Opinion

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

Taking gender concerns seriously can be a commercial boon to companies, explains Tamar Tammes. The old saying goes that money talks. If that’s true, then more businesses need to listen to what it’s saying about who spends it.

Ewan McIntyre is a consultant to Burness Paull and expert in professional negligence and financial services litigation with over 25 years’ experience. He is currently enjoying a secondment with Racine, one of the main independent French law firms, in its Lyon office. The tales of daily life in

Gavin Buchan discusses how the rise of new finance possibilities is a positive development for all. When anything crashes and burns, there is often something that rises from the ashes. Since the economy emerged from the other side of the global financial crisis, that something has been a range

Katy Wedderburn and Kirsty Fryer look at the 2020 gender pay gap regime. On 8th March 2019, the Scottish government published its first gender pay gap action plan which aims to further reduce the gender pay gap in Scotland by 2021. It is reported that in 2018, the gender pay gap for full-time employ

Lynda Towers takes a look at what the Children (Scotland) Bill might mean for Scotland’s youth. The Children (Scotland) Bill is currently at stage 1 in the Scottish Parliament and continues the current government's emphasis on improving rights and protections for children in Scotland. This bil