Wightman and Scotland Act cases under the spotlight at Faculty Brexit event

Wightman and Scotland Act cases under the spotlight at Faculty Brexit event

Brexit and the twists and turns flowing from two historic court rulings will be put under the spotlight at a special Faculty of Advocates event.

Brexit: Lessons from the Courts is a joint presentation by the Faculty and the European Circuit, a voluntary organisation of advocates, barristers and court lawyers with cross-border practices.

Three expert speakers have been lined up to assess the significance of Brexit cases in courts in Scotland, England and Luxembourg, in particular the Wightman decision of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), where the court ruled on the UK’s ability to call off Brexit without the consent of member states, and consequences for devolution of the UK Supreme Court judgment about the powers of the Scottish Parliament in relation to Brexit.

James Mure QC, Convenor of the Faculty’s International Committee, will speak on “Brexit and the Lessons for Devolution”, while Morag Ross QC, discusses “Legal Questions in a Political Context: The Impact of Wightman”.

From south of the Border, Hugh Mercer QC, is to explore “The Challenges in the English Courts”.

Mr Mure said: “Coming just days after the UK Parliament’s re-scheduled ‘meaningful vote’ on Brexit, this seminar brings together counsel involved in recent Brexit-related cases to consider what light they shed on how the UK constitution is performing at this critical time.

“It will be of interest to public lawyers, academics, journalists and all those who wish to understand the respective roles of government, Westminster and the devolved parliaments.”

The event is on 24 January, from 4:30pm (registration and coffee from 4pm), in the Faculty’s Mackenzie Building. Entry is free but places are limited. Full details and to register click here.

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