Features

In March 2023, Alex Murdaugh (pronounced ‘Murdock’ by Americans), an attorney, was found guilty of the murders of his wife Maggie and their younger son Paul at their home in South Carolina. The circumstances of the deaths were violent; both having been shot. The news outlets produced a n

Until last year, I never took an interest in my Ogilvy ancestors, and I wish I had left it that way. Farmers at the head of Glenisla for hundreds of years, they were tenants and kinsmen of the Earl of Airlie. In contrast to my English relations (war heroes and concentration camp survivors), they see

The strange thing about St Andrews is that decent mid-range bistro/brasserie restaurants have always been thin on the ground. Today's lunch companion John Barnett, a contemporary who forged a successful career as an international banker armed with a law degree from Dundee University, is now resident

Silence may no longer be the safest option for accused persons in modern Scotland despite the example set by Nicola Sturgeon, writes Douglas McConnell. For decades, Scottish defence solicitors have offered a piece of advice so consistently it became almost instinctive: Say nothing.

Jamie Dunne’s focus is advising on technically complex matters in a clear, understandable and useful way. Which is something of a relief: as a lawyer working across competition law, public procurement and subsidy control he operates in one of the profession’s most technically demanding a

Amie Brown focuses on the impact recent reforms in upward-only rent reviews in England and Wales will have in Scotland. The recent decision to ban upward-only rent review clauses in English commercial leases marks a huge development in property law.

The real story about AI in legal services is not whether it will replace lawyers. It won’t, at least not in the simplistic way some predicted. The more important question is what happens when AI enables good lawyers to become dramatically more productive, more responsive and ultimately more co

An expanded UK corporate criminal liability regime means organisations are now criminally liable for any offences committed by their senior managers during activities forming part of their roles, writes Tom Stocker. For decades, other than in defined areas such as health and safety, corporate crimin

During his long summer holidays in 1934, staying with a school friend’s family in Ireland, historian and author Richard Cobb remarked on what, to him, seemed like a peculiar practice: tram passengers discreetly crossing themselves every time the tram passed a church or roadside shrine, which a

We’re pushing the boat out today. Kurt the Kiwi, an esteemed former colleague and now a senior man at the New Zealand Herald, is paying a flying visit. It’s 15 years since he left Scotland for home and the occasion calls for a special lunch at Edinburgh’s L’Escargot Bleu. We&

Gary Sturrock comments on a Supreme Court case which has clarified the scope of the Hague Convention’s “grave risk” exception, holding that a child’s own views are relevant to assessing whether a return would place them in an intolerable situation, while at the same time conf

To Edinburgh for lunch with our ace reviewer and resident legal historian. La Bruschetta is the venue of choice. Right opposite Haymarket station, it is so convenient. On the hottest day of the year, the restaurant is pleasingly cool and what a joy – white linen tablecloths, gleaming silver an

A compensation award in a serious injury claim is intended to secure an injured person’s future. Following separation or divorce, however, questions can arise as to how far those funds are protected. This article, by Amy Gannon and Amanda Masson, considers the practical steps that can help saf

The recent Court of Session decision in Duncan v Lord Advocate [2024] CSOH 114 offers important reassurance for clinicians involved in fatal accident inquiries (FAIs), write Vikki Watt and Natalie Boal. Lady Haldane confirmed that a sheriff may identify a “reasonable precaution” that mig

This year has singularly demonstrated to Paman Singh that a lawyer’s life can change dramatically in the space of a few short months. In April, after just three years with the firm he was made a partner, while last month these professional achievements were complemented by a significant person