MSPs have given their support to the principles of the controversial Victims, Witnesses and Justice (Scotland) Bill – by 60 votes to 0. Sixty-two MSPs abstained, including six SNP members.
Appointments
See all articlesAddleshaw Goddard has announced a new partner in Scotland, part of a record promotion round which see 26 lawyers globally step up to partner. Peter Clyde, a member of the firm's construction & engineering team, will join the firm's partnership from 1 May, 2024. Based in the Edinburgh office, Mr
Chris Murray has been promoted to partner in Evershed Sutherland's Edinburgh office. He advises clients on all aspects of public and utilities procurement law and subsidy control, as well as on various aspects of airport/aviation regulation.
Aidan Tuohy has joined Coulters as a partner. He said: “Coulters stood out to me as a premium brand within the Edinburgh and East Lothian property market. I admire the company’s commitment to delivering excellent outcomes for clients, as this falls in line with my own approach to busines
Dentons has announced the appointment of 12 new partners globally, including two in Glasgow. The promotions take effect on 1 May. Over the past 12 months, the firm has also recruited nine new partners across the London, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dublin and Abu Dhabi offices.
Ann Stewart has been appointed to the Scottish Law Commission. Ms Stewart, a solicitor and professional support lawyer specialising in commercial property, is a member of the Law Society of Scotland’s Property Law Committee and Property and Land Law Reform Committee.
Balfour and Manson has promoted two of its senior associate solicitors from its property and private client teams in Aberdeen to partner, effective from 1 April 2024. The two new partners are Amy McKay and Greg Lawson.
Legal Aid
See all articlesThe number of criminal legal aid solicitors dropped from 1,459 in 2007 to 966, the Scottish Solicitors Bar Association (SSBA) has said as it warned the system was heading for collapse. The Scottish government's public spend on legal aid has declined by 45 per cent, allowing for inflation, over the p
The Scottish government’s 2024-25 budget continues its distorted and shortsighted approach to criminal justice, according to the Law Society of Scotland. The budget papers reveal an extra £22 million has been provided to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS), while the f
The Scottish Legal Aid Board has confirmed that as at 1 June 2023 there were 975 lawyers on the Criminal Legal Aid Register, following a freedom of information request by the Scottish Solicitors Bar Association (SSBA). Of those 975, however, 238 received no payment for criminal legal aid in the year
Criminal barristers in Northern Ireland are to stage a one-day strike on Friday 17 November 2023 in an escalating dispute over delays in legal aid payments. The local Criminal Bar Association (CBA) previously balloted members on a withdrawal of services in response to “unprecedented and worsen
Scotland's legal aid system "can't cope" with demand and there is a risk of a "total collapse of justice in Scotland", a senior criminal defence lawyer has said after being unable to find counsel for a serious High Court case. Ian Moir, partner at Moir and Sweeney Litigation, tweeted on Friday that
Universities
See all articlesDr Gavin Sullivan, reader in international human rights law at Edinburgh Law School and UKRI future leaders fellow, has been appointed to the Independent Advisory Committee (IAC) of the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism (GIFCT) for a three-year term. Dr Sullivan is one of only three academi
Law students Blair White and Kyle Meechan have won the 13th Glasgow Caledonian University Law Society Moot. The final, in which they faced Kate Millward and Holly Stewart, was judged by Dr Jonathan Brown, of Strathclyde University Law School, who was himself a winner in 2012-13.
Three diploma students from the University of Glasgow – Flora Henry, Shaun Sweeney and Aidan Wallace – took part in the International Mediation Competition run by the International Institute for Conflict Prevention & Resolution (CPR) in São Paulo, Brazil from 11 to 13 April. S
University of Aberdeen diploma students Ailsa Gardyne and Callum Leeson have beaten off international teams to win a prestigious legal competition in Poland. The pair were victorious in the national round of the Scottish Client Consultation Competition in February, earning them a place in the Brown
Katia Sher and Emma Kolbuc have won this year's Internal Mooting Competition at the University of Dundee. Throughout the competition, organised annually by the university's Mooting Society, participants tackle a range of complex legal issues, including topics such as duty of care and medic
And Finally
See all articlesA politician's campaign team called police after receiving what they thought was a threatening letter, but was in fact marketing for a horror film. Amanda Taylor, a Democratic candidate for the Missouri House of Representatives, described receiving an envelope containing a creepy child-like drawing
A disgruntled movie-goer is suing a cinema chain over claims its largest drink cup falls slightly short of the advertised size. Texas man Shane Waldrop said he noticed the discrepancy after ordering a 20-ounce beer and a 24-ounce beer — equivalent to around 590ml and 710ml respectively.
A passenger on a short-haul flight has been fined for urinating in a cup while waiting to be allowed to disembark. The 53-year-old man was reported by other passengers after they heard an incriminating noise while the plane was on the ground at Sydney Airport.
Five-year-olds will be taught about "the evils of communism" under a new law enacted in Florida. Republican Governor Ron DeSantis appeared with a sign reading "ANTI-COMMUNIST EDUCATION" as he signed the bill requiring the topic to be taught at all school grades from kindergarten onwards, USA Today r
A man who perpetrated a massive psychic mass-mailing fraud scheme which stole more than $175 million from over 1.3 million victims has been jailed for 10 years. Over two decades, Patrice Runner, 57, sent millions of letters purporting to be individualised, personal communications from well-known so-