Opinion

Niall McCluskey and Christian McNeill take a critical look at the latest coronavirus rules. Ignorance of the law is no excuse. The corollary is that the state attempts to create laws that are certain.

After she left her role at Burness Paull to join London media practice Simkins, Fiona McAllister – now a lawyer at Channel 4 – began looking for an extra-curricular activity that would allow her to contribute to society while at the same time not being too closely related to her day job.

Social media has become enshrined in society as a means to share and display information about our lives. With the popularity around various social media platforms showing no sign of stopping, the amount of information available online will be ever-increasing. For the most part, it will be ‘fr

In the third of his articles on free speech, Benjamin Bestgen stresses that freedom of expression must be examined in context. See his last piece here. In many societies worldwide, people need to be cautious with their personal expressions, be it through speech, fashion, lifestyle choices, hobbies o

Burness Paull's Chris Gotts, lead legal adviser on the Calnex IPO, discusses why more growing businesses in Scotland should follow suit.  Traditionally businesses in Scotland have sought to grow organically and through acquisition with private and/or debt funding, with their exit coming vi

Blair Nimmo, head of restructuring at KPMG in Scotland, discusses landlord-occupier tensions during the coronavirus pandemic. Tensions between commercial landlords and their financially stressed tenants continue to grow, and how landlords respond will be critical to the recovery not only o

Construction companies, engineering firms and other businesses active in the infrastructure sector stand to lose out on funding, investment and major government contracts around the world unless they take a more active role in the fight against climate change. A growing imperative for infrastructure

Gillian Maclellan discusses the use of tracking technology to monitor employees working from home. As employers across the UK now look at another sustained period of their workforce working from home, we are hearing tales of some using tracking technology to keep tabs on their employees.

Corporate lawyer Michael Cox examines the latest EU update of consumer protection rules. The New Deal for Consumers (NDC) is a refresh of European consumer protection rules, to bring existing laws up-to-date for the digital age.

Advocate Niall McCluskey considers the plight of students in lockdown in university accommodation. Prior to the start of the academic year concern was raised in the media about the movement of large numbers of students attending universities. The coronavirus regulations include the power to impose r

Victoria Leslie and Laila Kennedy discuss how business interruption claims are a vital step forward for firms who paid for enhanced business interruption insurance, but had their claims rejected. The Association of British Insurers has said that its members expect to pay £900 million in b

Peter Shand explores the latest trend of the super-wealthy setting up finance and legal offices to deal with their affairs. Scotland’s financial ecosystem is changing and one of the latest drivers could be the increase in the number of official ‘family offices’ being set up.

Alistair Robertson encourages fellow patent attorneys to "stay ahead of the curve" on emerging technology. Artificial Intelligence is all around us, from recommending what you should purchase next online, to understanding frustrated commands yelled at virtual assistants. It now affects our daily liv

Laura McKenna discusses a case in which the claimant suffered from paranoid delusions, but was not considered to be disabled. Suffering from a serious mental health condition is no guarantee of disability status.

Sarah Lilley discusses the impact of COVID-19 on courts in Scotland, particularly those in more rural areas. The impact of COVID-19 has resulted in us adapting many practices in our daily lives, both personally and professionally. The Scottish courts are no exception. As a busy family lawyer pr