Opinion

The Circular Economy (Scotland) Bill was passed by the Scottish Parliament on 26 June. Sustainable production and consumption are essential for net zero and the bill aims to support an economy which minimises waste and emissions through supporting re-use, refurbishment, maintenance and recycling. Ac

CEO of Scottish property portal ESPC, Paul Hilton, shares his thoughts on how the new UK government could help to bring about much-needed change in Scotland’s housing. While housing is a devolved matter, ESPC hopes that the promises made by Labour in the recent general election might help to b

The Scottish government is seeking to address some of the overly restrictive aspects of the short-term let licensing rules, but the measures may not be enough to tackle “unnecessary” regulation and financial burdens faced by the Scottish tourism industry, writes Kirsty Gallacher. In

Earlier this week, Buckinghamshire-based businessman Aasim Johar was jailed for seven years for his role in a £3.3m cleaning products fraud at the University of Edinburgh which ran from 2005 until 2015. Johar had been acting together with Geoff Turnbull who, at the time of the offence, was the

For Pride Month 2024 members of Shepherd and Wedderburn’s Pride Network write on this year’s topic of LGBTQ+ inclusion in television. This month, we are given an opportunity to educate ourselves and others; an opportunity to support and uplift a community; an opportunity to observe and p

Alison Woods examines the employment law reform proposals of the main UK parties and discusses what both employees and employers should expect. As the July general election approaches, we are seeing key differences between the main Westminster parties on the issue of employment law reform, which wil

Solicitors should support alternative business structures at the AGM of the Law Society of Scotland on Thursday, writes Brian Inkster. Section 47 to 49 of the Legal Services (Scotland) Act 2010 allowed for the creation of licensed legal service providers (commonly referred to as alternative business

In a landmark decision, which adds to the growing global body of climate-based jurisprudence, the Supreme Court has held by a majority that before a developer is allowed to proceed with a project that extracts fossil fuels, it must carry out an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) that assesses the

Two recent decisions of the Sheriff Appeal Court provide further guidance on the approach to awarding legal expenses depending on the outcome in potentially fraudulent claims, writes Julie Fisher. In James Nelson v John Lewis Plc, the pursuer was on a nightshift, stacking shelves at Waitrose in Edin

We’re Scotland, so when it comes to major football tournaments we haven’t exactly been clocking up the air miles over the years, writes Robert Holland. However, under the stewardship of Scotland boss Steve Clarke, things have changed for the better. We reached Euro 2020 (actually he

Change is coming to rent reviews for traditional agricultural tenancies. The Land Reform (Scotland) Bill which is at present going through the Scottish Parliament contains proposals to change the law in relation to how rent reviews are to be dealt with, writes Hamish Lean. Currently, rents are revie

Narcissists of minor repute, for whom notoriety is more achievable than fame, have bitten the hand that feeds them in their latest attack – on the UK's book festivals. David J Black adduces evidence of their hypocrisy, among other things. They never seem to bother with the detail or consider t

Spoiler alert, per Viscount Dunedin, in the House of Lords in 1931: trespass to moveables “in a Scottish Lawyer’s mouth is a perfectly unmeaning phrase”, writes Ewan Kennedy. I’m hoping that a case that started in Oban Sheriff Court nearly three years ago will spark the

Formal building contracts are a fundamental part of any construction project, specifying the contractual obligations on all parties, avoiding any ambiguities and the need for third-party interventions that can add to project costs and timescales, writes Ian McCann. The Joint Contracts Tribunal

John Stirling and Conner McConnell conclude their critique of housing legislation currently under consideration at Holyrood. See part one here. In our article “The unaddressed issue in residential tenancies” published in Scottish Legal News last month, we drew attention to a deficiency i