Opinion

The First Division of the Inner House of the Court of Session has issued welcome guidance on the assessment of “additional charges” payable on solicitors’ fees in judicial accounts, writes Claire White. This is a percentage uplift on solicitors’ fees which is allowed where th

It was reported recently that representatives of French footballer Kylian Mbappe had rejected a proposal that he participate in mediation to try and resolve a dispute with his former club, Paris St Germain, over claims amounting to £46.5 million in unpaid bonuses and wages. They said that &ldq

Pictures of fighting and bombed buildings are a familiar sight from historic photographs. It is unlikely that anyone has paused to consider the effects of war in relation to records. Government Records Offices are not themselves immune from destruction. What then do documentary records have to do wi

In July 2024, the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court (a division of the High Court of Justice of England and Wales) delivered its judgment in Aga Rangemaster Group v UK Innovations Group Ltd and Michael Patrick McGinley. Lauren McFarlane explains the case. The case raised interesting questions a

The rule of law is inevitably one of the first victims of war, and that is particularly the case when the aggressor nation chooses to pursue its objectives regardless of the impact on a civilian population, targeting hospitals, schools, public buildings and residential homes in a bid to undermine th

Andrew Stevenson comments on the right of a country to exist. When I studied jurisprudence at Glasgow University, a lot of attention was devoted to the concept of rights.

Dr Erin Ferguson explores how SLAPPs threaten the right to know and why legal reform is needed. 28 September was the International Day for Universal Access to Information (aka International Right to Know Day). This is a day to commemorate the development of freedom of information (FOI) laws and

Restrictions in UK Russian sanctions law on firms providing legal and regulatory advice have been relaxed, providing clarity for advisors and clients, writes Stacy Keen. The previous Conservative government legislated to introduce a restriction relating to the provision of legal advisory services to

In the final part in her series advising aspiring solicitors, Sophie Reid explains how to get the most from a traineeship. See also parts one, two and three. Put in the hours: Maybe one of the most obvious ones but the more hours you put in, the more you’ll get out. With every hour you put in,

Following the first and second parts in her series, Aberdein Considine trainee Sophie Reid tells aspiring solicitors what to look for in a firm. Do your research. There are a few things you can do to gen up on the firms you’re interested in joining:

Aberdein Considine trainee Sophie Reid gives us the scoop on what no one tells you about being a trainee. See part one of her series here. You’ll be trusted very early on and will give legal advice. Of course, the advice will have been reviewed by a qualified solicitor, but you’re the on

Writing in Scottish Legal News today, Colombian researcher Rodrigo Rogelis discusses a 2016 ruling that confers legal rights on the Atrato River, which flows through the northwest of Colombia. The decades-long civil conflict there continues to leave deep scars on people and the natural environm

The new Digital Markets, Competition and Consumer Act 2024 (DMCCA) is due to come into force in April 2025, and with it a complete overhaul of how consumer protection is enforced in the UK, write Melanie Martin, Laura Whyatt and Tom Hanson. Under the new regime, direct enforcement powers will be han

Aberdein Considine trainee Sophie Reid gives us a taste of life as a trainee in four parts this week. As I sit down, morning coffee (vanilla, of course!) in hand, one of the solicitors in the team taps me on the shoulder. She tells me to grab my jacket, and laptop (with a notepad as back-up). She le

The ‘new’ Electronic Communications Code came into force at the end of 2017. It is a schedule to the Communications Act 2003. It governs telecoms masts and other ‘electronic communications apparatus’; specifically, relations between their operators and the owners or tenants o