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The criminal bar has welcomed a decision by ministers to withdraw their plan for trial without jury, and vowed to help “find a temporary solution to this temporary problem”. The Scottish Criminal Bar Association (SCBA) had strongly condemned a provision in the Coronavirus (Scotland) Bill

A couple who rented a stately home near Perth have been granted limited permission to appeal the Housing and Property Chamber’s decision regarding the state of repair of their property. Peter and Beth Dymoke rented a property in Inchture from The Hon. Caroline Best, and&nbs

The UK Supreme Court is "still obliged" to refer questions over unclear EU laws to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) at this stage of the Brexit process, Lord Hodge has said. The deputy president of the court made the remarks yesterday as he delivered, via video link, the court's una

BTO Solicitors LLP has announced six promotions comprising four new senior associates and two associates.

A joint statement issued by 14 European countries has raised concern about "the risk of violations of the principles of rule of law, democracy and fundamental rights" in responses to the coronavirus pandemic. The short statement was agreed by the governments of Ireland, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Fr

Darina Kerr details the Coronavirus (Scotland) Bill's provisions relevant to the commercial property sector. The bill includes changes to the notice period required by landlords to ‘irritate’, or take back, a lease and pursue tenants for unpaid rent. This is now extended from 14 days to

The Scottish members of the UK National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) have today written to Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf, highlighting efforts to uphold the rights of people in detention and deprived of their liberty during the COVID-19 outbreak. Among the recommendations in the letter, signed by Jud

CMS has acted as principal and lead lawyers in the reverse takeover of Hertsford Capital plc by Lancaster-based marine technology company OTAQ Group Limited. Hertsford, which will change its name to OTAQ plc shortly, is now listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE). The transaction also included an

The University of Dundee’s Professor Nicholas Fyfe has been made a fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in recognition of the impact of his work on policing research. Professor Fyfe, Dean of Dundee’s School of Social Sciences, is among 51 fellows elected in this year’s cohort f

Lady Hale, former president of the Supreme Court, has been named as the patron of The Next 100 Years, a project dedicated to achieving equality for women in law. Lady Hale has long been a supporter of equality, speaking up for increasing diversity in the legal profession and the judiciary. In 1984 s

Burges Salmon has launched its latest diversity and inclusion (D&I) network ‘BBalanced’ to support its recently established gender taskforce in identifying priorities and objectives for the firm to improve gender balance in line with its D&I firm-wide strategy. An employee-driven

US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has raised eyebrows after it emerged she is continuing to use the court's private gym in spite of the coronavirus pandemic. As of this week, the 87-year-old judge is still apparently meeting personal trainer Bryant Johnson twice a week for planks, push-up

Yesterday’s bombshell proposal, announced on Twitter à la Trump, by the Lord Justice General to ‘temporarily’ suspend trial by jury in solemn cases has rightly provoked outrage. It is one of a raft of proposals that the Scottish government is seeking to push through using th

Solicitor Eamon Keane, early career fellow in criminal law and evidence at the University of Edinburgh, expresses 'considerable concern' over the Scottish government's hearsay reforms, which have passed stage one. The proposals in the Coronavirus Bill (at Schedule 4 Part 6) cause me considerable con

The Scottish government is delaying controversial plans to abolish juries in solemn trials for the duration of the coronavirus emergency after a furious backlash from the legal profession and outraged politicians. The bill, which was introduced only yesterday by Constitution Secretary