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The Home Secretary has appointed lawyer Fraser Sampson as the government’s new independent Biometrics and Surveillance Camera Commissioner. Mr Sampson, who took up his post on 1 March, will promote compliance with the Surveillance Camera Code and rules on police use of DNA and fingerprints.

Lawyers who are physically disabled or have a chronic illness and are entering or who have successfully entered the legal profession are encouraged to participate in a new study. Dundee Law School PhD student Rachael Wallace is undertaking a study which aims to examine whether the Equality Act 2010

Any changes to the Human Rights Act 1998 could "significantly undermine Northern Ireland's unique constitutional settlement", The Bar of Northern Ireland has said. In its submission to the UK government's review of the law, it said it "would not support any amendments to the HRA as part of this revi

Justice must be done and seen to be done – but whose justice? That is the uncomfortable question Benjamin Bestgen examines this week. See his last jurisprudential primer here. It’s said that the creation of laws sometimes resembles sausage-making: you need a strong stomach if you re

President Joe Biden's two German shepherds have been sent home from the White House after biting a security guard. White House officials said three-year-old Major "was surprised by an unfamiliar person and reacted in a way that resulted in a minor injury".

The Civil Division of the Sheriff Appeal Court has allowed an appeal by an Edinburgh university after a sheriff dismissed its action for payment against a former postgraduate student dismissed for jurisdictional reasons. Heriot-Watt University sought payment of £7,000 from its f

Pictured (L-R): Jennifer Smith, Laura Sinclair and Neil Risk. Credit: Dave Donaldson Anderson Strathern has announced a merger with Lerwick-based Neil Risk Solicitor and Estate Agent.

Scotland’s ability to legislate in areas such as food, health and environmental standards is being undermined in a “systematic attack” on devolution, Constitution Secretary Michael Russell has said. A report published by the Scottish government details the extent to which the Scott

Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf has welcomed official figures showing a 40 per cent increase in the use of bail supervision in 2019-20. Bail supervision can be imposed by a court where individuals are assessed as needing a level of supervision and support to meet their bail conditions, and can help m

English and Scottish prisons are “traumatising, rigid and frequently dangerous places” for LGBT+ inmates, a University of Dundee study has found. The research found that LGBT+ people are disproportionately affected by violence and hate crimes and are more likely to experience high levels

The final court order in a judicial review brought by the Good Law Project has found that Prime Minister Boris Johnson misled MPs when he said all Covid-19 contracts were "on the record for everybody to see". The High Court in London ruled last month that Health Secretary Matt Hancock had acted unla

Nicola Buchanan has joined Scullion LAW as a senior associate. Ms Buchanan has been practising exclusively in the field of family law since 2005. She specialises in divorce, financial provision, cohabitation, contact/residence disputes and relocation cases as well as the preparation and negotiation

Following the recent formation of the New Homes Quality Board to put the New Homes Ombudsman Service into place, a Scottish construction solicitor has urged the board to give the ombudsman wide regulatory powers and include consumers who instruct works to refurbish, redesign or extend their exi

Early adopters of sustainable practices, including retrofit programmes, may be better placed to reap future benefits, writes Sheelagh Cooley. In the year that Glasgow hosts the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), UK law firm Shoosmiths joined over 120 other UK businesses committing to

More than half a million pounds has been awarded to eight projects working to deliver more support to people living with drug addiction. Each of the eight projects will use their share of the £514,000 of investment to increase staffing levels in their work with people with multiple complex nee