News

A property developer who claimed that a Scottish local authority’s decision to demolish a leisure centre was “unlawful” has had his legal challenge dismissed. A judge in the Court of Session refused a petition for judicial review by Mark Guild, who was seeking reduction of the deci

Cannabis is to be legally prescribed in Scotland at a clinic in Aberdeen. The unit aims to provide medicinal cannabis for “all conditions acknowledged to benefit from it”.

An MP who has threatened to “take back control” from an interfering judiciary has been appointed Attorney General for England and Wales. Suella Braverman, 39, practised as a barrister before becoming the MP for Fareham in 2015. She studied law at Cambridge University, the Sorbonne and Ne

The lack of progress by public authorities in tackling higher levels of unemployment and in-work poverty among ethnic minority communities will be the subject of a new inquiry by a Holyrood committee. The Scottish Parliament’s Equalities and Human Rights Committee (EHRi) has issued a call

Immediate and fundamental reform of the asylum system is required to prevent lock-change evictions, destitution and street homelessness of some of the most vulnerable people in Scotland, according to a new report.

Eamon Keane has provided written evidence to the Norwegian Court Commission (Domstolkommisjonen) on the Scots law of the evidence. The commission is investigating how the Norwegian courts should be organised to meet expectations of efficiency, quality, and independence and approached Mr Keane in ord

Robert Gordon University (RGU) is bringing together cybersecurity, law and technology experts for a unique conference, as part of Cyber Security Scotland Week 2020. This one-day conference will welcome expert keynote speakers from around the UK to discuss critical aspects of policy and cybersecurity

A fraudster who hid from police by pretending to be a nun has been jailed after being ousted from a convent. The 47-year-old Italian woman, who has not been named, moved from convent to convent to evade prison after a 2017 conviction for fraud.

A justice of the Supreme Court has hinted that the judiciary will not willingly cede any independence in a remark made during the swearing-in of Lord Hodge as deputy president of the court. Delivering some introductory words at the ceremony, Lord Wilson said it would be for Lord Hodge and Lord Reed,

Professor Lorne Crerar, chairman of Harper Macleod, has been presented with his Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) honour in an Investiture ceremony held at Buckingham Palace on Wednesday. Recognised as one of the leading figures in the Scottish legal profession, Professor Crerar, wh

The High Court of Justiciary Appeal Court held that the concept of “art and part guilt” had “no part to play” in establishing the statutory offence under section 4(3)(b) of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, but ruled that the misdirections did not result in a misca

Increased optimism from buyers has led to a pick-up in sales activity in the Scottish housing market, according to the January 2020 RICS Residential Market Survey. Whilst the picture regarding the number of homes being listed for sales was flat during January, the number of people looking to buy ros

Geoffrey Cox has been sacked as Attorney General in Prime Minister Boris Johnson's cabinet reshuffle. It has been reported that Mr Cox, known as 'Tory Gandalf' because of his deep voice, has been returned to the backbenches because he is not a "team player".

A new show will afford viewers an inside look at the Appeal Court of the High Court of Justiciary. The court came into being after a miscarriage of justice when Oscar Slater was wrongly convicted for murder in 1909. His case became a cause celebre which was supported by several eminent names includi

The Defamation and Malicious Publication (Scotland) Bill was introduced into the Scottish Parliament on 2 December 2019. Implementing many of the Scottish Law Commission’s recommendations on reforming the law of defamation in Scotland, it seeks to codify the current piecemeal approach to an ar