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ScotLIS

ScotLIS is a relatively new and user friendly service provided by the Registers of Scotland which is free to use. It allows users to search for properties that are registered on the Land Register and shares information at no cost such as the date the property was last sold, the price it was sold for, what the Title Number is and it also shows a map with the boundaries. Properties on the Sasine Register will not show in the results for this reason it may be a useful tool to establish whether the property is Land Registered or not. There is a service provided for those who are registered with eservices which work in a similar way to Registers Direct searches but these will cost. This is a useful and helpful tool whether you have the Title Deeds at the beginning of a transaction or not. If you have the Deeds, using ScotLIS before ordering a Multisearch or Legal Report could establish whether Keeper Induced Registration has occurred and save time at later stages. If there is an
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Missives: Diploma v Practice

One of the most important (and first) components of a Conveyancing transaction is, of course, the Missives. For those of you that don't know what they are, it is the combination of all formal letters passed from purchasing and selling agents of one transaction which form the contract. Sadly, the Diploma gives a whistle-stop tour which, in my opinion, doesn't go into anywhere near enough detail to explain the significance of what they are or why they are there. It also doesn't provide a complete explanation or understanding of the clauses and conditions. In particular the Scottish Standard Clauses, which for the majority of my time as a trainee paralegal, and anyone else in conveyancing, were incredibly important. I am understanding that there are time constraints placed on tutors during the Diploma and that it is meant to be a basic background but I had wished throughout my classes that there would be more depth and explanation. We were told, for example, to delete
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Repost: It has been two years...

I last posted a blog post in 2015, which is crazy that I've managed to be sidetracked for so long!  In 2015, I graduated with my LLB and was fortunate to secure a job as a trainee paralegal within a Scottish-wide firm. The role as a trainee paralegal was within the Conveyancing department and I learned a huge amount skills and knowledge on the job that I had no previous experience in and which the LLB did not prepare you for.  I have now started the Diploma in Legal Practice and boy, it is hard transitioning from the daily grind of 9 to 5 to getting back into studying again! I would say though that it was the better way round because I have a clearer understanding of what will be expected of as a trainee solicitor and of how things actually work in practice.  What I have noticed so far is that the Diploma can teach you all the skills and knowledge and processes and form filling you need for the job, but without any work experience (and even with some if it was a summer
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Advice to Law Students: Learn the IRAC method!

It wasn't until I had to resit my third year at university that I really wished I had learnt the IRAC method sooner. We were taught how to use the IRAC method back in first year and although I did try to use it, I just couldn't understand it because I was so set in my own writing style. For those of you who haven't heard of it or don't know what it stands for, it can be understood as follows: I = ISSUE = what is the legal problem? R = RULE = what does the law say about this legal problem? A = APPLICATION = apply the law to the problem, sometimes look at all of the alternative options  C = CONCLUSION = which solution is the best one based on the rules? Explain and conclude!  It took me three years (yes - THREE YEARS!) to get my head around this but it boosted my grades because there was a better and clearer structure to all my essays and exam answers.  I already had my own structure and style of writing out which sometimes worked dependent on the subject and t
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Fourth year!

Yesterday was the first day of my final (and most important) year of university. I have been so excited to get back into the swing of things but there is one thing that has been stressing me out; the dreaded dissertation. At the moment, I have a good idea of what I need to do and although I have done some research during my summer I feel like I still have so much to do. By November 14th, I must have a final title and structure. This doesn't feel that far away at all even though I have roughly six weeks. I am lacking in motivation. I have a lot of enthusiasm for the subjects I have taken and can't wait to get my teeth into those but the dissertation really is holding me back. Even choosing a topic I find interesting and exciting isn't helping me to get started properly. Today, I cleared my desk - bought to increase productivity and motivation - hung up some clothes to clear my room of clutter, and started listening to Andrew Johnson's Beat Procrastination medita
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Catfishing: Part 1

This post is completely inspired by the MTV show called Catfish, and also from a personal experience where I witnessed first-hand the issue of the increasingly common activity of catfishing. It also will look at the laws governing copyright infringements and identity/personality theft but not in the sense that they are commonly known for. This is focusing on "fake" people who have become masks for real people who pretend to be these people.  A catfish itself has been defined colloquially as " someone who pretends to be someone they're not using Facebook or other social media to create false identities, particularly to pursue deceptive online romances." The activity was brought to light through the documentary which is, of course, called Catfish and it is now a popular MTV show. It follows individuals who are in online relationships with someone over Facebook. They have never met the person but have fallen for them emotionally through their contact with eac
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