Weekly roundup of Scots Law in the headlines including jury trials and ABS group — Monday December 1

This week's review of all the latest headlines from the world of Scots Law and beyond includes the ongoing row over UK Justice Secretary David Lammy's plans to scrap jury trials in many cases, as well the formation of an ABS campaign group.

Could jury trials be scrapped in many cases south of the border?

UKJustice Secretary David Lammy has been criticised by many in the legal profession after it was revealed he had a 'radical plan' to do away with jury trials for all but the most serious crimes (including rape, murder and manslaughter).

• David Lammy considers scrapping jury trials for all but the most serious cases (Guardian)
• Labour’s plan to slash jury trials will create more miscarriages of justice, say critics (Guardian)
• Lammy to scrap juries for most crimes, despite calling them ‘fundamental to democracy’ (Telegraph)
• Top criminal barrister accuses David Lammy of ‘massive U-turn’ over plans to scrap most jury trials (LBC)
• [£] David Lammy should rethink plan to end most jury trials (Times)
• [£] Lammy to scrap jury trials in backlog crackdown (Spectator)
• Robert Jenrick leads pushback against David Lammy’s plans to scrap jury trials (City AM)
• Deputy PM David Lammy urged by top Tories to rethink scrapping jury trials to cut backlog of cases (Sun)

Group calling for ABS changes in Scotland launched

A new coalition, the ABS Scotland Group, has launched with 18 member firms to push for long-delayed reform, arguing that Scotland is being left years behind England and Wales, where Alternative Business Structures (ABS) has operated since 2011.

The Law Society of Scotland has said it remains committed to delivering ABS reforms, as well as implementing new regulations passed by Parliament this summer.

• Lawyers say rules on firm ownership leave Scotland ‘out of step’ (Insider)
• ‘We need to get on with it’: top Scottish law firms push for liberalisation of ownership rules (Global Legal Post)
• What's next for ABS? Behind the three little letters stirring Scotland’s legal sector (Journal)
• ‘15 years of inertia’ on ABS: Scottish firms unite to lobby for non-lawyer ownership (Law Society Gazette)

And in other news

Legal headlines from across the UK and beyond:

• Two Law Society past presidents nominated to stand for 2027 presidency (Law Society of Scotland)
• [£] Man with ‘Pride phobia’ loses case against NatWest (Times)
  
  • Full Judgement
• Ex solicitor refused restoration 16 years after strike-off (Law Society Gazette)
• Paedophile lawyer allowed to keep working months after admitting vile crimes (Daily Record)
• Shamed charity lawyer continued practising despite conviction (TFN)
• New scheme supports smaller law firms (Solicitors Journal)
• First General Accreditation awarded to high-performing paralegal (Law Society of Scotland)
• Attacking judges has consequences, lady chief justice tells MPs (Joshua Rosenberg)
• Linklaters unveils 20-strong ‘AI lawyer’ team (Legal Cheek)
• Scammers are using AI to impersonate real lawyers (The Bureau of Investigative Journalism)
• Accessing Injustice? Experiences of representation and the criminal
  justice system during the Post Office Scandal (UCL)
• Estate of Johnny Cash suing Coca-Cola for using tribute act in advert (Guardian)
• Top EU court mandates same-sex marriage recognition across borders (Politico)
• Bahrain to argue at UK supreme court it has immunity from surveillance claims (Guardian)
• 'I would love to be doing this in my 60s' - the debate over selling sex in Scotland (BBC)