Latest Articles

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  Lobbying (Scotland) Act 2016: does the Act apply to your organisation?

  By Collette Miller 19 Apr 2018

  On 12 March 2018, the Lobbying (Scotland) Act 2016 came into force. The Act was introduced with the intention of bringing greater openness and transparency around lobbying Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs). Any organisations who are likely to have any face-to-face contact with MSPs, Members of the Scottish Government, junior Scottish Ministers, special advisers or the Permanent Secretary of the Scottish Government should register with the Lobbying Register.

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  Relocation in family law cases – on what do the courts place most importance?

  By Jenni Gear 19 Apr 2018

  A recent interesting decision from the Court of Session dealt with the big issues involved in relocation cases - where one parent wants to move away with a child - and made clear that there is one factor which overrides others in such cases - the parent's relationship with the child and the impact on that should the relocation be allowed.

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  Is there a case to be made for adult adoption in Scotland?

  By Lynsey Brown 19 Apr 2018

  The spotlight has been on step-parent adoptions in recent weeks, with Nathan Sparling, aged 27, launching a campaign to have the law in Scotland changed to allow adults to be adopted. The current age limit for someone to be adopted in Scotland is 18. Here we look at adoption in Scotland and what any change to the law might mean.

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  Pursuer's "exaggerated" claim survives - so does liability for the Defender's expenses

  By Amy Dickson 19 Apr 2018

  What action do the courts take in relation to claims where the Defender believes throughout was that the Pursuer is grossly exaggerating injury and related losses? This update looks at one case where the courts wrestled with this issue.

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  What to do when frustrating party litigants frustrate the court process

  By Keri Preece 16 Apr 2018

  It can be extremely frustrating for clients and their representatives when one side of a dispute acts in a way that deliberately makes the litigation process longer and more costly. This can be a problem in cases which involve a party litigant – someone who does not use legal representation but chooses to make their own representations to court.