Law

Shoosmiths has appointed Sarah Fitzpatrick as partner and head of planning. Her arrival marks a significant milestone in the continued build-out of Shoosmiths’ planning team across the UK, following the promotion of Matt Nixon to partner in London and the appointment of Steven Stewart as partn

Construction and projects lawyer Kirstin Beattie is one of five new partners at Scottish law firm Burness Paull. Ms Beattie acts for a wide variety of clients across the UK on contract advisory and contentious construction matters. She has considerable experience in various forms of dispute resoluti

Following recent Competition and Markets Authority enforcement action against companies involved in bid‑rigging and other anti‑competitive practices, Colin Miller, a legal director in the corporate team at BTO, issues a timely reminder that construction remains a priority sector for regulatory s

Barry McKeown, a real estate partner and head of Shoosmiths’ Glasgow office, reflects on the key issues from a Scotland perspective that arose from last week’s MIPIM 2026 conference. Last week, I and several colleagues joined more than 20,000 delegates from across the global property, in

BTO has welcomed Donna Strong as a new partner in the law firm’s real estate team, based in its Glasgow office. This senior hire follows the appointment of partner John Dunlop in the firm’s Edinburgh office last year, further strengthening BTO’s growing real estate capability.

A construction company that specialises in utility and infrastructure services has been fined £183,000 after one of its employees died after falling through a fragile roof.

A major wind farm proposal in the Scottish Borders is heading back for reconsideration after Scotland’s highest civil court ruled that the planning reporter failed to properly assess whether the turbines and their future grid connection should have been treated as a single project.

A legal challenge against Argyll and Bute Council’s decision to select a site in Tobermory for a new Mull education campus has been dismissed, clearing the way for the authority to continue developing plans for the long‑awaited project. Mull Campus Working Group Ltd – a company formed

The Scottish Government’s planned exemptions from rent control measures within the Housing (Scotland) Act 2025 signal a more stable and investable landscape for developers, investors and funders, offering a timely catalyst for boosting housing supply across Scotland, write Russell Munro and Pa

Anderson Strathern has announced the appointment of Dawn MacPherson as a partner. Ms MacPherson, who will be based in Edinburgh, joins the firm’s English commercial property team, led by Iain Grieve.

Law firm Raeburn Christie Clark & Wallace has appointed Amy Young to its commercial property team. Amy brings a broad range of experience in the commercial property sector, including advising on the sale, purchase and leasing of petrol filling stations, acting for well-known supermarket and reta

A contractor’s attempt to block a civil jury trial in a long‑running asbestos exposure case has been rejected by Scotland’s Inner House, clearing the way for the family of a former joiner to pursue damages before a jury.

Burges Salmon has announced the appointment of four new partners, including two in Scotland, effective from 1 May 2026. This year’s partner appointments include Edinburgh-based Paula McGeady and Patrick Munro from the firm’s planning & compulsory purchase team.

The Supreme Court just reminded contractors everywhere to check their contracts before ripping them up, says Liam McKay. We’re all familiar with the saying that “two wrongs don’t make a right,” and this month that wise adage came through in a ruling from the Supreme Court tha

AI is shifting construction from reactive problem‑solving to predictive accountability, forcing the industry to rethink risk, responsibility and contractual duties as data‑driven foresight becomes impossible to ignore, argues Mark Macaulay. Artificial intelligence (AI) is already reshaping how c