Legal Matters Scotland
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24th March 2025

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INDUSTRY
Private equity eyes legal sector
Private equity firms are increasingly targeting the UK legal sector, with lawyers contemplating deals that could bring in money to boost investment and deliver a windfall for partners. Jonathan Boyers, a managing director in the corporate finance division of consultancy Alvarez & Marsal, said: "Many firms are considering selling up - following the trend we have seen in the accountancy market." Oliver Vaughan, managing director of the investment bank Houlihan Lokey, says: “Private equity firms believe that legal services could be the next frontier for them to invest in." Noting that accounting firms have been a target for private equity, he adds: "If you take a legal firm versus an accounting firm, they are very different - I think the legal services market is more nuanced." Toby Harper, who founded Harper James, comments: "A private equity investor would give me that comfort of partnering with somebody who's been there and done it a million times over, who's got deeper pockets than me, and who can provide access to funding and expertise to deliver on a successful M&A plan." It is noted that Northridge Law, Higgs, Greenwoods, Switalskis, and MAPD are said to be mulling sales, with most expected to fetch between £50m and £150m.


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THE LAW
Greens push for broader definition of domestic abuse in new law
Scottish Green MSP Maggie Chapman has urged the Scottish Government to amend the Housing (Scotland) Bill, which was introduced to Holyrood this month, to expand its definition of domestic abuse to ensure that women and children are protected from becoming homeless. Ms Chapman has proposed an amendment that would include controlling, coercive and degrading behaviour in the definition, a change backed by Scottish Women's Aid. The charity's chief executive, Dr Marsha Scott, says such forms of abuse "are among the most dangerous for women and children, yet the current definition focuses only on violent, threatening, and intimidating conduct". Housing minister Paul McLennan has insisted the current definition in the Bill "is wide enough to capture behaviours which give rise, or are likely to give rise, to physical or mental injury, fear, alarm or distress".
Hate crime reports surge by 50%
Reports of hate crime have risen by nearly 50% to over 7,000 since the introduction of the Hate Crime Act in Scotland on April 1 last year. The Police Scotland report indicates that 7,277 hate crimes were logged from April 2023 to January 2024, a significant rise from 4,963 in the previous period. The report highlights that most incidents were related to race and sexual orientation, with a notable number linked to transgender hate crime. Alongside the increase in reports, the detection rate has also improved, rising to 64.1%. However, Deputy Chief Constable Alan Speirs noted that the law has resulted in a flood of complaints, with police resources being diverted from more serious crimes.
MPs demand human rights overhaul
Labour MPs are urging Sir Keir Starmer to reform human rights laws that hinder the deportation of failed asylum seekers and foreign criminals. They are advocating for changes in how the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) is interpreted in British courts to regain "control" over the UK's borders. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper is reviewing these rules following controversial tribunal rulings, including one where an Albanian criminal was allowed to stay due to his son’s preference for British food. There is a growing consensus among Labour MPs for an overhaul of the ECHR's application in asylum cases, with a briefing scheduled in Parliament to discuss the issue further.


 
EMPLOYMENT
Ministers accused of 'hypocrisy' over 'fire and rehire' threat
The GMB Scotland trade union has criticised the Scottish Government over its response to a dispute with Aberdeen City Council over the prospect of the council using a 'fire and rehire' approach to impose new contracts cutting working hours. Finance Secretary Shona Robison has confirmed in a letter to the union that the Scottish Government opposes 'fire and rehire' and the practice breaches its Fair Work rules, although she has refused to intervene. The union's senior public sector organiser, Keir Greenaway, said there are now "SNP ministers in Edinburgh insisting fire and rehire is unacceptable and SNP councillors in Aberdeen ignoring them", adding: "Saying one thing and doing another is no way to protect workers in the public sector. It is hypocrisy."
CASES
Harrods proposes payouts to al Fayed victims
Lawyers for Harrods are proposing six-figure payouts to settle sexual abuse claims against the department store's former owner, Mohamed al Fayed. MPL Legal, which is coordinating a redress scheme on behalf of the retailer, has told potential claimants that those who agree to an assessment by a scheme consultant psychiatrist would be eligible for general damages of up to £200,000, while those who choose a "non-medical pathway" would be eligible for up to £110,000. The proposed terms are understood to be preliminary and subject to ongoing consultation. Lawyers acting for victims of Mr al Fayed last year said they had received more than 420 enquiries about potential claims.
Scots jail sued after 22-year-old's suicide
Janice Burns is suing HMP Addiewell after her son, Jordan, died from a drug overdose on November 10, 2023, following multiple suicide attempts. Despite being on a suicide prevention programme, he was reportedly removed and denied necessary mental health support for PTSD and ADHD. Janice stated: "His cries for help were ignored. They took my boy's life before it had even started." The prison has faced criticism for staff shortages and inadequate care, with 14 deaths occurring since Jordan's. Lawyer Aamer Anwar, who also represented the families of several other young people who died in custody, has said Jordan was "severely mistreated" while in prison.
Former Miss Scotland convicted of biting bouncers
Lucy Thomson, a former Miss Scotland, has been found guilty of assaulting two security guards during the Edinburgh City 7s rugby tournament in June 2023. The 26-year-old bit Andrew Okpaje and used a racial slur while being ejected from the event. Okpaje reported the incident to the police, leading to Thomson's arrest. Despite her claims of innocence, Sheriff Derek O'Carroll described her testimony as "utterly implausible." Thomson was fined £790 and has since been stripped of her title.
CRIME
Gangland killer funded family's luxury lifestyle from prison
A convicted gangland murderer, Robert 'Birdman' O'Hara, funded a luxurious lifestyle for his partner and daughter while serving time in prison, using proceeds from organised crime. Police raids uncovered high-value assets linked to O’Hara, including luxury cars, designer clothing, and over £300,000 in jewellery, while further investigations led to the seizure of firearms, drugs, and an industrial pill press. Despite his criminal wealth, O’Hara claimed £10,391 in legal aid to fund his defence, a sum that could increase as further claims are processed. Already serving a life sentence for a 2005 murder, he has now been handed an additional nine-year term for directing a drug trafficking operation from behind bars.
TAX
Chancellor will not raise taxes in Spring Statement
Rachel Reeves has promised not to raise taxes in the Spring Statement, telling the Sun on Sunday: "This is not a Budget. We're not going to be doing tax raising." The Chancellor said that while the Government did "have to put up some taxes on businesses and the wealthiest in the country" in October’s Budget, this will not be the case in next week’s Spring Statement. Ms Reeves also insisted her "fiscal rules are non-negotiable," meaning the Government will have to cut spending rather than resort to borrowing more to pay for public services. Ms Reeves said that ministers face "tough choices," but added that "not making them would be a dereliction of duty." Separately, the Chancellor told a BBC documentary, The Making of a Chancellor, that the Government "can't tax and spend our way to higher living standards and better public services."
 


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