The College of Justice: Government and Governance in Renaissance Scotland by Professor Andrew RC Simpson has recently been published by Edinburgh University Press. It situates the establishment of the College of Justice in 1532 in the context of Scottish Renaissance state formation, demonstrating its institutional significance. This is contrary to the dominant narrative of scholarship from the early 20th century which tended to downplay the significance of 1532 in the development of Scotland’s central court.

Cautionary Obligations and Rights of Relief by Dr Euan West has recently been published by the Edinburgh Legal Education Trust. This book attempts a systematic exploration of cautioners’ rights of relief, examining why and when the law confers them and what such rights consist of. It traces the theoretical foundation of cautioners’ rights of relief to ideas of equity developed in the 18th century, contrary to the recent judicial tendency in Scotland to describe rights of relief in terms of unjustified enrichment.

The centre welcomed a large number of guests from institutions around Scotland to the top floor of the Sir Duncan Rice Library for the event.