Scotland

Judicial Appointments Board for Scotland

The Judicial Appointments Board for Scotland is responsible for recommending individuals for appointment to judicial offices in Scotland. As well as organisational information about the Board, its website has guidance on the appointment process, annual reports, agendas and minutes and appointment statistics. Vacancies for judges. sheriff principals or sheriffs are advertised on the site and there is a selection of FAQs.

Judicial Studies Committee

Website of the Judicial Studies Committee, the body responsible for judicial training in Scotland. This includes training for the judiciary in the Supreme Courts (the Court of Session and the High Court of Justiciary) and the sheriff court. The site has profiles of members, annual reports and pdf copies of the Justice's Bench Book for the Justice of the Peace Court and the Equal Treatment Bench Book.

Scotland legislation

The Legislation.gov.uk website brings together the legislation held on the OPSI website and revised legislation from the Statute Law Database. The site is hosted by The National Archives on behalf of HM Government. This part of the site provides access to Scottish legislation including Acts of the Scottish Parliament (1999 onwards), Acts of the Old Scottish Parliament (1424 to 1707) and Scottish Statutory Instruments (1999 onwards). These can be browsed or searched separately.

Judiciary of Scotland

The website of the Scottish Judiciary provides information on the roles and work of judges in Scotland and on the structure of the Scottish court system. It includes practical information for people attending court , a selection of decisions, sentencing statements and Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI) determinations. Publications and responses to government consultations can also be viewed on the site.

NetRegs

NetRegs aims to provide practical assistance to managers of small or medium sized businesses in Scotland and Northern Ireland to help them comply with their environmental responsibilities. Produced jointly by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) and the Northern Ireland Environment Agency, it is designed specifically to help clarify and simplify the environmental legislation affecting manufacturing and service sector operations. The site provides guidance by environmental topic or business type. 

Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service

The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service is a Department of the Scottish Executive. It the Scottish department responsible for the prosecution of crime, the investigation of sudden or suspicious deaths, and the investigation of complaints against the police. The site outlines the work of the Service and an interactive map of Scotland provides details of the network of Regional Procurator Fiscal offices supporting each Sheriff Court district. Information is provided for crime victims and witnesses and details are provided about the work of the Victim Information and Advice Service.

Scottish Sheriff Court Judgments

A small collection of case reports in criminal matters from the Scottish Sheriff Court, which deals with cases raising a significant point of law or matters of particular public interest. The Court site explains that for legal purposes "Scotland is split into six regions called Sheriffdoms". "Within these Sheriffdoms there are a total of forty-nine Sheriff Courts". "Most cases are heard before a judge called a Sheriff." Both the Scottish Courts site and BAILII pilot service offer the full-text of decisions without charge from September 1998 onwards.

Scottish Legal Aid Board

The Scottish Legal Aid Board is a non-departmental public body responsible for managing legal aid in Scotland. Its website presents information for the public and information for solicitors and other advisory services. For solicitors and advisors, it provides an online facility for legal aid applications, handbooks, updates, forms and other materials. For the public, there is advice and guidance about getting legal aid and finding a solicitor, including a directory of legal aid practitioners.

British and Irish Legal Information Institute

The British and Irish Legal Information Institute (BAILII) provides free access to legislation, cases, law reform reports and other legal materials from the United Kingdom, Jersey, Ireland, the European Court of Human Rights, the European Court of Justice and the EU's General Court. The cases are from the higher courts and tribunals; most date from the last two decades or so, but BAILII also provides a collection called Leading Case Law by Subject, and many of these cases are much older. Materials may be browsed by jurisdiction, title and year.

Centre for Law and Society

The Centre for Law and Society is based at the Faculty of Law, University of Edinburgh. Established in 1983, it researches criminology and legal theory. The website gives details of the Centre's publications, seminars and current areas of research. There is also information about postgraduate courses, conferences and the Edinburgh Study of Youth Transitions and Crime Project.

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