News

New legislation increasing animal cruelty penalties and improving powers for front-line enforcement agencies has been published. The Animals and Wildlife (Penalties, Protections and Powers) (Scotland) Bill will increase the maximum penalties for the most serious animal welfare and wildlife offences

CMS has awarded two school pupils scholarships to help them achieve their ambition of completing a law degree. S6 pupils Nikita Stevenson from Carluke and Regan Brown from Irvine were the lucky recipients of the scholarships, worth £2,500 per year.

An event to help students gain industry knowledge of the legal sector is being held at City of Glasgow College this month. Emma Jackson, curriculum head for legal services, said: "We want real industry input on the skills that make for an effective employable paralegal, legal technologist, lega

Two experts on Sir Walter Scott have developed a free online course for people who would like to learn about the giant of Scottish literature. Professor Alison Lumsden, director of Aberdeen University’s Walter Scott Research Centre, and Kirsty Archer-Thompson, collections and interpretation ma

A well-respected chef arrested on suspicion of possessing cannabis has told police he was simply looking for "new flavours". Police say they found two cannabis plants, around two metres tall, at his home, as well as half a kilogram of Indian hemp.

A contractor which claimed the Scottish government acted unlawfully in giving taxpayers' money to a competitor in the purchase of a Highland industrial yard has had a £25 million damages action dismissed. LC Management Services (Scotland) Ltd claimed that the financial awards to Global En

A sheriff has questioned why the Crown brought charges against a doctor who used force against a boy who was misbehaving, The Scotsman reports. Dr Alexander Waters, 45, pinched and pushed the six-year-old who was wrecking a bedroom with another child while the off-duty medic was looking after them.

Changing how digital evidence is collected, viewed and shared across the justice system could allow cases to be resolved faster and improve the experiences of victims and witnesses. The Scottish government has launched the procurement process for a new Digital Evidence Sharing Capability (DESC), whi

The Northern Ireland Court of Appeal has dismissed an appeal brought by the three applicants whose conjoined applications for judicial review were dismissed in the High Court earlier this month.

A leading property lawyer has been appointed head of Pinsent Masons’ Scottish and Northern Irish operations. Katharine Hardie takes over the role of chair of Scotland and Northern Ireland from Richard Masters, 29 years to the day since she joined the firm as a trainee lawyer in 1990. She will

CMS has announced the appointment of Kenny Henderson as a partner in the litigation and arbitration practice. Mr Henderson is an English-law qualified litigator, who’s hire significantly strengthens CMS’ contentious offering in Scotland. He has spent over 15 years in London, including wi

Shepherd and Wedderburn has promoted six solicitors to associate in its latest round of internal promotions, four of whom joined the firm as trainees.

Dog control laws have been made the subject of a public consultation amid worries over careless owners. Community safety minister Ash Denham MSP has pledged to "keep communities safe from irresponsible owners" and their out-of-control dogs.

Asylum seekers facing eviction proceedings in Glasgow have been given temporary reprieve by a court. Around 130 court actions concerning proposed lock-changes by Serco have been put on hold or continued at Glasgow Sheriff Court.

DWF has unveiled plans to increase the representation of women and ethnic minorities in senior leadership positions over the next three years. The firm has set targets focused on ensuring that a diverse group of people have access to senior management roles - the three most senior career levels