Our Legal Heritage

1-15 of 64 Articles
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Ronnie Clancy KC writes about a sensational murder trial stemming from a toxic political rivalry and scurrilous journalism that took place in the High Court in Edinburgh 200 years ago, the full version of which appears on his blog Read me my Rights. The accused was the survivor of a duel betwee

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As Halloween approaches, the perennially popular witch costume will be donned by guisers across the country, Professor Bill Naphy writes. Images of witches have appeared in various forms throughout history – from evil, wart-nosed women huddling over a cauldron of boiling liquid to hag-faced, c

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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

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The bland reference in many books to ‘lawyers’ may understate seriously the exact nature of the work done in practice. Individual histories of firms and individuals provide an insight as to the formation of firms, their longevity and the work of the solicitors and their staff. Several di

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A legal job can be stressful in many ways at the best of times. Allan Ker WS, however, had a very difficult time that is unlikely to have been matched by many others in the profession although some of his contemporaries would doubtless understand the difficulties. Allan Ebenezer Ker was born in Edin

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Death and taxes are inevitable, and following the former kindly obituaries may and often do follow but a recitation of platitudes was not always certain in earlier times, writes Robert Shiels. The death of Sir Archibald Alison in 1867 produced an obituary that must, surely, be seen as being not

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To mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Tom O’Connor considers the courageous conduct of two German judges who remained true to their principles and stood up to the Nazis. The shameful conduct of German judges under the Hitler regime was symbolised by the appalling behaviour of the fa

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What is our legal heritage? The question arises from the legal career of one Scot who left Scotland and then succeeded in another legal jurisdiction, writes Dr Robert Shiels. Perhaps another way of considering the question suggested is to ask: whose legal heritage is it anyway? The free movement of

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St Patrick’s Day has long been a date of special significance in the Irish diaspora calendar, with Irish communities across the world marking the occasion with parades and céilís. This year in particular will see millions of people celebrating the day together for the first time

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As the US passes a bill named for a young boy whose brutal racist murder shocked America and the wider world, SLN takes at look at the the case and the injustice that followed. On August 28, 1955, 14-year-old Emmett Till, an African American boy from Chicago, was tortured and murdered by t

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The Stair Society has highlighted a fascinating remnant from Edinburgh's legal past in the form of sanctuary stones, which offered safe refuge to debtors. It tweeted: "The streets of Edinburgh have some fascinating links with legal history. An example is the sanctuary stones outside Holyrood Palace.

1-15 of 64 Articles