Opinion

As everyone is forced to adapt to new circumstances due to the coronavirus pandemic mediators are no exception. That said, it would be fair to say that a number of mediators have been conducting their ­practice online for a number of years. I am aware of one mediator who has ­conducted a glo

With the Scottish government and the Construction Industry Coronavirus Forum advising that all non-essential building sites in Scotland should close in response to the coronavirus pandemic, Harper Macleod partner Michael Conroy outlines what this means for building projects that are governed by the

In the third of his jurisprudential primers, Benjamin Bestgen looks at truth. See part two here. Scottish author Irvine Welsh reacted with disbelief when Alex Salmond was acquitted of several sexual offences last month: “For fuck sake. NINE women were lying? Come on.”

A journey of a thousand miles is said to begin with a single step. I suggest a journey needs a destination. Without this the traveller is lost. COVID-19 has paralysed this country and indeed the world. It threatens our economy, collective life, family life and how we as human beings exist and intera

Justice First Fellow Louise Herd discusses her experience as a trainee at Clan Childlaw. Clan Childlaw was founded in 2008 by Alison Reid and Fiona Jones after they recognised a need for a specialist outreach legal representation service for children and young people in Scotland.

The Coronavirus (Scotland) Act 2020 came into force on 6 April 2020. In relation to commercial leases, the act gives tenants under commercial leases in Scotland additional protection from irritancy (i.e. forfeiture or termination). This protection is similar (although not identical) to the protectio

Jim Bauld outlines what the Coronavirus (Scotland) Act means for antisocial tenants. The Scottish Parliament has moved to pass emergency legislation to deal with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The Coronavirus (Scotland) Act 2020 is now on the statute books.

Home Office asylum accommodation provider Serco can legally carry out lock-changes evictions on refused refugees in Glasgow after permission to appeal was refused by the Supreme Court. The court refused permission to appeal in Ali v Serco Group Plc after deciding that the application does

We have all heard the phrase “no good deed goes unpunished” and it seems very appropriate in the rental market at this extremely difficult time, writes Stephanie Zak. Landlords must, of course, seek to help tenants who are struggling to pay – by offering rent holidays or other conc

In light of the police-enforced lockdown and other social distancing measures, employers face a new challenge in ensuring they comply with their responsibilities whilst trying to maintain business continuity, writes Gurjit Pall. New measures are now detailed in the Home Office’s guidance to ma

Janet McIntyre and Gary Thomas summarise the details of emergency legislation introduced in Scotland to prevent the eviction of commercial tenants who are unable to pay their rent because of the COVID-19 outbreak. Irritancy is a remedy for landlords to terminate a lease early when tenants are in bre

Neil Casey guides landlords through the emergency changes to housing legislation in Scotland. The Scottish Government has passed the Coronavirus (Scotland) Bill, which will now become law. These emergency provisions are due to expire on 30 September 2020, although ministers have the power to ex

Darina Kerr details the Coronavirus (Scotland) Bill's provisions relevant to the commercial property sector. The bill includes changes to the notice period required by landlords to ‘irritate’, or take back, a lease and pursue tenants for unpaid rent. This is now extended from 14 days to

Solicitor Eamon Keane, early career fellow in criminal law and evidence at the University of Edinburgh, expresses 'considerable concern' over the Scottish government's hearsay reforms, which have passed stage one. The proposals in the Coronavirus Bill (at Schedule 4 Part 6) cause me considerable con

On 26 March 2020 the Working Time (Coronavirus) (Amendment) Regulations 2020 (WTCA Regulations) were made, coming into force with immediate effect. These regulations affect rights of workers to carry over holidays which they were unable to take due to coronavirus, writes Annika Neukirch. Previo