SLN reports that the Law Society has issued guidance to solicitors on the abuse of NDAs: www.scottishlegal.com/articles/law... Timely to point out that an article by Leslie Dodd and I on that subject appears in this week's Scots Law Times. Are Neil Gaiman's NDAs enforceable? Not under Scots law.

This week's Scots Law Times will publish an article on the (ab)use of 'Non-Disclosure Agreements' (NDAs). These have been used to 'buy silence' from people who might otherwise disclose allegations of abuse or wrongdoing. Our argument: NDAs are void in Scots law, as examples of 'unlawful agreements'.

Today the scottish parliament is voting on stage 1 of the dog theft (scotland) bill an utterly pointless piece of legislation criminalising the theft of dogs, something which (it will astonish no one) is already criminal. A gesture. I find this sort of legislation inexplicable.

textbooks ARE the summary!

trump is urgently redirecting all scientific funding to a manhattan project scale endeavor focused on making a microscopic camel 🪡

'Comrades, now that we're quorate, I propose we call a doctor.' 'All the best doctors have left or RFK Jr. fired them.'

I HATE marking. Despise it. I become an unrecognizable procrastinator to avoid it, scrubbing toilets and the like. But feedback is the heart of the relationship btwn teacher and student. My life has been transformed by single comments. To deprive students of that defeats the purpose of pedagogy.

Marking can be a personal torment because I so desperately hope each student has been able to give each piece of work a decent go (increasingly harder in these economic times). Feeding marking into GAI slop machines is against all that it means to be in education and care about student progress.

Fascinating argument here- as the Scottish Parliament legislates to recognise Scots as an official language, it's suppressing Scots in legislation. Sadly the national Kirk is guilty, too- we seem to have stopped using "anent", although I think we still talk about congregations "furth" of Scotland

New on the Strathclyde Law Blog, a post by our Dr Jonathan Brown @sartoriusdoctor.bsky.social on the recently passed Scottish Languages Bill and the treatment of the Scots language in the lawmaking process. www.strath.ac.uk/humanities/l...

The Scottish Languages Bill has passed and so, under its auspices, the Scots language will become an 'official' language of Scotland. I've written a wee blog here about why, despite this, the Scottish Parliament doesn't actually seem all that committed to Scots. www.strath.ac.uk/humanities/l...

Broke: keep the Elgin Marbles in London Woke: return the Elgin Marbles to Greece Bespoke: move the Elgin Marbles to Elgin Catherdral, Moray.

Alasdair MacIntyre's deid and, though I can't think of anything clever or insightful to say, I just feel the need to pass comment on the fact that that's a wee bit sad. A lad o' pairts gone and unlikely to be forgotten for some considerable time.

To raise a joke that no one who lacks a familiarity with Scottish political twitter circa 2014-15 will possibly be able to understand: Pope Pizzaballustrade Lanyard?

The @altlaw.bsky.social conference was hosted at the University of Strathclyde last week. Fair to say it was a roaring success, in large part down to the organisers, @mrandall89.bsky.social and Roddy Cairns. Of course, as (joint) winner of the Stan Marsh Prize for Best Paper, I would say all that...

Today at @unistrathclyde.bsky.social, it's day one of the @altlaw.bsky.social 2025 conference. Our head of School Prof Adelyn Wilson started proceedings, then passed to Dr @mrandall89.bsky.social to explain the background to and themes of the event, before Dr Larysa Zhdankina's opening keynote.

New on the Strathclyde Law Blog, a post by our accelerated LLB student Callum Butterworth. Callum was a George Joseph Bell Summer Scholar in 2024 (supported by Edinburgh Legal Education Trust), when he studied the property law rules around joining moveables together. www.strath.ac.uk/humanities/l...

Adidas entering its slam poetry era

i keep reading posts from people getting laid off in genuinely every possible tech industry you can imagine and it's so fucking insane that the thing people have to worry about isn't "can an AI do my job" but "can a very stupid person convince my boss that an AI can do my job"

PITCH: An updated version of the curse of Cassandra where she's describing things that are happening now, in front of everyone, but still isn't believed.

Hello BlueSky! This is the official page for the upcoming conference on James VI & I that will be held in July to mark the quatercentenary of his death👑 Please follow us here for updates & news ...

My dad keeps sending me articles about how ChatGPT can help me in my job and I keep telling him it's really cool he wants to get me disbarred

Imagine Clippy saying, "It looks like you want me to steal someone else's work for you and then burn a drum of crude oil to celebrate." and you're on the right track of what modern "AI" products do.

