Cms

New powers allowing police to seize cryptocurrency and other similar assets, which have been illegally obtained by criminals or are being used to hide or launder the proceeds of their activities, came into effect in Scotland yesterday, writes Sally Clark. The new seizure powers are a key aspect of t

CMS has announced the promotion of Laura West to partner in its Infrastructure, Construction and Energy Disputes (ICE Disputes) practice. Ms West is dual-qualified in Scots and English law and is a Law Society-accredited specialist in construction law. She teaches construction law to postgraduate st

Caroline Maciver has joined CMS as partner in its Edinburgh office. Ms Maciver, who joins the firm from Burness Paull, has 20 years’ experience leading on large, complex disputes in the private and public sectors. Her practice includes advising main contractors, developers and housebuilders on

Always quick to spot an opportunity, criminals have increasingly turned to cryptocurrency as a means of hiding and, in many cases, laundering the proceeds of illicit activities, writes Sally Clark. As part of the law enforcement response, cryptocurrencies and other cryptoassets have now been specifi

A new report has revealed how significant challenges, including skills shortages and an ageing population, pose a risk to Scotland’s economy. The Skills for Today and Tomorrow thought leadership report conducted by the Fraser of Allander Institute (FAI) on behalf of international law firm CMS,

British restaurateur, author and TV personality Nisha Katona MBE and former first minister, Lord McConnell of Glenscorrodale, will be among the guest speakers at CMS Scotland’s business conference next month. Hosted by broadcaster Kirsty Wark, CMS’s annual On Point conference takes place

Sally Clark provides an update on the latest action being taken against Glencore under the UK's bribery legislation. The global mining giant Glencore was back in the news last week with the announcement from the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) that it has charged five of its executives, who are now due t

The UK remains Europe’s highest-risk jurisdiction for class action lawsuits, with the total claimed value exceeding £120 billion in the period 2018-2023, according to a new report from CMS. Competition class actions comprised 540 million members by the end of 2023, an increase of 200 mil

Vini Cowden, an energy specialist lawyer focused on electricity transmission, carbon capture and storage, and offshore wind, has become the latest partner to join CMS’s Aberdeen office. She relocates to the Granite City from Glasgow where she has been based since joining CMS in 2001.

Ailsa Ritchie comments on the construction policy note which has introduced a Graduated Pricing Mechanism as an alternative method of determining price score in tender evaluation. Guidance setting out a new method of determining the price score in tender assessments for construction projects has bee

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

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

CMS has launched a new team to support Scottish-based businesses in managing the opportunities and challenges of environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues. Led by Edinburgh-based partner Gordon Hay and senior associate Dr Amanda Cooke, the new Scotland ESG team draws on the depth of the firm

CMS is to host a free-to-attend event focused on one of the key challenges facing the UK renewable energy industry: how to solve the issue of grid connections. The seminar, being held in Aberdeen on 19 June, includes contributions from Calum Watt, grid technical authority at Flotation Energy, who wi

CMS is to host an event later this month to support Scotland’s food and drink sector to develop and safeguard their brand’s intellectual property (IP). Led by CMS partner and IP specialist Neeraj Thomas and fellow IP specialist Cara McGlynn, the free-to-attend seminar will be of interest