Law

The last year might best be characterised as 12 months of solid progress for the legal profession in Scotland. Growth has been steady following a fairly flat 2017 – and Brexit, perhaps surprisingly, has not had the direct impact on business that we might have expected this time last year.

Some of the biggest changes in employment law in the last couple of years have been a response to the shifting nature of the modern workforce, while other high profile areas involve decades-old legislation being applied more frequently.

Despite the absence of blockbuster deals, the Scottish mergers and acquisitions (M&A) market has been busy and at times buoyant in 2018 – fuelled by a strong performance in specific sectors and by foreign investment attracted by a weak pound.

In the cafes, restaurants and meeting-rooms of Rome at the annual conference of the International Bar Association (IBA) last month, the conversation kept returning to one main topic.

Despite the Scottish Government’s announcement of increased investment into the sector, the political and economic uncertainties on the horizon have left Scotland’s legal infrastructure experts with mixed views.

A hot topic of conversation among Scotland’s litigators over the last year has been the Civil Litigation (Expenses and Group Proceedings) Bill, which was passed by the Scottish Government in May, with secondary legislation yet to be enacted.

Scottish brands to be protected by ‘Trade Secret’ legislation, which allows companies to keep their recipes for success under wraps, writes Murgitroyd's Gordon Stark

Would you buy a car from a dodgy dealer – or even an upstanding member of ­Scottish society advertising in the ­Scotsman? What would you reasonably expect when forking out for such a big-ticket item? Complete log book? A look under the bonnet? A chance to kick the tyres? A test drive, perhaps?

Cosmetics retailer Lush has been heavily criticised after it launched a new advertising campaign calling for justice for those spied on by undercover police officers.

Most of us would ­consider prevention and ­rehabilitation as ­fundamental to creating safer ­communities in Scotland and ­tackling the harm caused by crime.

Gold medals are only part of the equation for young sports stars. Rosemary Gallagher finds out what they should think about in legal terms

As Brexit throws doubts over the future of European trade mark and design registrations presently covering the UK, businesses are being urged to take steps now to protect themselves.

Philip Knight reflects on how small claims are handled 16 months since the rules changed.

The brother of Liam Colgan has praised the support of pubs who are staging a weekend-long event to raise funds for his search.

A leading police officer has criticised proposals to penalise drivers who break the speed limit by 1mph, saying it is “out of touch” and will alienate motorists.

BBC News recently ­highlighted a stark ­example of a failure to protect sensitive data. The DVLA sent a letter about a driving licence to “multiple sclerosis Caron Garrod”. Ms Garrod was justifiably offended by the insensitive title and horrified that her medical condition had been divulged through the postal system.

The sad case of an animal-themed suitcase provides an object lesson in how to avoid design infringement.

Fiona Laing finds it is not only the high-tech sector that needs to use patents and trade marks