Opinion

We have all heard of the gender pay gap but less is said of the gender pension gap: the difference in the retirement income of men and women, writes Amanda Jack. The gender pension gap is close to home for me, as my mum has fallen victim to it. My dad was the main earner in the house and frequently

The Tenant Farming Commissioner (TFC) has published a guide to Relinquishment and Assignation (R&A). Kate McLeish explains the details. The R&A measure allows secure agricultural tenants to offer to relinquish their tenancy to the landlord in exchange for statutory compensation. If the landl

Jae Fassam, partner at law firm CMS, discusses the increasing role of Environment, Social, Governance (ESG) in Scottish businesses. As Scotland recovers from COVID-19 and businesses adjust to a new, post-Brexit landscape, rebuilding the economy in a sustainable manner will be the core focus over the

Stefanie Glassford follows up on her original post detailing the altered approach that the European Patent Office (EPO) has taken with respect to oral proceedings being held by video conferencing. The legality of holding oral proceedings without the consent of all parties has been formally ques

"Travelling with an enormous piece of luggage only seems like a contradiction in terms to those who feel properly dressed for every occasion in T-shirt, jeans, and trainers," writes Bernhard Roetzel. But have times changed and should smart casual or something worse prevail? We hope not. Benjami

A case of constitutional importance, AXA General Insurance Co Ltd v Lord Advocate 2012 SC(UKSC) 122 is Sheriff K J Campbell's favourite entry in Session Cases, whose bicentenary we celebrate this year. Nominate your favourite cases here. What an intriguing challenge: nominating the top Session

Dr Sandra Duffy comments on the High Court's ruling in AB v Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust, the first case funded by the Good Law Project's Trans Defence Fund. In the case of AB v Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust, heard before the High Court of England and Wales (Family Division), a challenge was ma

Benjamin Bestgen this week discusses violence against women. See his last primer here. One of the fundamental justifications for permitting an organised state, government and law enforcement to exist is that these institutions, and the people who serve in them, are meant to guarantee public safety.

Stephen Miller looks at the fallout that follows an employee fall out and the social changes half a century of Employment Tribunal judgments reflect. Since their inception, employment tribunals have resolved countless workplace disagreements between colleagues arising from minor misunderstandings th

In 2006, the law in Scotland changed to provide a greater level of protection to unmarried, cohabiting couples. The new legislation was welcomed and seen as a positive step forward by many; 15 years on, there is a great deal of debate around whether the law is still fit for purpose, writes Tom Quail

Vicky Crichton, director of public policy at the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission, notes that the disruption caused by the pandemic has not resulted in a spike in complaints. This time last year all of our plans, our systems and our ways of working were thrown up in the air as we all tried to wo

Sarah Lilley reflects on her crash course in online lawyering precipitated by the first lockdown last March. In early March 2020 I walked out of Inverness Sheriff Court to make my way back to the office following a morning of court hearings. Inverness Castle, in which the sheriff court was housed fo

Baktosch Gillan interviews the current Lord Lyon, Dr Joe Morrow, about the role of his ancient office in 21st century Scotland. After a career at the forefront of the development of mental health law and practice in Scotland, Dr Joseph Morrow CBE, QC, LLD, is now on a mission to preserve Scotland&rs

Stuart Munro, head of criminal litigation at Livingstone Brown, considers an important technical issue that has featured in a number of recent high-profile cases. What right does a party to litigation have to use information or documents recovered in that process for other purposes? That seemingly a

Rodney Whyte, partner and residential property specialist at Pinsent Masons, compares Scotland to its southern neighbour when it comes to Later Living communities. Scotland has been relegated to the “poor relation” in terms of institutional investment in the Later Living sector, while mu