News

Judicial assistants from the Supreme Court will be visiting Edinburgh this month to talk about the coveted role to prospective applicants. The Scottish Young Lawyers' Association (SYLA) will be welcoming Chris Maile, head of HR at the court; current Scottish JA, Francesca Ruddy; and former JA, barri

A man who was sacked after using a scene from a film about Hitler to parody his employers has been reinstated by a tribunal. The scene in question, from 2004 film Downfall, shows the Nazi leader berate senior military officials for failing in their final bid to defend Berlin.

A Scots lawyer who claimed that the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission acted “ultra vires” in unilaterally raising a complaint against him for has successfully challenged the decision. A judge in the Court of Session ruled that the watchdog, which decided ex proprio motu to make a comp

A court ruling has created uncertainty over how serious allegations of misconduct against lawyers can be considered if no individual or organisation is prepared to make a complaint, the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission (SLCC) has said. Glasgow lawyer Francis Cannon, a solicitor for over 50 years

Lawyer Mike Radford has been appointed to Scotland's first independent Animal Welfare Commission. Mr Radford, who was awarded an OBE in 2008 for services to animal welfare law, is a reader at Aberdeen University School of Law.

Complainers in rape cases should have independent legal representation where defence lawyers are seeking the admission of sexual history evidence, a new report suggests. Scottish lawyers Eamon Keane and Tony Convery spent time in Ireland last year to research how that jurisdiction deals with the adm

The UK will not seek to become a member of the proposed Unified Patent Court (UPC) despite earlier suggestions that it would, government officials have confirmed. An international agreement to establish the court was signed by most EU member states in 2013, but it is not an EU institution and the pr

Glasgow lawyer Mike Dailly has quit the Social Justice Commission set up by the SNP to consider how an independent Scotland could tackle poverty and inequality. Mr Dailly, principal solicitor at Govan Law Centre, was appointed late last year to the body, which was established to build upon the earli

Duncan Batchelor, partner at Clyde & Co, examines how environmental activists have advanced their goals through the courts. In November, the eyes of the world will be on Scotland as Glasgow plays host to the 2020 UN Climate Change Conference (COP 26). Recent events like the Australian bush fires

Neeraj Thomas, specialist in IP and sports law at CMS, explores how Scotland's IP regulations will apply to the EURO 2020 tournament. This summer’s UEFA EURO 2020 tournament will be held in 12 different cities, with Glasgow’s Hampden Park included as a host venue. It’s another coup

A man jailed for stealing a 27-foot yacht from Arbroath Harbour had his sentence nearly doubled after he clapped at the sheriff in court. Richard Gould, 43, was sentenced to four months for the theft, but now must also serve three further months for contempt of court.

Controversial plans for a third runway at Heathrow Airport have been thrown into doubt following a successful legal challenge by environmental campaigners. The Court of Appeal of England and Wales ruled that the UK Government’s proposed expansion of Europe’s busiest a

Members of the public are being invited to give their views on a new sentencing guideline which states that rehabilitation should be a primary consideration when young people are being sentenced. The Scottish Sentencing Council has today launched a 12-week public consultation seeking views on its dr

The Lord Advocate should test the constitutionality of an independence referendum held without the permission of Westminster by referring any enabling legislation to the Supreme Court, Joanna Cherry QC has suggested. Writing in The Times, Ms Cherry said that James Wolffe QC should “proact

The UK is to withdraw from the European arrest warrant scheme. In a document detailing Britain's approach to negotiations with the EU, the UK government said: “The agreement should instead provide for fast-track extradition arrangements, based on the EU’s surrender agreement with Norway