Opinion

International Women’s Day presents a unique annual opportunity to truly focus on and reflect on the changing face of women in the legal profession. This year is no different and I am choosing to celebrate IWD by recognising the privilege I have as an educated, socially mobile, first generation

Yesterday's report that the Dean of the Faculty of Advocates, Roddy Dunlop KC, had caused “disquiet and dismay” because of a “Twitter spat” perplexed me greatly. So much so that I wanted to say something – briefly though, as it really is a storm in Tom Thumb’s tea

In July 2020 the Scottish Law Agents’ Society proposed that the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission charge a modest fee, refundable on success, to those who wish to complain. The amount suggested was £60. Needless to say this proposal has never materialized in the context of the regulat

Yet again, the Conservative Party promises us a kinder, gentler more compassionate Britain. But should we believe these people, and what about Steve Hilton, the one who got away? How comforting that the Minister for Levelling Up, Michael Gove, should choose to put on a show of heartfelt communitaria

As implementation of the Deposit Returns Scheme (DRS) moves forward and the August deadline approaches, the Scottish government must address business' concerns, bring clarity over logistical issues, and listen to the experience of industry before pushing forward, writes Laura Tainsh. The Scottish go

Ukrainian lawyer Larysa Zhdankina writes about her journey to Scotland last year following the Russian invasion. Our house in Kyiv is located 20 minutes from Zhulyany airport and Vasylkiv military airfield. These objects were attacked in the first minutes of the invasion. The remains of the fir

Jenny Dickson considers what a human rights based approach in the Scottish and UK Covid-19 Inquiries may look like. Both the Scottish and the UK governments have established public inquiries to examine the handling of the Covid-19 pandemic. The inquiries are underway, both considering a wide range o

Foreign nationals who are in the UK on sponsored visas find themselves racing against the clock following a redundancy, but employers also bear responsibility, writes Kelly Hardman. Global companies across a swathe of sectors, including finance and technology, continue to announce job cuts and many

Rob Marrs, head of education at the Law Society of Scotland, details the support of the Scottish legal community for Ukrainian lawyers. I’ll confess that my knowledge of Ukraine prior to last year’s invasion by Russia was limited. I knew the names of some of the cities. I had a vague ide

With Scot­land and the rest of the UK con­tin­u­ally miss­ing house­build­ing tar­gets, Fraser Mitchell asks: what are the road­blocks to build­ing? Figures from industry body Homes for Scotland indicate that there is currently a shortage of almost 100,000 hom

Friday, 24 February 2023 marked one year since Russia launched its illegal invasion of Ukraine. Law Society of Scotland president Murray Etherington reflects on what has been lost and achieved in the past year, and on the importance of remaining steadfast in providing support through the struggles a

Throughout this year’s LGBT+ History Month, Shepherd & Wedderburn has produced a series of articles to celebrate LGBT+ peoples’ contribution to the production of film and cinema from ‘behind the lens’. The first article, written by Michelle Clement, focussed on the aesthe

Ben Zielinski and Alice Gray explain the details of the Deposit Return Scheme.  Scotland’s new Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) is due to come into force on 16 August 2023 as a result of the Deposit and Return Scheme for Scotland Regulations 2020.

The publication of the 2022 edition of the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) highlights that the perceived risk of bribery and corruption in many countries has shown no improvement - and in some important markets such as the UK is unfortunately worsening – which highlights the need for busine

It comes as no great surprise that Shamima Begum has lost her appeal against the Home Secretary's decision of 19 February 2019 depriving her of United Kingdom citizenship, writes Ronnie Clancy KC. This latest judgment from the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC) is the culmination of proce