News

A retired sheriff has criticised the judicial recruitment process as "superficial and inadequate" and said it fails to disclose the true qualities of applicants. In a letter to the Journal of the Law Society of Scotland, written in response to an anonymous article expressing misgivings about the pro

A construction company which is being sued for £3.8 million by a hotelier following a contractual dispute has successfully challenged a court ruling preventing it from having the case resolved by adjudication. A judge in the Court of Session recalled the interim orders interdicting t

An expert group focused on improving the delivery of community justice interventions will meet today for the first time. Senior leaders from justice, health, local government and social work will identify and coordinate action to further strengthen community justice services and alternatives to cust

The Faculty of Procurators and Solicitors in Dundee has elected Vicki Bell as its new Dean. Ms Bell, a procurator fiscal, takes over from Amanda Wilson, who was part of the Dundee Faculty Committee for six years.

BTO Solicitors LLP has announced that two of its associates have become solicitor advocates. This development brings the total number of solicitor advocates in the firm’s ADVantage Advocacy Service team to 20, the highest headcount in any firm in Scotland. Alistair Barbour and Debbie Reekie we

UK officials will withdraw from most EU meetings, including important meetings on European law and policy, with effect from 1 September 2019. Prime Minister Boris Johnson told MPs last month that “very many brilliant UK officials” are “trapped in meeting after meeting in Brussels a

A prison has installed a stairlift for elderly inmates amid an increase in requests for walking frames, thermal underwear and wedge pillows, The Times reports. Cells and showers have also been adapted to accommodate inmates with mobility problems.

Dentons has appointed one of its lawyers as chief mindfulness officer in Europe. Warsaw partner Karina Furga-Dabrowska's appointment comes after she launched the firm's NextMind program, which aims to help its lawyers reduce stress.

A Polish government minister has resigned following reports that he conspired to discredit judges critical of the country's controversial judicial reforms. Lukasz Piebiak, who has not commented on the allegations broken by Polish web portal Onet.pl on Monday night, said he was stepping down from his

Three unmarried adults in a polyamorous relationship have been legally recognised as the parents of a child. The mother of the child did not know which of the two men was the biological father, a court in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador was told.

A party to an arbitration which was seeking to challenge an arbitrator’s award on the basis of an alleged “legal error” has had an application for leave to appeal against the decision refused. A judge in the Court of Session refused the application after ruling that the t

The death has been announced of T Gordon Coutts QC, a former Faculty of Advocates office-bearer and one of the leading counsel of his generation. He was 86. Born and educated in Aberdeen, Mr Coutts was admitted to Faculty in 1959, and took silk in 1973.

The value of major fraud cases going through the Scottish courts has declined, according to the latest data from KPMG’s Fraud Barometer, which analyses alleged fraud worth more than £100,000. Four cases were heard in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Paisley in the first half of 2019, down from nin

Trustpilot, a platform for companies to build trust with consumers, has announced the appointment of Carolyn Jameson as chief legal and policy officer. Ms Jameson will report to Trustpilot founder and CEO Peter Holten Mühlmann and be part of the executive leadership team.

Edinburgh-based private client firm Murray Beith Murray has announced the appointment of Bill Meldrum as a partner. Mr Meldrum, previously an associate with the firm, became a partner in its property group on 5 August.