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  While us humans desperately attempt to slow the ravages of time with heady cocktails of pills, superstition and surgery, the common lobster just chillaxes in the deep – never aging, just growing. Their bodies don’t become frail ove...

  Following the exposé by BBC Scotland Investigates into the practices of crematoria across Scotland regarding the disposal of babies’ ashes, it has become clear that the baby ashes scandal is much more widespread than was initially thought. A...

  We all know that the best way to beat speed cameras and avoid paying speeding tickets is to not speed in the first place. However, there may be times when a notice of intention to prosecute (NIP) lands through your door and you are sure that a...

  As someone who has no religious affiliation, I had a prolonged and slightly patronising chuckle to myself when I first heard about the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster – a religious movement centred around a meatball with noodly append...

  I suppose we’re all guilty of self-indulgent thoughts from time to time. It’s part of human nature and we are, after all, “human, all too human” as Nietzsche once said. (That’s right, chumps, we’re referenci...

  The Scottish Government launched its much anticipated consultation on the Courts Reform Bill last week, as part of its ‘Making Justice Work’ agenda. One of the overriding principles of that agenda is improving access to justice.  ...

  There has been a recent surge in people being prosecuted for what they serve up on the internet in less than 140 characters.  The judiciary has finally got round to extending the long arm of the law to the internet blogosphere where those who...

  It’s difficult to imagine what coping with losing a child feels like but it is almost impossible to imagine what it feels like to be told years afterwards – in some case as many as 45 years later – that someone denied you the ash...

  [List all the awful puns in this article and get a free will for you and your partner.] The Daily Mail (don’t judge me) recent published a pretty disturbing story about an elderly mother whose Will caused a proper barney for her family. ...

  ScotRail managed to enrage passengers even more than usual, not by the standard ‘delays-due-to-leaves-on-the-line’ shenanigans but due to their refusal to allow blind ski racer John Dickinson-Lilley to book a last minute berth on the C...

  Everyone gets unsolicited email these days. When I fire up my Hotmail account (after 5pm, of course), I’m faced with dozens of junk mail items. If it’s not questionable discounts off pharmaceutical supplements to enhance male tumescenc...

  Nowadays cosmetic surgery is becoming more and more common and it is unsurprising that this has brought with it a rise in compensation claims from botched work.  However I was very surprised to read about the Chinese man who is allegedly suin...

  Fredric John Baur – not exactly a name that rings bells. In fact, when I first read his name I was absolutely certain he was the infamous Nazi SS Guard at Sobibor death camp in occupied Poland during World War II, but that was actually Erich...

So the price of that castle in the sky you’ve always wanted has just DOUBLED. It’s achingly depressing to know that even your dreams are now subject to the pressures of inflation.  Once autumn arrives, and if you fancy throwing some m...

  A recent study of more than 7,000 people suggested that exposure to cleaning chemicals is a major factor that contributes to the one in six cases of adult onset asthma among those living in the UK who are in their mid-50’s.  The stu...

  So, the UK Supreme Court, having been the first Supreme Court to join Twitter, on Monday joined such heady internet sensations as “Keyboard Cat” and “Sneezing Panda” by launching its own YouTube channel. The channel will, d...

  It’s no secret that I’m immensely proud of the Scottish Parliament so when there was a debate in certain newspapers last year about its efficacy in terms of legislative reform I was quick to make my views clear. I stand by these opi...

  Did you hear the one about the blind man wielding a samurai sword? No? That’s because this isn’t actually a joke and fortunately his samurai sword turned out to be his white stick. It is however a true story that police in Lancashi...

  Are you fortunate enough to have paid off your mortgage? If so, you need to read on. If not, just look at the picture of the cat playing Monopoly… isn’t that something!? You’ve got to be kitten me! So, you’ve finally ma...

    By now you’ve no doubt heard that the world will end Friday. That’s right – according to a very loose interpretation of the Mayan Calendar, supported by the hysterical media as well as the resident jakey down at my l...

The Government forced through a change to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme that came into being last week, and as a consequence, means that a large proportion of victims of violent crimes will now no longer qualify for compensation. The Gove...

  What happens when adults fall out and one insults the other in a childish manner? Well, nothing usually, but unfortunately in one recent incident litigation ensued and Sheriff Kenneth McGowan was tasked with the sorting out the dispute in Dunferml...

