Opinion

When is a resignation not a resignation? Douglas Strang looks at a recent case that serves as a cautionary tale for employers. It is obvious that before an employee can claim unfair dismissal it is necessary to show that there has in fact been a dismissal by the employer (save where constructive dis

Dr Kim Barker, lecturer in law at Stirling Law School, and Dr Olga Jurasz, senior lecturer in law at the Open University Law School, look at the proposed reforms to the hate crime regime. The Scottish government is currently considering reforms to the hate crime framework in Scotland. This law

Shirley McIntosh, tax partner at RSM, discusses the challenges facing the legal sector amid changes in property tax. The start of the new tax year on 6 April 2020 will see the latest in a long line of changes in the taxation of property introduced since April 2013, from new and abolished rules, to a

Stephen Webster considers the issues surrounding the reform of commercial leases. This year, following an extensive stakeholder consultation exercise, the Scottish Law Commission (SLC) is expected to make important recommendations for the reform of six areas of Scots law relating to the termination

Ronald Conway responds to Michael Upton's recent reflections on Brexit. So John Cleese famously asked in The Life of Brian.

So Brexit is done. My mother still recalls the news on 19 April 1945, sixteen days before the war’s end, that Germans had executed her grandfather in prison in Copenhagen for membership of the Danish Resistance. His daughter and son-in-law, my Danish grandparents, had themselves not long befor

Jenny Dickson explains what public authorities ought to know about FOI requests, which they are routinely failing to timeously satisfy, if at all. The Scottish Information Commissioner has reported a year-on-year rise in freedom of information (FOI) requests, with an eight per cent increase in reque

Elaine McIlroy details the recommendations for the new post-Brexit single skills-based immigration system. The topic of immigration has been front page news this week across the UK. In Scotland there have been calls for a 'Scottish visa' and devolution of immigration powers. The UK government a

As legal projects, compliance programmes and strategic transactions become ever more complex and multinational in scope, a new breed of professional legal project manager is emerging to help manage the time, quality and cost paradigm, writes Rachel Wood. Thirty years ago the notion that lawyers woul

The SYLA recently published the results of a survey on retention issues within the legal profession. Well done them. Much needed and with the number of responses received totally statistically significant. Seventy-seven per cent of responses were from Glasgow and Edinburgh and 11 per cent from Dunde

It’s been a challenging start to 2020 for foreign exchange operator Travelex which became the latest global business to be targeted by a ransomware gang known as “Sodinokibi”, writes Ian Birdsey. Travelex, which has more than 1,200 branches and 1,000 ATMs spread over 70 countries,

Professor Lorne Crerar makes the case for the Roberton Review. The Roberton Review proposals for reform of legal services regulation in Scotland are radical.

Clare Kelly looks at a cautionary tale on whisky production. As one of Scotland’s biggest exports, Scotch Whisky accounts for around 70 per cent of Scottish food and drink export.

Jamie Meechan comments on new guidance on sexual harassment in the workplace. The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has published new guidance in relation to sexual harassment and harassment in the workplace. The EHRC explains that: “The evidence of the need for tougher action on har

Andrew Ireland offers his personal insights on recent mediations in which he has been involved, contrasting them with his experience of pre-trial meetings in personal injury cases. Recent articles in Scottish Legal News by Julie Hamilton of MacRoberts, David Hossack of Morton Fraser and by the Vice