Features

When Fiona Pask took on the head of Scotland role at Shakespeare Martineau earlier this year it looked like the firm was finally going to be able to pursue the kind of growth it had planned since launching in Edinburgh in 2020. The Scottish government’s long-awaited Regulation of Legal Service

Jonny Seddon shares some insight from the recent Interlaw Global Meeting in Edinburgh, which sparked discussion around how developers and investors are navigating uncertainty in the Scottish real estate market. After years of political shifts, rising costs and funding pressures, Scotland’s rea

Europe has entered the next phase of the AI–copyright debate, writes Corsino San Miguel. On 11 November, the 42nd Civil Chamber of the Munich Regional Court delivered the first European judgment to hold an AI developer directly liable for both training and outputs involving copyrighted works.

Tom Lawrie, lecturer in law at Glasgow Caledonian University, reflects on changes in how law is taught. Teaching law in a Scottish university long meant gathering students in their hundreds in lecture theatres and explaining complex substantive legal concepts in a structured and consistent way. Smal

In this interview Aidan O’Neill KC, who acted for the appellant Daly before the Supreme Court in Daly v HM Advocate; Keir v HM Advocate [2025] UKSC 38, reflects on the decision and its implications. Q: What was the history of the Daly case prior to getting to the Supreme Court?

Art Fraud provides a very readable history of the stories behind some of the greatest controversies in modern art history: those were where artists and sculptors achieved fame, fortune or infamy almost as great as that of the artists whose work or style they copied. The comprehensive nature of the s

Scottish ministers have extended a consultation on new mental health moratorium rules amid efforts to improve debt protections for people struggling with mental illness, writes Ahsan Mustafa. On 14 November, Ivan McKeen, minister for public finance, extended the consultation on the draft Mental Heal

David J Black wonders whether 'British art' is a term of mere invention. For those who enjoy a challenging book this one hits the mark perfectly. Eloquently written, intellectually rigorous, impeccably researched, the challenge is posed by its scope. The timespan encompasses a period of 65,000 years

Ahsan Mustafa discusses the key reforms to Scottish charity accounts regulations, including modernised accounting thresholds, new safety dispensations for security risks, and alignment with UK reporting standards. The Scottish government has introduced a major reform of charity accounting rules thro

John Sturrock KC scrutinises the eye-watering bill for Scottish public inquiries. The “bill for public inquiries is now running at more than £230 million”. Are costs “out of control"?

Gillian Mawdsley reflects on Armistice Day yesterday.

Laura Simpson and Christine McKellar of Govan Law Centre raise the alarm over proposed changes to legal aid for adults with incapacity in Scotland. It is no secret that Scotland’s legal aid system is in urgent need of reform. With the increase in legal aid deserts caused by an ever-diminishing

Ahsan Mustafa looks at the impact of recent changes to debt recovery rules. Seven months have now passed since the Diligence against Earnings (Variation) (Scotland) Regulations 2024 came into effect. The changes, which amended parts of the Debtors (Scotland) Act 1987, updated how much of a person&rs

Dr Corsino San Miguel delves into a landmark court ruling on generative AI and copyright law. The Getty Images v Stability AI judgment, handed down on 4 November 2025, will be remembered not for what it decided, but for what it exposed. It marked the first full test of how the Copyright, Design

Andrew Stevenson strikes a note of caution over Parliament issuing pardons or quashing convictions. Mention has been made before in this column of the general need to preserve the separation of powers between the courts and the executive. This constitutional safeguard is there to protect the li