News

Terra Firma Chambers’ Julius Komorowski has been appointed by the Judicial Appointments Commission as a salaried tribunal judge (Immigration and Asylum Chamber). Mr Komorowski called to the bar in 2008 where he established an extensive practice involving regular appearances against the UK gove

The new Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Advocates is Roddy Dunlop QC. Mr Dunlop was the sole nomination to succeed Angela Grahame QC, who stepped down after three-and-a-half years in office.

New guidance for Scottish solicitors on publishing pricing aims to help consumers better understand the cost of legal advice and services. The new guidance from the Law Society of Scotland means solicitor firms offering legal services to the public are encouraged to publish indicative price informat

The House of Lords' Economic Affairs Committee has launched an inquiry into the economics of Universal Credit. The committee will examine whether the welfare reform is meeting its original objectives and whether the policy assumptions reflected in its design are appropriate for different groups

Stephen Webster considers the issues surrounding the reform of commercial leases. This year, following an extensive stakeholder consultation exercise, the Scottish Law Commission (SLC) is expected to make important recommendations for the reform of six areas of Scots law relating to the termination

Emma Toner of Compass Chambers has been appointed editor of Session Cases, the Scottish Council of Law Reporting (SCLR) has announced. Ms Toner, who had been deputy editor since 2016, succeeds Julius Komorowski, who has become a tribunal judge.

Rights concerns about policing, prisons and access to justice have been raised with the United Nations in the latest report from the Scottish Human Rights Commission. The commission has raised nearly 200 human rights concerns in its latest report to the UN on the implementation of the Inte

I was invited to speak at the conference of the Cyrenians’ Scottish Centre for Conflict Resolution and took the opportunity to read their very detailed report: Transforming Conflict, Improving Relationships and Lives. A very sobering read it was. Fabulous work is being done with families on th

Northern Ireland's Attorney General John Larkin QC has been sworn in as a temporary High Court judge. Mr Larkin, whose term as chief legal adviser to the Northern Ireland Executive began in 2010 and was recently renewed until June 2020, is the first law officer to sit on the bench.

Thorntons has raised £75,000 for Cash for Kids through its Charity Wills initiative – a £13,000 increase on the previous year.

Lawyers gathered for the Aberdeen Bar Association's Burns Supper at the Society of Advocates in Aberdeen.

A Scots lawyer who represented an elderly victim of a mortgage fraudster has been struck off the solicitors’ roll after being found guilty of “professional misconduct” over his failure to act his client’s best interests. Solicitor Alistair Bowie, 69, concluded missives w

Plans to devolve various tribunals to Scotland as part of the Smith agreement are to be delayed by at least two years, The Herald reports. The Scottish government was meant to take over the operation of a number of tribunals but a report now makes clear this will now not take place “before 202

Anderson Strathern has appointed Jemma Richardson as a director in its residential property team following growth in business. Ms Richardson joins the firm from Simpson & Marwick. She’ll work alongside the head of residential property, Sara Jalicy, and head of East Lothian operations, Grah

The All Party Parliamentary Group on Inheritance Tax and Intergenerational Fairness has published proposals for radical reform of the current inheritance tax system. The move follows two previous reports from the Office of Tax Simplification (OTS), with the APPG proposing sweeping changes.