsent Masons has rolled out the Mindful Business Charter across its Scottish offices as it ramps up efforts eradicate negative working practices that can negatively affect mental health and wellbeing. The Mindful Business Charter, devised by Pinsent Masons, Barclays and Addleshaw Goddard, has brou

The Access to Justice Foundation has announced the appointment of Laurence Harris as chairman of its board of trustees. He will take over from out-going chair, Lord Goldsmith QC, who will step down at the end of 2020 after 12 years. Mr Harris is currently a partner at international law firm Cooley L

Divorces have risen sharply in Saudi Arabia during the coronavirus pandemic, apparently driven by women discovering that their husbands are secret polygamists. A record 7,482 divorces were carried out in February, a 30 per cent year-on-year increase, with local lawyers crediting restrictions on move

A man who was sentenced to 27 months’ imprisonment for sexually assaulting a woman has had his appeal against conviction refused by the Appeal Court of the High Court of Justiciary. Gavin Macdonald argued that the trial sheriff’s use of the word “victim” to describe the

The attorney general for England and Wales has been accused of undermining the "impartiality of her role and the rule of law" for defending Dominic Cummings on Twitter after it was revealed he had apparently breached the lockdown rules. Mr Cummings has said he acted reasonably – and legal

Vice-Dean of Faculty, Roddy Dunlop QC has joined 4 Pump Court chambers in London as he expands his practice to include England. Mr Dunlop, of Axiom Advocates in Scotland, is the only Scottish silk ranked in eight practice areas by Chambers UK, and is ranked as the star individual for commercial

Another appeal against the conviction of the late Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi for carrying out the Lockerbie bombing has been lodged at the High Court of Justiciary. Mr Megrahi was convicted on 31 January 2001 for the murders of the 243 passengers and the 16 crew on board Pan Am Flight 103 from L

There has been a drop in crimes recorded under the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018, according to Scotland's chief statistician. In figures released today that analyse the impact of the coronavirus lockdown, a 13 per cent drop in domestic abuse crimes was reported as compared with April

A High Court judge has been censured by the Supreme Court for directing a "barrage of hostility" towards a claimant in "immoderate, ill-tempered and at times offensive language". The libel case of Serafin v Malkiewicz and others was sent for retrial after five justices ruled that Mr Justice Jay had