Features

Scotland’s seabed is six times the size of our land – supporting biodiversity, jobs and climate resilience. Yet, as a new report from Environmental Standards Scotland (ESS) has found, Scottish ministers are failing in their legal duty to protect it, writes Phil Taylor, director of Open S

As the AI boom begins to wobble with vast valuations of non-profitmaking companies now being questioned, Robert Shiels, enjoys a timely study of the world’s first global crash. Over the course of the 1850s and 1860s, during the first era of globalization, the world experienced an unprecedented

Over the past few years, one of the most noticeable developments in my practice has been the growing number of clients who are choosing mediation to resolve family law disputes, writes Richard Smith. While mediation has long been an established option in Scotland, it feels as though we have reached

A common concern expressed by defenders who are served with an inhibition on the dependence is whether the diligence will affect their credit rating. The answer, in most cases, is no, writes Ahsan Mustafa. An inhibition on the dependence is an interim protective diligence available under Scots law.

While many UK employers are making progress in implementing measures to prevent harassment in the workplace, few have implemented systems to monitor their effectiveness and provide comprehensive training ahead of new legislative provisions coming into force, writes Susannah Donaldson. These were the

Our boatman on the River Douro is astonished to learn that I first visited the valley, as a guest of Cockburns, 40 years ago. On reflection, I’m a little amazed myself. The old signs celebrating the Scottish heritage of the Port business are still there. The steep, terraced hillsides are peppe

The place in the legal system of notable lawyers in the Victorian and other eras often attracted biographers, or at least appreciative commentaries. There are, however, many other lawyers whose distinctive contributions in their community may have become lost in time. Kenneth Macdonald is one such f

In April 1882 Kenneth Macdonald (see below), an Inverness solicitor, wrote to the lord advocate requesting a jury trial for his clients and took the highly unusual step of releasing his letter to the public. The letter in which Macdonald drew parallels with the treatment of his clients, Skye crofte

In a foreword to Peter Tobin: Hunting Shadows Tom Wood QPM, a retired senior officer formerly of Lothian and Borders Police, refers to "the most cursed of coincidences". That was a cohort of Scots, Angus Sinclair, Robert Black and Peter Tobin, all of whom in their time apparently killed at will. Jan

Section 250 of the Crime and Policing Act 2026 (CPA) significantly expands the scope of corporate criminal liability in the UK. Under the new regime, organisations can be liable where a “senior manager” commits a criminal offence when “acting within the actual or apparent scope of

New funding for Edinburgh fintech Aveni and the Financial Regulation Innovation Lab underscores Scotland’s growing strength in financial technology, with investment in AI, regulatory innovation and collaboration positioning the country as a leading hub for responsible fintech development, writ

The UK Supreme Court is set to clarify whether a company can recover losses suffered by a subsidiary after hearing a landmark appeal stemming from the closure of Glasgow's famed Rogano restaurant, with the ruling expected to have significant implications for commercial contract claims across the UK,

The Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) annual work-related injury report has revealed the number of workers killed in work-related incidents has declined year on year, but by a smaller rate than in previous terms, writes Kevin Bridges. The construction, agriculture, forestry and fishing secto

Carole Ewart argues that Scotland's freedom of information laws should allow independent appeals against decisions by the lord advocate and procurators fiscal, ending what she describes as a blanket exemption that undermines transparency and access to justice. In the CFoIS draft FoI Reform Bill, a p

It is a sign of the passage of time that the subtitle to this biography should explicitly identify Bernard Montgomery as a ‘World War II general’. ‘Monty’ and a few, but not many, other generals were well known as celebrities to the wartime public. Montgomery was an outsider,