Opinion

Sandra Cassels, partner in the commercial litigation team at Morton Fraser, continues our four-part Construction Delay Series, which takes a closer look at legal issues surrounding construction delays. If your contract makes provision for an extension of time it should also set out the procedur

Rebecca Barrass, senior associate in MacRoberts’ Construction team, considers a recent appeal hearing relating to Fraser Harbour Commissioners v McLaughlin Harvey Limited. Contracts allowing for Alternative Dispute Resolution mechanisms: Access to the courts remains a “basic principle&rd

Scottish Construction Now is delighted to introduce a four-part series taking place this month that will take a look at legal issues surrounding construction delays. The series is compiled by Sandra Cassels, partner in the commercial litigation team at Morton Fraser, who specialises in construction

Chris Mackay and Andrew Little from Burness Paull look at the Scottish Appeal Court decision in relation to the Aberdeen Harbour Expansion Project and what it means for NEC contracts going forward. A decision of the Scottish appeal court has confirmed that NEC contracts are not charters for contract

Euan Pirie, partner in the specialist construction and engineering contracts advisory team at Harper Macleod LLP, looks at a solution to price uncertainty for construction materials when tendering big contracts. Prices for construction materials have gone haywire in a perfect storm of conditions whi

Eilidh Dobson and Iain Drummond comment on legal aspects of the ongoing materials shortage. It will be news to few that the construction industry is experiencing a serious shortage of key materials. The Construction Leadership Council first warned of shortages (in timber, steel, pitched roofing, pla

Advocate and former Labour MP Mark Lazarowicz examines the new SNP-Green deal and assess how radical an impact its commitments could have on the natural environment in Scotland. The ‘co-operation agreement’ between the SNP Scottish Government and the Scottish Green Party includes, as one

Having previously identified the high risk of financial crime in the construction sector, solicitor Ramsay Hall is now joined by colleague Paul Marshall to provide an update on recent developments. In previous updates, we identified the high risk of financial crime in the construction

Construction legal expert Chris Horsley provides an insight into the measures suggested by the Scottish Government which contracting authorities may take in order to try to mitigate the current market pressures on resources. The ongoing squeeze on construction material supplies has been he

John Rodger, partner and property specialist at accountants Chiene + Tait, discusses the potential consequences of the new Residential Property Developer Tax (RPDT). As the inquiry into the 2017 Grenfell fire continues, so too do financial repercussions from the tragedy which left 72 people dead.

In an exclusive piece for Scottish Construction Now, construction and engineering dispute resolution specialist Sandra Cassels covers how businesses can minimise disputes that arise through supply chain disruption in this Covid-hit landscape. For over a year now, we have see

Fiona McLeod provides a brief overview of the changes introduced by the Scottish Government's revised code of conduct for property factors. On 14 July 2021, the Scottish Government published a revised Code of Conduct for Property Factors setting out the minimum standards to which factors should adhe

Construction law specialist Roddy Cormack on the shortages of construction materials and the impact this may have on the sector.  Remember when there was no toilet paper on the shelves in the supermarket? I’m still not very clear on what triggered the run on the roll, but excessive demand

Burness Paull's Kathleen McAnea looks at the implications of the current shortage in construction materials and offers suggestions for companies who may be impacted. In March there was much industry chatter about the materials shortage in construction and the impact on housebuilders.

Andrew Tolmie and Stefanie Johnston outline the current legal landscape in Scotland regarding who pays the remedial works necessary to bring residential buildings into line with new fire safety standards. On 14th June 2017, a fire broke out in the 24-storey Grenfell Tower block in west London, causi