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The Scottish Legal System

  • Textbook
The Scottish Legal System cover

The Scottish Legal System

  • Textbook
Quantity
Pre-order. Available 20 Aug 2026
£54.00

Payment for this pre-order will be taken when the item becomes available

This title is available for inspection copy requests

Description

A course on the Scottish legal system is a compulsory part of undergraduate degrees in Scots Law. The Scottish Legal System sets out to present the 'legal system and law of Scotland as a unique and constantly changing human enterprise' and places the Scottish legal system in its broader political and social contexts.

This is achieved by covering not only the central aspects of the system, such as the courts and the legal profession, but also the border areas with constitutional law and jurisprudence.

This well-established text provides an up-to-date treatment of all significant developments affecting the Scottish legal system.

The Seventh Edition covers:

- Revisions relating to EU law to account for Brexit and the reformed relationship between the Scottish legal system and the EU
- Implications of the UK Government's first use of the Scotland Act, s 35 order to block legislation of the Scottish Parliament
- The ongoing debate on the dual role of the Lord Advocate
- Recent innovations of the Scottish and UK Parliaments and Governments, reflecting on their impact on Scots Law
- Key reforms in the civil and criminal legal systems, including the abolition of the 'not proven' verdict and increased emphasis on alternative dispute resolution
- Updates on digital and online legal resources

This text is an invaluable introduction for students and anyone with an interest in the Scottish legal system.

This title is included in Bloomsbury Professional's Scots Law Student online service.

Table of Contents

1 Introduction
2 Scotland – nation and state
3 Institutions – the constitutional background
4 Institutions – courts, tribunals, judges and procedure
5 Sources of law
6 Legislation – European Union law
7 Legislation – United Kingdom Parliamentary legislation (including the Human Rights Act 1998)
8 Legislation – Acts of the Scottish Parliament
9 Legislation – United Kingdom delegated legislation
10 Legislation – Scottish delegated legislation
11 Legislation – application, construction and interpretation: statutory interpretation
12 Precedent – ratio decidendi, obiter dicta and stare decisis
13 Precedent – law reports
14 Legal services
15 Law reform
Appendix 1 - A note on the nature of rules
Appendix 2 - Scottish Courts (simplified)
English and Welsh Courts (simplified)
Northern Ireland Courts (simplified)
Appendix 3 - 'Europe'

Product details

Published 20 Aug 2026
Format Paperback
Edition 7th
Pages 472
ISBN 9781526526649
Imprint Bloomsbury Professional
Dimensions 234 x 156 mm
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

About the contributors

Author

Lorna MacFarlane

Lorna MacFarlane graduated from Edinburgh Universi…

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