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Iraqis have reacted with horror after the country's parliament passed a law allowing children as young as nine to marry. The law, passed on Tuesday, grants religious authorities control over family matters such as marriage, divorce, and child custody, overturning a ban on child marriage under 18 tha

Edinburgh-based solicitor and estate agent Ralph Sayer has promoted Robyn Donaldson to partner in the firm. At 31, she becomes one of the youngest to hold such a senior position in the sector in Scotland, making the major career move less than eight years after gaining her legal diploma from Edinbur

Harper Macleod has advised on the sale of Glasgow-based McDonach IT Consultancy Ltd to IT Resolution Group Ltd, a company led by the management team of McDonach IT Consultancy Ltd. The law firm transacted a vendor induced management buy-out of McDonach IT Consultancy Ltd, enabling founder Kenneth Mc

The Scottish Sentencing Council has published a report on a review of the operation of the Sentencing young people guideline during its first year in force.  The guideline, which was approved by the High Court in November 2021, has applied since 26 January 2022 to the sentencing of young people

Elephants are not people, the top court in the US state of Colorado has ruled. In a unanimous judgment, the Colorado Supreme Court conceded that the animals are "majestic" but said they are not entitled to the same legal protections as humans.

The procurator fiscal has lodged a first notice with the Sheriff Court to commence the court process for a joint fatal accident inquiry into the deaths of Alexander Drysdale and George Greenshields. Both Mr Drysdale, 65, and Mr Greenshields, 68, died in hospital after contracting Covid while in lega

Dear Editor, I read with interest the article from the Scottish Law Agents Society regarding the survey conducted on solicitor regulation and, in particular, the views expressed of the role of the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission.

Left: The lord justice general teddy stands resplendent in his ermine-lined robe with its characteristic pattern of hanging black-tipped tails. Right: Elegance incarnate: The robe of the lord justice-clerk is distinguished by holes in the white cloth, through which her red gown shows – the inn

We will soon be able to store passports, driving licences, and other key documents in a digital wallet on their smartphones, according to plans announced by Science and Technology Secretary Peter Kyle. Mr Kyle revealed the new smartphone app as part of efforts to simplify government interactions. &l

The Scottish Land Commission has proposed changes to the Land Reform Bill, currently being considered by Holyrood. The bill introduces some important new steps to increase transparency, widen ownership opportunities, and regulate large land holdings in the public interest, including:

The family of Emma Caldwell has renewed their call for a judge from outside Scotland to chair the public inquiry into her murder, following a meeting with First Minister John Swinney and Justice Secretary Angela Constance at Bute House. Emma's mother, Margaret Caldwell, said: "I’ll go on as lo

A man who used a 3D printer to assemble a deadly assault gun in his bedroom has been ordered to carry out 300 hours of unpaid work. Police discovered the homemade semi-automatic weapon during a search in May 2023 of the house James Maris, 19, shared with his parents in Rannoch, Perthshire.

The Scottish Liberal Democrats have said the Scottish government must do more to boost the number of community payback orders being issued and improve enforcement, after new statistics revealed that numbers are at some of their lowest in a decade. The Scottish government’s Justice Social Work

The remains of a body are discovered in an abandoned warehouse in Scotland but the victim, the motive and cause of death are all unknown. Soon a shocking and premeditated crime is uncovered as decorator David Barnes stands accused of killing his customer, yet nobody knows how he died. In a unique cr

The Law Society of Scotland supports proposed changes to modernise criminal justice procedures, but says such reforms must be accompanied by increased funding for the criminal justice system. The society has provided written evidence on part one of the Criminal Justice Modernisation and Abusive Dome