Welcome, teens coming here from tiktok. I think you’ll find that through the magic of the written word I am able to craft sentences that are as vivid and compelling as any short-form video!

If it was common knowledge within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland that there are three distinct legal systems with clearly defined jurisdictions, so much of my working life would be easier. Please spread the word and correct people 😁

Come and work on a @leverhulme.bsky.social project about the history of ‘hurt feelings’ & the law with @katieebarclay.bsky.social Alice Krzanich and me! We’re looking for a historian of medicine (or similar) for a 4 yr postdoctoral research fellow position elxw.fa.em3.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/Candid...

I'm quoted in this Sky News article on rent controls, giving some chat about Scotland and comparative study. news.sky.com/story/rent-c...

In some happy news, the Edinburgh Legal Education Trust have published works by two undergraduate LLB students, one of whom - Callum Butterworth - is a Strathclyder who wrote on accession in respect of moveable property. Congrats to he and Ross McCormick! edinburghlawseminars.co.uk/scholarships...

Welcome to the new Twitter, same as the old Twitter (note, not the old new Twitter (i.e., the xitter) like the... ach you know.

Mañana, mañana...

[Columbo after the abdication of Victor Emmanuel III] 'just one more King'

Something similar but definitely true. Advocate: where was the cigarette end dropped? Witness with very heavy Glasgow accent: near the racks. Advocate: there were rats?? Witness: No, racks!

I am delighted to share my research publication. Anyone with an interest in the principles of justice or prosecutor imposed sanctions may find this useful. theses.gla.ac.uk/84566/

I'm in the (Scottish Legal) News! I've posted about this already, but the official announcement is out: I've been awarded funding from the Scottish Universities Law Institute to pursue some research into the institution of negotiorum gestio in Scots law. www.scottishlegal.com/articles/sul...

The legendary Professor Norrie retired earlier this year and gave his valedictory lecture in February. It was characteristically excellent. In November, Strathclyde is hosting a seminar to celebrate the achievements of this remarkable man. I'll be presenting at it - but don't let that put you off!

In short, then: 1) I've been awarded a grant from the Scottish Universities Law Institute to look into the practical, but unreported, 'under-the-radar', uses to which the doctrine of 'negotiorum gestio' has been put in Scots law; 2) In William Forbes' Great Body of the Law of Scotland (1708-1746)...

11 months ago, I wasn't sure if I would still be an 'academic'; still less that I would be actively and enthusiastically engaged in researching what was (and once again is) my passion: Scots law. So I didn't bite when I first saw Alex's post. Now, though - well, I'm feeling far more 'me'...

Brazil: Your nation created Ninguém Tá Olhando which was a wondrous gift to humanity, but you also cancelled it after just one season, so... You know. If you are Brazilian, your crimes will never be forgiven.

10/10 no notes

I do not have enough money to afford to pay Neil Newbon to read me stories every night before I go to bed, but if ever I did, I would have already bankrupted myself asking Amelia Tyler to do the same and have no money to offer him anyway.

Aurora borealis? Not in Utica, no, it'll express in Albany.

remember like 15 years ago when companies started selling "hoverboards" that were actually just regular electric scooters that caught on fire all the time? and every company started pushing "hoverboards" and they all sucked until they exploded and people stopped buying them? well a.i. is different.

You don’t sell invisible clothes to a tailor. You sell them to the emperor, who has never touched a sewing needle or tack in his life.

nobody disappears in the bermuda triangle anymore. due to wokeness

Terry Pratchett about fantasy ❤ - interview in The Onion, 1995 #TerryPratchett transcript: www.tumblr.com/fuckyeahgood...

"It tells lies, but on the other hand it's only possible because of theft and ecocide, so we should definitely find ethical ways to involve it in all our teaching." Can the bubble hurry up and burst so I can stop having to read variations of this argument, please?

"Your future is a horror story written by your crimes" is a line that goes hard and is more metal than anything you'd expect to hear in a Muppet movie, but ultimately you can tell its from a children's movie since it implies there's something like justice in the world. Oh wait we're past Christmas.

Yeah, I... I uh, posted about how shit twitter (sorry, 'X') is a few hours back, but I popped back on to take a look there and... It's a cesspit now. I had about 24 notifications and, when I clicked, it was a bunch of weirdos inviting me to 'get launch in [their] profile'. Whit even is that!?