Opinion

The work of the independent Scottish Covid-19 Inquiry, chaired by Lady Poole, is underway, write Fiona Killen and Hazel Moffat. Its key aim is to report on lessons learned from the Covid-19 pandemic, balancing the need for a rigorous inquiry with a desire to report as soon as possible on those lesso

Interest rates are on the rise and expected to hit unprecedented levels with some observers predicting a recession on the horizon – both of which will impact commercial tenants and landlords undertaking rent reviews. An open market rent review is where the new rent is calculated as what a tena

Now that the 'not proven' debate has been settled, defence advocate Tony Lenehan writes about the impending juryless trials pilot and questions the authority on which it has been proposed. I cannot now remember what I was doing in 1994 which distracted me from watching the OJ Simpson trial on televi

In Oil States Industries (UK) Limited v "S" Limited; Lagan Building Contractors Limited (in administration); John Hansen and Stuart Irwin, the joint administrators [2022] CSOH 52, the argument related to the development of a new office and production facilities for the pursuer. The first defender pr

Yesterday, the judgment in the case of SD as legal representative of her son, LD v Grampian Health Board, known as NHS Grampian, was issued by the Court of Session. By way of background, on 24 August 2008, the pursuer, SD, gave birth to her son LD at Aberdeen Maternity Hospital. LD suffered severe a

In an era where consumer disputes are increasingly progressed and decided via electronic means by companies such as major online retailers, banks and travel agencies, those attending court for the first time in civil disputes can find the process daunting and time-consuming. The issues presented by

UK businesses can expect a crackdown on furlough fraud after HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) revealed that almost 14,000 whistleblowers had come forward with information about misuse of the scheme. In total, officials received 13,775 tip-offs from employees about fraud against the furlough scheme co

The Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care (PSA) has successfully appealed a disciplinary decision of the Medical Practitioners Tribunal (MPT) concerning a doctor. This is the first reported Scottish case in which the PSA succeeded in persuading the Court of Session to grant suc

James Chalmers and Fiona Leverick respond to recent articles about jurors’ assessment of credibility in criminal trials. Our recent study of the way in which jurors assess credibility in criminal trials has been the subject of some attention in Scottish Legal News. In this study, we reported o

Increased interest in and enjoyment of the Scottish countryside by the public over the last few years has resulted in many not just taking to the hills, but enjoying land by the water too, and Scotland's rivers are renowned for the quality of fishing by those that enjoy the sport. You may have heard

Scottish Housing Associations can hardly have failed to notice the increasing level of debate within the sector in recent times around the themes of sustainability and ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance matters). Participation of individual RSLs and their boards in the debate has, so far, bee

The introduction of group procedure (class actions) in Scotland in 2020 has given litigation-savvy claimants another choice of forum in which to raise a class action. Under the new procedure, groups of two or more people with the same, similar, or related claims, can unite to raise proceedings in a

The recent Scottish government consultation in respect of its new Land Reform Bill included proposals in relation to a new form of agricultural tenancy that would allow the tenant considerable freedom to use the land within the tenancy for environmental purposes including planting trees and carbon s

Ruth Crawford QC writes on the measures the Faculty of Advocates has taken to protect lawyers' wellbeing beyond the pandemic. The past few years have been characterised by constant, ongoing change for everyone due to the pandemic. Life at the Faculty of Advocates has been no exception. With the stri

Stacy Keen, senior associate at Pinsent Masons, urges businesses and lawyers to take caution over Russia sanctions targets following a money laundering red alert. A “red alert” issued by the Joint Money Laundering Intelligence Taskforce (JMLIT) outlines the expectations of UK regulators