Features

The Scottish Sentencing Council has recently produced a report advocating shorter prison sentences even for some serious offences. There would be more emphasis on community-based disposals, such as community payback orders which used to be called community service orders. The report suggest the poss

A psychonaut, according to a dictionary, is someone who explores altered states of consciousness, especially through hallucinatory drugs. The term apparently originates from 1970 when one author described the psychedelic, drug-induced experiences with his friend. Mike Jay is a historian of

Stefanie Johnston, Iain Franklin and Imogen Webb from Ince & Co's London and Scotland offices consider TUI Ltd v Griffiths (Supreme Court Appeal from [2021] EWCA Civ 1442), given its implications for UK-wide practice. The Supreme Court has heard an important case on the courts’ approach to

It could have been a rerun of Clochemerle, that droll 1970s Simpson and Galton series about the hotly disputed provision of a public pissoir in an ultra respectable French village. In 2021 Miranda Dickson inherited her three story townhouse in Edinburgh’s Drummond Place from her parents, Ian a

Chris Rae discusses the potential for Scotland to replicate Norway's success in the data centre market by leveraging renewable energy sources, reusing waste heat, attracting investors, and addressing infrastructure and planning barriers to drive economic growth and enhance environmental sustainabili

Pride month is about acceptance, equality and celebrating the work of LGBTQ+ people. Employers should take steps to implement LGBTQ+ initiatives all year round and not just one month of the year. However, Pride month is a good time for employers to consider the employment law issues affecting LGBTQ+

Cash is the obvious asset that gets ‘misappropriated’ and is certainly the most common when we’re investigating wrongdoing or fraud in an organisation. But it’s not always simply cash that gets taken when a business gets defrauded, sometimes the assets are a lot more interest

Dr Michael Foran responds to a critique of his commentary on some upcoming cases. Robin White has kindly offered a response to a recent article I wrote about two upcoming cases concerning the meaning of sex within the Equality Act. I welcome the caution concerning the dangers of analysing the law fr

The recent arrest of former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon predictably provoked widespread discussion of the Contempt of Court Act – as it applies in Scotland, writes Thomas Ross KC. It came as a surprise to many that the provisions of the Act were triggered so early in the process. This &ndas

Barrister Robin White, of Old Square Chambers, responds to a recent article on the Equality Act. I read with interest the article Equality Act and sex – important Scottish cases on the horizon by Dr Michael Foran of Glasgow University. Some of his analysis I agree with but much I disagree with

This week Fraser Myers in Spiked questioned if it was right in a country which allegedly protects its citizens rights to free speech, that the media can hardly cover more than the basic outline of the biggest Scottish political story for years. It was inevitable that the question of the strict limit

A dead lover, traces of poison and series of letters that led to a middle-class woman on the stand – the case of Madeleine Smith held all the characteristics of a scandal to rock Victorian Scotland. True crime enthusiasts are in for a treat as the University of Dundee’s Leverhulme Resear

Morgiane Noel explores the ethical issues arising from the use of artificial intelligence in the criminal justice system. Artificial intelligence (AI) has become such a part of our daily lives that it’s hard to avoid – even if we might not recognise it. While ChatGPT and the use of algor

Gavin Pearson, managing director and head of Quantuma’s forensic accounting & investigations team, sets out a number of areas that may assist lawyers in the drafting of expert determination clauses. There will be contrasting views as to how effective Expert Determination is as a form of di

Douglas Strang and Kate Ross explain the protections the Equality Act 2010 provides for non-binary people. The Act provides protection to transgender people against discrimination, harassment, and victimisation in the workplace. Until the decision of the Employment Tribunal in Taylor v Jaguar L