In the case of MacKenzie v Highland Council, 2022 the pursuer, a PE teacher, tripped and fell during a game of, believe it or not, alligator tag in which she was participating. This game formed part of a practical CPD training course devised and organised by the defenders, her employers at a high school in Inverness. Now, your first question here may sensibly be to ask what is ‘alligator tag’ and, assuming no real alligators were involved, how did the pursuer come to sustain injury.
Under the Medical Act 1983, a practitioner under investigation by the General Medical Council (GMC) may have an interim order of conditions or suspension placed on their registration whilst allegations made against them are investigated by the GMC. Whilst interim orders can only be imposed on a practitioner’s registration for a maximum period of 18 months, many practitioners will not realise that the GMC can apply for permission from the court to extend the order up to a further period of 12 months.
A recent tenancy succession case made headlines, where two daughters were told they cannot succeed to a three bedroomed house in Glasgow after their mother died. This is a difficult scenario for many housing associations who have to balance their policy, succession law and the wishes of a grieving family.
Recent world events have caused many businesses, big and small, to re-assess who they do business with. This has given rise to a number of legal issues, one of which pertains to the early termination of commercial contracts. Geo-political events are just one example of an extraneous circumstance that can trigger early termination of contracts, others may include developments in business or legal and environmental factors.
As was the case for many of us, the pandemic forced the civil courts in Scotland to operate business through an online platform. Instead of requiring in-person attendance in court, the implementation of the Coronavirus (Scotland) Act 2020 and the Coronavirus (No.2) (Scotland) Act 2020 has permitted civil hearings to take place remotely through a WebEx video or an audio link.
