Opinion

As part of the programme to mark 20 years since the creation of the Scottish Parliament, the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe) has been publishing twenty “20 year” blog posts on SPICe Spotlight over the course of 2019. This blog, by Sarah Harvie-Clark, senior researcher (civ

Business across almost every sector is undergoing significant change, and we can all see examples of new technologies and innovations disrupting “the way we do things”. The legal profession is not immune to this, writes Maggie Moodie. Indeed, stories appear with more and more frequency t

With the recent discovery of Bronze Age carved stone figures in Orkney, the Gold Ring at Loch Lomond reported earlier this year and the Kirkcudbright Viking treasure saga that rumbles on from 2017 the law of who is entitled to what on a treasure find is back in the headlines again, writes Robin Dunl

With Christmas, and Brexit, fast approaching, it is a good time to consider how Brexit could affect Santa’s annual task of delivering presents to the children of the UK, writes Iain Halliday. Santa lives in Lapland, in Finland, so we can presume he is a Finnish (and therefore EU) citizen. At t

While many joke about the pitfalls of doing something silly on a work night out at Christmas, there is also the darker issue of sexual harassment by a colleague, writes Watermans' Priya Cunningham. The majority of sexual harassment cases brought before the Employment Tribunal are brought by wom

Jonathan Seddon determines the pros and cons of a modular approach to delivering homes compared to traditional building. The use of the pre-fab (or modular) building is by no means a new concept in the UK. Historically, it came to the forefront of construction following the Second World War. At a ti

Writing for Scottish Legal News, Rachael Kelsey, lawyer for Mrs Villiers in Villiers v Villiers, discusses the details of the case, which was heard by the Supreme Court this week. Villiers v Villiers, the first intra-UK Maintenance Regulation case to be heard by the Supreme Court, has grow

The Scottish government response to the independent review of mediation in Scotland has been issued this week. Ash Denham, legal affairs minister, has commented on momentum building towards mediation reform referring to proposals for review by (1) Scottish Mediation, (2) the Justice Committee report

Lord Summers’ recent judgement in the case of Peebles Media Group Ltd v Patricia Kelly has no happy ending, describing as it does a situation that is increasingly common in the UK – ‘whaling fraud’. Unlike ‘phishing’ where fraudulent emails are sent to a large num

How is it possible to place a value on part of your body, unique to you and not usually measured in monetary terms? Nicola Edgar explains. This is a challenge faced by personal injury lawyers when advising clients on the value of their claim. If an individual has suffered an injury or accident which

Michelle Essen outlines what the election manifestos have in store for the VAT Reverse Charge, the Apprenticeship Levy and Skills Shortage, and Modern Methods of Construction.  The political parties have published their manifestos for the December 2019 General Election, setting out their stalls

Elections, elections With the introduction of the Fixed Term Parliament Act bringing elections (seemingly) every two years, another set of manifestos may be the last thing you want to read. Yet it is clear to all of us in the renewables industry that they do matter. The Conservative Party manifesto

Paul Bradfield, former prosecution lawyer at the International Criminal Court, considers the future of the court. The International Criminal Court is at a crossroads. It seeks a new chief prosecutor to succeed the incumbent, Fatou Bensouda. For her successor, huge challenges – both legal and p

Stuart Clubb looks at today’s decision by the Supreme Court in MacDonald and another v Carnbroe Estates Ltd. Gratuitous alienations are one of the most common types of challenge brought by liquidators and administrators of companies. Under Section 242 of the Insolvency Act 1986, the

SKO is one of the first of a dozen or so firms in Scotland to go live with a new online tool, designed specifically for Scots family law matters. The tool is already being used by over 50 firms south of the border and another 150 in Australia and New Zealand, writes Rachael Kelsey. Settify was