Knowledge


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14 June 2017

Changing regulatory landscape for Scottish partnerships

Contributor: Rod MacLeod

Companies House recently announced an imminent extension to UK anti-money laundering measures affecting Scottish limited partnerships and certain Scottish partnerships. This will bring Scottish Partnerships into the persons with significant control regime, which came into force for companies and limited liability partnerships last year.

7 June 2017

BA High Court case: Trustee’s introduction and exercise of discretionary increase power

Contributor: Edwin Mustard

The High Court’s judgement in British Airways plc v Airways Pension Scheme Trustee Limited provides authoritative guidance on the interpretation of scheme rules and the exercise of trustee discretion. 

2 May 2017

Put your questions to our expert energy lawyers

Shepherd and Wedderburn will host two Quick Fire sessions at  All-Energy, the UK’s largest event for renewables and low carbon energy, which takes place on 10th and 11th May Glasgow.

2 May 2017

Timber and Forestry: Interaction with roads

Contributor: Ann Stewart

This article looks at the timber industry in the UK and how transporting timber affects local roads. 

25 April 2017

The Right to Roam and Public Access Rights: What landowners need to know

This article explores the right to roam and public access rights under the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003. 

10 April 2017

Expert witnesses: The importance of independence and impartiality

Contributor: Matt Phillip

The Court of Appeal recently found that a trial judge would have been entitled to exclude the evidence of an expert witness whose independence was challenged in cross-examination.

7 April 2017

Developments in Limited Partnership Law: Private Fund Limited Partnerships

Contributor: Hamish Patrick

We examine the modernisation of limited partnership law relating to investment funds, and the likely impact on the Scottish limited partnerships commonly used.

29 March 2017

The RBS Case: Further clarification of legal advice privilege in the UK

In this article we look at the RBS Rights Issue Litigation Re [2016] EWHC 3161 (Ch), wherein the High Court granted the claimants’ application for disclosure of notes of interviews with employees and former employees of RBS, which had been prepared variously by RBS’ external US counsel, in-house counsel and non-lawyer RBS employees, in respect to two internal investigations.

27 March 2017

Lobbying in Scotland: what do you need to know

Contributor: Natasha Durkin

The Scottish Government has introduced a new regulatory regime for lobbying with the passing of the Lobbying (Scotland) Act 2016.  Once the Act comes into force, it will have significant consequences for how businesses and other organisations engage with the Scottish Government and Members of the Scottish Parliament, with strict penalties for non-compliance.

2 March 2017

Calling Up a Standard Security: Five things you should know

Enforcement of a standard security over real estate is a uniquely Scottish process. In the right circumstances it can be highly effective to enable a fixed security holder gain possession of land/property, collect rents and/or sell the secured property via enforcement of the standard security. Yvonne Brady and John Gallacher outline five things about the calling up process you need to know.

1 March 2017

Protecting forests from roaming livestock

Contributor: Ann Stewart

This article looks at the guidance Forest Enterprise Scotland recently issued to help their staff work closely with farmers to tackle the problem of stray livestock causing damage on the National Forest Estate.  

28 February 2017

Is the future of your business secure?

Contributor: George Frier

How many business owners look like ducks on the pond – calm on the surface, but actually paddling like mad?

27 February 2017

The Scottish Tenancy Deposit Scheme: Beware your obligations

Contributor: Serena Weir

Serena Weir reviews a recent decision of Edinburgh Sheriff Court which serves as a warning to landlords that ignoring their obligations under the Tenancy Deposit Schemes (Scotland) Regulations 2011 could come at a cost.

27 February 2017

A Scottish take on modified universalism and charges over foreign assets?

Contributor: Hamish Patrick

This article considers the recent Scottish decision in Hooley, where a Scottish court considered a Scottish administration of a Scottish company to prevail over an earlier liquidation of the same company at the Indian location of its business and assets.

20 February 2017

Brewster: Supreme Court rules cohabitee entitled to survivor’s pension

Contributor: Louisa Knox

The Supreme Court recently ruled in favour of a woman who was denied a survivor’s pension as her partner had not formally nominated her as his cohabiting partner under the pension scheme rules. We consider the implications of this decision for public and private pension schemes across the UK. 

16 February 2017

Scottish court finds four pension schemes validly amended despite paucity of documentation

Contributor: Elaine Brailsford

Shepherd & Wedderburn’s Commercial Litigation team has secured a favourable ruling for their clients in The Trustees of the Johnston Press Pension Plan and others v. Sedgwick Noble Lowndes Limited and Mercer [2017] CSOH 21, a decision that confirms the common-sense approach applied by the Scottish courts in reviewing pension scheme amendments and provides four examples of circumstances in which the Scottish courts will presume that what ought to have been done was done, in the absence of clear evidence either way.

2 February 2017

Occupiers’ Liability for Third Parties: reducing the risk on farms

Contributor: Ann Stewart

There’s something to be learned from the recent case of Craig Anderson v John Imrie and Antoinette Imrie. It reinforces the point that as an occupier of a property which poses increased possible harm you need to be even more vigilant than a typical occupier, especially when it comes to risk assessment, repairs and access.

30 January 2017

TPO holds schemes not required to provide investment information relevant to religious beliefs

Contributor: Andrew Holehouse

The Pensions Ombudsman has declined to uphold a complaint by a DB scheme member regarding the information provided on joining the scheme.  The member, Mrs D, claimed the information lacked details about the scheme’s investments and so she could not make an informed choice about whether joining the scheme was compatible with her religious beliefs.

26 January 2017

Triggering the Agricultural Tenant’s Right to Buy

Contributor: Stuart Greenwood

The provisions of the much publicised Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2016 have started coming into force and will continue to do so in a piecemeal fashion.  Whilst some of the changes enacted by the legislation will be more radical in effect than others, the reforms contained within Part 10 of the 2016 Act relative to agricultural holdings will have a far reaching impact upon landlords and tenants alike.  

25 January 2017

Webinar recording: Signing Scots Law Documents (Part 1)

Contributor: Rod MacLeod

In this webinar, Rod MacLeod and Neil Cowan talk through some of the basic Scottish execution requirements when signing Scots Law documents.

2 January 2017

Development Schemes in Crofting Areas: Update

Contributor: Elaine Brailsford

The scope of ‘interested parties’ who can object to a proposed development scheme under the Crofters (Scotland) Act 1993 has recently been considered by the Scottish Land Court (SLC).  In this update, we explore the implications of the SLC decision for developers and crofting landlords.

20 December 2016

DWP issues long-awaited GMP equalisation guidance

Contributor: Andrew Holehouse

After an extended waiting period, the DWP has published draft guidance to schemes with one possible method of equalising GMPs, accompanied by suggested amendments to legislation facilitating the conversion of GMPs to ‘normal’ scheme benefits.

20 December 2016

Voluntary Registration: Where are we now?

Contributor: Stuart Greenwood

This article takes a look at how voluntary registration is faring almost 2 years since the Land Registration etc. (Scotland) Act 2012 came into force.

8 December 2016

Keep it simple – conflicting arbitration agreements can cancel each other out

Contributor: John MacKenzie

A court has held that conflicting arbitration provisions in six different contracts relating to the same relationship is evidence that the parties had never had a “meeting of minds” in respect of the arbitration agreement, and therefore the dispute would be determined in court instead of being referred to arbitration.