Features

Will Cole surveys recent irritancy cases in the wake of a new judgment. In Scotland, commercial tenants who breach their lease obligations may find their leases terminated by “irritancy”. Since the 1980s, the lease provisions in question have been rendered less draconian by provisions in

The Committee of Heads of Scottish Law Schools responds to an article in Scottish Legal News last year on the use of AI in their institutions. In early December 2025, Corsino San Miguel wrote an article for Scottish Legal News in which, drawing on selected examples from law firms and certain law sch

Although we consider the lone mass killer as a recent spawning of the 20th century in western society, as Professor Mullen’s research indicates, it was an established “piece of Eastern exotica” when pengamuk – individuals who committed mass public killing – were first

Employee ownership trusts (EOTs) and other alternative business structures (ABS) are playing an increasingly important role in business succession planning across the UK, writes Douglas Roberts. Nearly 2,500 businesses across the country are now employee owned, representing around 358,000 employee o

A sheriff conducting an inquiry into the death of a self-employed gardener who died after being struck by falling timber has concluded that his death could have been avoided if the drop zone into which timber was expected to fall had been more clearly identified and there was a clear means of commun

How do acute political tensions, resolved in national politics, influence local conditions? The deciding factors in decisions at each level may vary even for those who think the same. The Stalinist view was simple: ‘all decisions are taken at the centre, and once a decision has been taken all

Similarities between the arenas of law and professional football are not perhaps instantly discernible – but they nonetheless share some characteristics. Such as anticipating creative moves by the other side and adapting one’s strategy under pressure, while working effectively as part of

Advocate Michael Upton FCI Arb updates readers on recent cases in communications law. The ‘new’ Electronic Communications Code came into force at the end of 2017 as a schedule to the Communications Act 2003. It governs telecoms masts and other "electronic communications apparatus"; speci

Carole Ewart, director of the Campaign for Freedom of Information in Scotland, comments on recent developments in Scotland's FOI regime and the need for reform. It’s been 21 years since the legal right to access information became enforceable under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act and

The English Court of Appeal’s decision on 5 January 2026 in Afan Valley Ltd v Lupton Fawcett LLP [2026] EWCA Civ 2 is a major reaffirmation of conventional principles governing loss and scope of duty in professional negligence claims. While under the law of England and Wales, it may well provi

The introduction of juryless trials, with which Scotland has long been threatened, is now being proposed south of the border. Tony Lenehan KC warns against the move. Juryless trials are back in the news, after a UK government proposal to cut back on using juries in certain matters in courts in Engla

The Scottish budget announced on 13 January has sharpened the focus on how tax policy changes influence behaviour in the workplace and the people consequences employers have already witnessed since the UK Budget in November 2025, writes Sarah Jackman. Following the UK's Budget announcement, much att

One of the real treasures in the Faculty’s archives is its oldest Minute Book, which opens rather abruptly with the words “The Tuell of November, 1668”. There’s no grand introduction – just a practical list of names and contributions, collected to support “poore

The overarching premise of this book is that one person’s kink is another person’s normal, and who are we to judge. Indeed. This is especially pertinent in a world where we are encouraged towards inclusivity – anyone and anything goes. Again, indeed. But when considering the licenc

The rapid development of digital assets and digital currencies has meant that many legal systems, including Scotland’s, have struggled to keep up, writes Andrew Foyle. The application of 17th century principles to modern blockchain technology has exposed gaps in the way that ownership and poss