Group urges reforms to Scottish civil law News
Group urges reforms to Scottish civil law

[JURIST] An advisory group created by the Scottish Consumer Council [advocacy website] has called for reforms to the country's civil law system [Scottish Executive backgrounder] that would make the system less costly and more efficient. Scotland's civil law system deals with family, property and other similar issues, but the advisory group has argued that high costs make it impractical for low value claims. MSPs are currently considering family law reforms as part of the Family Law (Scotland) Bill [parliamentary overview], which could give single fathers and gay couples more rights. BBC News has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Mayflower Compact signed

On November 11, 1620, 41 Pilgrims signed the Mayflower Compact, creating a civil government for Plymouth Colony.

Armistice signed, ending WWI

On November 11, 1918 at 11:00 AM, the Allied Powers signed an armistice with Germany, ending World War I. Armistice Day is marked every year in Europe on the "eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month" with two minutes of silence.

Indictments announced in Lockerbie bombing

On November 11, 1991, prosecutors from the United States and the United Kingdom announced their indictments in the bombing of a passenger airplane over Lockerbie, Scotland. A Scottish court convicted Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi, allegedly a former Libyan intelligence official, of the 270 murders in 2001. Read documents from the Lockerbie bombing trial.