Opinion

Literature is another casualty of our ailing civilisation. David J Black discusses the simulacrum left in its wake. See part one here. Unlike her risque predecessors Jilly Cooper and Joanna Trollope, Ms Rooney enjoys the honorific sobriquet "the voice of a generation", in which office she has seemin

In ATG Services (Scotland) Limited v Ogilvie Construction Limited [2024] CSOH 94, Lord Sandison delivered a stark warning about ‘unjustified’ challenges to the enforcement of adjudication decisions, writes Kate Ross. In this case, ATG Services (a subcontractor) had launched a “smas

Research conducted by Towergate Health and Protection of 500 HR professionals undertaken in 2024, revealed that 98 per cent of companies surveyed have encouraged their employees to return to the office for at least part of the week, writes Laura Jordan. With the dark days of Covid lockdown now almos

David J Black exemplifies Juvenal's dictum that "It is difficult not to write satire". Literary criticism will not be the purpose of this exercise, so those anticipating a promotional puff for Intermezzo or anything else by the much celebrated Sally Rooney may be disappointed. It’s usually a r

In the second part of his analysis of the Lockerbie case, Ronnie Clancy KC, who was Crown counsel in the appeals, looks at the issues surrounding the timer used for the bomb and the famous suitcase. Read part one here. As matters stand in the aftermath of the latest Lockerbie appeal, the most promin

Ronnie Clancy KC defends the Lockerbie investigation against claims its famous conviction was a miscarriage of justice. Twenty-four years have elapsed since the conviction of Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi for his part in the murderous conspiracy which caused the death of 270 innocent people on 21

Neil Stevenson comments on an appeal to the Inner House in which judges clarified the meaning of 'complaint'. In its decision, the court has clarified that a 'complaint’ is the whole complaint made by the complainer, but also that for some sections of the Legal Profession and Legal Aid (Scotla

“Beat your ploughshares into swords, and your pruning-hooks into spears”. Surely some mistake, I thought; shouldn’t it be the other way round? Swords into ploughshares and spears into pruning-hooks? It was during Evensong at the magnificent Liverpool Cathedral last month that this

Word reaches your scrivener that a well regarded seasoned journalist by the name of Claire Atkinson is engaged in writing an unauthorised biography of the old boss we both used to share, namely one Rupert Murdoch. But will she cover everything? Fans of the brilliant, yet chilling, HBO series Success

Rod Maclean takes a look at a high-profile family squabble. Media business magnate Rupert Murdoch’s family’s public drama regarding ownership is perhaps the biggest family business law story of a generation. Beneath the glitz lies a classic archetype of succession squabbles. Families &nd

Dr Andrew Forde responds to the furore over Ireland's intention to intervene in cases brought against Israel and Myanmar under the Genocide Convention. On 11 December, Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin announced Ireland’s intention to intervene in the

Dean of Faculty Roddy Dunlop KC reminds us that there is a presumption of innocence – for now. The age of social media has brought many benefits. Members of the public are able to engage with a number of issues – from the banal to the fundamental – in a way that was not previously

David J Black tackles the issue of the day. One of the more annoying things about the British media in general, and the navel-gazing BBC in particular, is the irritating habit they all have of prioritising so-called news stories which are so trivial and ephemeral they barely deserve to make the insi

Irish lawyer Dr Barry Scannell examines a recent trademark case in which ChatGPT represented one of the parties. Good idea: Getting a well-trained lawyer to represent you in a trademark dispute. Bad idea: Having ChatGPT represent you in a trademark dispute.

A new “failure to prevent fraud” offence will impact organisations across the UK and internationally, requiring them to complete risk assessments and implement rigorous fraud prevention procedures and policies in place if they are to avail themselves of a statutory defence, writes Tom St