Features

The Coronavirus (Recovery and Reform) (Scotland) Bill is currently before the Scottish Parliament. The bill seeks to preserve on a permanent basis a number of changes to the law that were introduced temporarily to address the challenges of the pandemic. Many of these changes deal with administrative

David J Black continues to investigate the biggest medical scandal of the 21st century. Read part one here and see also his series from last year for SLN. October the 29th 2021 was something of a red-letter day for those who believed the psychiatric biopsychosocial (BPS) model had, fo

Edinburgh-based solicitor advocate Jim Cormack QC has been appointed global head of Pinsent Masons’ litigation, regulatory and tax (LRT) team. The role involves leading the law firm’s 265-strong LRT offering, which covers common law and civil law jurisdictions, with staff based in seven

In October 2021 the Town and Country Planning (Local Place Plans) (Scotland) Regulations 2021 were laid before the Scottish Parliament. The background to these regulations is found in Section 14 of the Planning (Scotland) Act 2019. This amended the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 to pe

The last rites are being read to the traditional legal firm. While the rise of the nationals and global firms will carry on for a while yet, many small and medium Scottish firms will face their day of reckoning over the coming decade.

Melanie Phillips may not be everyone’s favourite journalist or radio opinion former but who could fail to share her astonishment in The Times at the outcome of one of the greatest corporate injustices of our time? Inexplicably, no-one, it seems, was responsible for the relentless persecution a

For someone who decided to become a lawyer partly because it’s what his parents wanted him to do, John Scott QC has carved out a long and illustrious career in the profession. He has been involved in some of Scotland’s most high-profile inquiries and cases since starting out as a trainee

Craig Kennedy of Dentons examines coming changes to property ownership transparency in the UK. Recent events in Ukraine have resulted in a revival of the UK's Economic Crime Bill, which aims to make it much harder for overseas entities to hide wealth in UK property. The Bill made rapid progress thro

Jenny Dickson of Morton Fraser discusses how the high-profile beaver protection case involved the use of crowdfunding and a protective expenses order to fund the litigation. One Scottish case which captured the headlines in 2021 was the battle to save the beavers. An environmental charity, Trees For

David Conlan Smyth SC, Anna Bazarchina BL, William Morrin BL and Patrick Fitzgerald BL – members of the EU Bar Association of Ireland – unpick the legal hurdles and steps involved in Ukraine becoming a member state of the European Union. On 28 February 2022, just four days after being in

As the US passes a bill named for a young boy whose brutal racist murder shocked America and the wider world, SLN takes at look at the the case and the injustice that followed. On August 28, 1955, 14-year-old Emmett Till, an African American boy from Chicago, was tortured and murdered by t

With the Scottish and UK governments having relaxed their “work from home wherever possible” message, it begs the question of what the return to the office will look like for many, writes Laura McClinton. We have previously written about the likelihood of flexible working requests.

Sandra Cassels provides an overview of the approach to cladding in Scotland and addresses three discrete points: building Regulations, RICS Guidance and rights of recourse for owners/government assistance. The fatal Garnock Court tower block fire in 1999 contributed to the building standards sy

For the final article in Shepherd and Wedderburn's LGBT+ History Month series on ‘Politics in Art: The Arc is Long’, Zachary Stewart discusses his favourite TV series, Schitt’s Creek. Many may view this choice as dubious at first but the subtlety of this show’s approach

The International Criminal Court prosecutor Karim Khan is to proceed with an investigation into the invasion of Ukraine. He said in a statement that there was "a reasonable basis to proceed with opening an investigation".