Features

Legal academic Dr Dafni Lima responds to a new crackdown on surrogacy by Italy's far-right government. The Italian Senate recently passed a law making surrogacy a “universal crime”. In a country where surrogacy is already illegal, and has been since 2004, this decision takes restric

Robert Shiels looks in two parts at the life of Sir Thomas Thornton, LLD, solicitor, Dundee, to whom the law firm Thorntons traces its roots. There was a time when solicitors were often referred to as writers, procurators, law agents or advocates (as in Aberdeen) and also more simply as men of busin

With Donald Trump taking legal advice on how to retain a US base on the Chagos Islands, Tom Marshall reviews a new book by Philippe Sands KC which reveals Britain’s duplicity in its dealings with the islanders of its last colony. The Chagos Archipelago, a small group of islands in the Indian O

According to The Times of November 1st the total cost of state support for the sick will exceed an unprecedented £100 billion a year by the end of this parliamentary term. This frankly unsustainable health burden is largely the outcome of successive governments placing fiscal imperatives above

When we think of prisoner of wars (POWs), we probably think of British prisoners with the images that recall the impenetrable fortress of Colditz and statements that “for you the war is over” in the Great Escape. Both dramatise events with their focus on British escape stories where the

These have been interesting times at Glasgow corporate law firm Macdonald Henderson. October 2024 alone saw the firm advise on 14 deals and last week it announced the acquisition of Ferguson Whyte Solicitors, gaining it a presence in the Glasgow’s West End as well as its Hope Street office in

Thomas Mitchell calls for a new independent body to investigate road traffic collisions. The tragedy of any death on the roads cannot be overstated. From the moment of the collision, the impact ripples through so many lives – agencies, organisations and then, of course, the families and loved

The first Budget under the Labour administration was feared by business and nowhere more so than in the farming community where the recent announcements will have a devastating effect, writes Sarah Dodds. As an accountant and business advisor, but more importantly a farmer’s wife with a young

New powers allowing police to seize cryptocurrency and other similar assets, which have been illegally obtained by criminals or are being used to hide or launder the proceeds of their activities, came into effect in Scotland yesterday, writes Sally Clark. The new seizure powers are a key aspect of t

If the interested reader thought that just about everything that could have been written about British intelligence agencies had been published, then this new history will probably be a revelation, writes Robert Shiels. From the founding of the Secret Service Bureau in 1909, women worked in every ar

Burges Salmon partner Magnus Miller considers the differences between pensions law in Scotland and in England. With the enactment of the Trust and Succession (Scotland) Act 2024 earlier this year, it is a good time to remind ourselves of the differences between Scots law and English law as they appl

Lindsays chief operating officer Ian Beattie pays tribute to the firm's lawyers playing a role in charities across Scotland. It’s been Trustees Week from 4-8 November, and across Scotland and the rest of the UK, the spotlight is shining on the priceless contribution made by charity trustees to

Along with Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain and Advocate General Catherine Smith, Solicitor General Ruth Charteris is blazing a trail for women at the very top of the Scottish legal profession, but, with no role model for her to look up to during her school days in Cumbernauld, she very nearly didn’

Cameron Wong McDermott, lecturer in social change and clinical legal education at Glasgow University, reflects on his experiences of pro bono work as we celebrate National Pro Bono Week. Let me begin with a story.

As Pro Bono Week begins, shining the spotlight on the role of voluntary legal work is of utmost importance, writes Lauren Weetman. The pro bono effort of solicitors has a profound impact on both those seeking access to legal advice and the broader legal community alike. Efforts that shine particular