Features

Travel writing, as a literary genre has many guises. The Fodors, Rough Guides, and Baedekers are on-the-hoof advisories. My 1912 Egyptian edition of the latter, for example, advised not shaving on the Nile for fear of your steamer striking a sandbank. James (later Jan) Morris’s 1960 classic on

If you've ever passed by the Royal Faculty of Procurators in Glasgow building and looked up, you may have noticed something carved into the stonework – a figure surrounded by a tree, a bird, a bell, and a fish.

It was unsurprising that the announcement of the winner of a Scottish literary award earlier this month received media attention. What was rather more noteworthy about this event was that it was reported in Scottish Legal News. The recipient of the McIlvanney Prize (named in memory of the late Willi

The English legal press had their knives out for the Law Society of Scotland this past week. This was on the back of its announcement of a deferral of at least a further two years (to add to the existing 15 years since the introduction of the Legal Services (Scotland) Act 2010) in bringing about alt

“Mediation is no-one’s little brother. Mediation is not alternative dispute resolution. It is not the easy option. Mediation is how the most intractable issues can be resolved.” The words I quote above are those of leading New Zealand mediator, Mark Kelly. Kelly has done mediation

This book presents an extensive analysis of the judgments delivered in the UK Supreme Court during its first 10 years (2009-2019). Detailed statistical data is provided of how each of the justices voted in a range of different contexts, including cases involving the state, socio-economic underdogs,

Justice Secretary Angela Constance has said the 'not proven' verdict, which is to be abolished, is "widely misunderstood". Thomas Ross KC demonstrates that indeed it is, especially by her.  Haggis, square sausage and the 'not proven' verdict – cultural appropriation being what it is &ndas

The optics are never good where bearing a placard or the wearing a T-shirt leads to an arrest, especially where the miscreant is a retired vicar, an old lady or a blind man in a wheelchair protesting about a matter of public concern, such as the ethics of abortion or the killing of defenceless child

Colombia’s Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) has handed down its first ever sentence, convicting seven former leaders of the FARC guerrilla movement of crimes against humanity and war crimes. The judgment is part of the country’s transitional justice process set up after the 2016 peac

When Graham Linehan was arrested by armed police at Heathrow over gender-critical social media posts, the reaction was swift and, surprisingly, less polarised than I expected. Many saw it as a chilling overreach into free speech. The public’s response was summed up in one pointed phrase direct

The UK’s gender pay gap reporting has helped improve transparency around workplace pay disparities, with many organisations demonstrating measurable progress in narrowing the gap - but the Employment Rights Bill (ERB) will compel large employers to go further by publishing targeted gender pay

Strong-arm tactics against whistleblowers, and over-reaching in litigation, can backfire badly for businesses – with severe consequences, writes Euan McSherry. A recent Scottish court ruling (Martin McGowan v Springfield Properties) highlights the dangers businesses face when using legal inter

The Hollywood template for a successful film has been said to be: ‘Start with an earthquake and build up to the climax of the story’. There is a sense by which Sir David Murray, admittedly on his own narrative, might have selected from a variety of earthquakes with a wide choice of excit

Liam McKay examines a new ruling concerning the operation of time bar as it relates to collateral warranties and the potential implications for buyers/tenants of commercial properties as well as those involved in the construction of the properties. The level of complexity in relation to the law on t

The pressures of modern life, economic uncertainties, and the lingering effects of the pandemic are among key factors which have contributed to Scotland’s significant increase in mental health issues, including anxiety, depression and stress, in recent years, write Seonaid Sandham.  As mo