Session Cases At 200

On this day, 200 years ago, the First Division of the Inner House of the Court of Session, presided over by Lord President Charles Hope (Lord Granton), ancestor to Lord Hope of Craighead, gave its decision in Strang v McIntosh 1 S 1 – the first entry in Session Cases. Emma McLarty a

Donoghue v Stevenson has been voted the top Session Case in a poll by the Scottish Council of Law Reporting to mark the bicentenary of the UK's oldest law reports. It was all but a certainty that the case of the snail in the ginger beer whose doctrines have spread across the world would triumph

Lord Ericht reflects on the significance of the cases that topped the Session Cases poll. In July 1930, a full bench of the High Court of Justiciary heard an appeal against conviction in relation to a series of sexual assaults against female employees in a “drapery establishment” at 186

For the final nomination in our series supporting the Scottish Council of Law Reporting's search for readers' favourite Session Case, Sir David Edward reflects on Brown v Hamilton District Council 1983 S.C. (H.L.) 1 – in which he himself appeared. Voting closes at midnight tonight. T

The Lord Advocate, James Wolffe QC, details his top Session Case: the infamous Moorov v HM Advocate 1930 JC 68. Vote for your top three Session Cases here. Sometimes, a legal rule is identified by the name of the case with which it is associated. In Scots law, none is more famous than the Mooro

Angela Grahame QC's favourite entry in Session Cases is Duke of Argyll v Duchess of Argyll 1962 SC (HL) 88. Vote for your top three Session Cases here. Scandal, infidelity, secrets and high society. It’s like an episode of Bridgerton but much more exciting and absolutely true. The ca

In a fine example of nominative determinism, Laura Dunlop QC tells the tale of a dispute over a common name. The case? Dunlop Pneumatic Tyre Company Ltd v Dunlop Motor Company Ltd 1907 SC (HL) 15. Vote for your top three Session Cases here. In 1840, John Boyd Dunlop was born in Dreghorn, A

Sheriff Alison Stirling chooses as her top Session Case one of Scotland's most high profile criminal appeals of recent times: Fraser v HM Advocate 2011 SC (UKSC) 113, 2014 JC 115. Vote for your top three Session Cases here. In addition to reporting cases illustrating groundbreaking le

Lord Woolman relates a case that deserves to be better known. Vote for your top three Session Cases here. Is any case more colourful than Steuart v Robertson (1875) 2R (HL) 80? It involves gallantry, dissipation, a disputed marriage, entailed estates, and a lengthy lawsuit.

Titans of the bench and bar feature in Lady Paton's charming first-hand account of Dunlop v McGowans – her choice of top Session Case. Vote for your top three here. My choice for top Session Case is Dunlop v McGowans, the Inner House decision on prescription reported in 1979 SC 22. T

From swerve of shore to bend of bay, brings us to Wills’ Trs v Cairngorm Canoeing and Sailing School Ltd – Lord Tyre's favourite of the Session Cases. Vote for your top three here. In about 1972 the instructors and pupils of the Cairngorm Canoeing and Sailing School began to venture

A case of constitutional importance, AXA General Insurance Co Ltd v Lord Advocate 2012 SC(UKSC) 122 is Sheriff K J Campbell's favourite entry in Session Cases, whose bicentenary we celebrate this year. Nominate your favourite cases here. What an intriguing challenge: nominating the top Session

Like something out of Borges, Lord Stewart discusses the report of Thom v Black 1828 7 S 158 – his choice for the top entry in Session Cases. Nominate your favourite cases here. “The law on this subject cannot be better expressed than it is by Monkbarns in a work of fictio

To mark the bicentenary of Session Cases, the Scottish Council of Law Reporting is running a poll to determine readers' top three cases. Today, former Lord President, Lord Hamilton explains the details of his top choice: Scottish Rights of Way and Recreation Society Limited v Macpherson 1887 14

One of the most striking of legal fictions, that of the escaped tiger, has stuck with Jackie McRae, who encourages readers to declare Scott & Sons v Del Sel the greatest entry in Session Cases. Vote for your top three here. Every judgement tells a story. Law reports make those sto