Features

But a city is more than a place in space. It is a drama in time. Edinburgh is - the most condensed example, the visible microcosm of the social evolution which is manifest everywhere in the city. – Patrick Geddes. Keynote lecture, London University, July 1904 Few innovative thinkers have been

New figures showing that the number of people dying as a result of workplace incidents in Scotland has reached its highest level since 2019 have prompted urgent calls for reforms to corporate homicide legislation, writes Bruce Craig. Provisional data published by the Scottish Trades Union Congress (

It can be tempting to skip over environmental clauses in leases as just being "boilerplate". However, in the context of environmental contamination, to do so could have unexpected and costly implications for landlords and tenants. In the current market, environmental and sustainability provisions ar

In the second of two letters, retired solicitor Chris Forrest details his experiences with the Law Society of Scotland. In my last letter I narrated the circumstances giving rise to my complaints to SLCC which arose from my perceived conduct of the Director of Regulation at the Law Society and how t

Operators of sports stadia, concert venues, places of worship, hospitals, universities and other public premises where people congregate will be placed under a statutory duty to assess and address the risk of terrorist attacks under new legislation drafted by the UK government. Publication of the Te

In the first of two letters, retired solicitor Chris Forrest details his experiences with the Law Society of Scotland. Dear Editor,

When a partner of a law firm contacts me about their marketing efforts, I often sense their caution. More often than not, I learn that they have previously been “burned” by a marketer who promised the world but ultimately lacked the tools to deliver. Developing a successful legal marketi

Jack Boyle of Blackadders examines a recent case concerning an allegation of discrimination arising from disability. Employers will be familiar with the requirement to take into account all the circumstances of the case in any particular disciplinary scenario. The usual factors such as the employee&

Fiona Cameron, banking partner in Shoosmiths’ Glasgow office, examines the significance of the recently passed Moveable Transactions (Scotland) Bill and outlines why it’s likely to be welcomed by Scotland’s banking practitioners and lenders. To the frustration of Scottish banking l

Clowns to the left and jokers to the right: the Scottish electorate is zugzwanged as David J Black sees it. Some weeks ago The Guardian’s Marina Hyde levelled a blast against Labour and its normally hesitant leader. Her headline, 'What was that dreadful thud? The sound of Keir Starmer falling

The bland reference in many books to ‘lawyers’ may understate seriously the exact nature of the work done in practice. Individual histories of firms and individuals provide an insight as to the formation of firms, their longevity and the work of the solicitors and their staff. Several di

Shonagh Brown and Pamela Gilmour discuss the Moveable Transactions (Scotland) Bill, recently passed by the Scottish Parliament, and how it aims to modernise and simplify the law of moveable transactions. Scots law has not traditionally been recognised for its dynamic or innovative nature, but newly-

Defence counsel Tony Lenehan KC writes that juryless trials are being driven by ideology rather than evidence.  After reading the Victims, Witnesses and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill I was disappointed but not surprised. I am disappointed at the many politicians, lobbyists, academics and

Laura Cameron’s dream of becoming a dentist when growing up in Perth was thwarted by an unfortunate and insuperable drawback: her aversion to the sight of blood. “Although I studied sciences at school and got the grades, after a few dissections in the biology lab I realised fairly early

An­drew Steven­son considers the price we will pay by adopting virtual courts. Support within the UK for the principles of maintaining a system where justice is administered locally or in public was evaporating even before Covid-19; in the decade to 2020, more than half the Magistrates Court