  Not many people will have noticed, but an important case was decided last week in England regarding the rights of older and disabled people to receive services, such as care homes and day centres, appropriate to their needs from public authorities...

    I don’t know what’s more depressing – the thought that one day I’ll no longer be alive, or that 19 minutes have passed without a single comment on my incredibly hilarious Facebook update. Death. It’s the ...

  I am delighted that my colleagues here at Thompsons Solicitors are involved in supporting Will Aid.   Will Aid is an annual charitable Will-Writing scheme designed to remind people of the requirement to have a Will drawn up by a professi...

  It has been reported that the BBC and other institutions face 18 compensation claims as claims are launched following the alleged abuse by Jimmy Savile. Lis Dux, a lawyer specialising in child abuse cases, advised that the number of cases had m...

  This recently appeared in a pub toilet in Michigan, USA. One of the bar’s patrons had the questionable and frankly criminal idea of snapping a photo in the toilets, and it’s been doing the rounds on Facebook and Twitter ever since. ...

  With so many of us hunched over a computer at work all day it is not wonder that so many of us end up with back problems.  Being sat at a desk all day can lead to poor posture and cause painful back and neck pain. I was reading an article ...

  A golfer who sustained an injury to his eye has raised a court action for compensation in the Court of Session in Edinburgh. The golfer Mr Phee sadly lost his eye after being struck by a golf ball whilst playing golf at Winchburgh. Mr Phee expl...

  I was recently reading a very sad article about a baby boy who was left brain damaged after being born in an Ayrshire hospital.  The baby’s mother has recently spoken about her hope of finally “getting justice” as prosecutor...

  Mrs Thom and I love a good curry although she likes her curry a lot spicier than me.  She told me about a restaurant in Edinburgh where you could try to eat the “world’s hottest chilli”.  However I am glad that we did n...

  They’ve done it again!  My friends at Thompsons Solicitors won two awards on Thursday night at the Law Awards of Scotland- Employment Firm of the Year and Litigation Firm of the Year!  There must have been a few people feeling a...

  Banking customers who were mis-sold payment protection insurance have been advised that they could receive compensation by October 16 2011. The Financial Services Authority has announced that all outstanding complaints must be responded to with...

  Little Thom told me that one of his friends was at the supermarket the other night and there was almost a riot!  I was really annoyed to discover that this was due to an error which meant that Tesco were charging £11 for 3 boxes of beer...

  Sheriff Principal Brian Lockart has now published his findings following a 141 day fatal accident inquiry into the fire at Rosepark care home in Uddingston, Lanarkshire. Sheriff Principal Lockart found that the fire safety plans at the care hom...

  I love food and trying out all sorts of unusual food and I am rather intrigued and perhaps a little excited to see that Spoon Café Bistro in Edinburgh now has grey squirrel on the menu.  The bistro has described the dish as the “ultimat...

  Solicitor Stewart White is hoping to help put a smile on the face of third world kids, and honour his late mother’s memory, by running the Paris Marathon on Sunday April 11. Stewart is on course to raise £3,000 for the Smile Train,...

  Electric Light Orchestra were one of my favourite bands in the 1970s and I was so sad when I heard that Mike Edwards, who played cello with them, had been killed in an accident. The accident happened when a 600kg bale of hay fell from a tractor...

  Little Thom has always been fascinated by aliens and as a child it was always my dream to become an astronaut.  I have obviously now given up on that idea so I was very excited to see photos of the first Virgin Galactic spaceship.  The B...

  We won! ....I have a dream...  Never has so much ..... Ich bin ein berliner ...... The exact words of last night’s victory speech are unknown but what is known is that Thompsons are Firm of the Year 2011.   2 new records h...

  I was surprised to read that someone had received a court summons via Facebook.  It looks like we really are living in  a digital age now!  A firm from East Sussex obtained permission from the County Court to serve a court summons u...

  The victims and families that Thompsons represent in the imminent Penrose Inquiry have released a media statement in the wake of Lord Penrose’s decision that their views will not be heard at the Inquiry proper.   The Inquiry, in which...

It's time to celebrate! Today is International Women’s Day! Some of my friends from Thompsons were at the Scottish Parliament on Saturday at the Scottish Women’s Convention Conference.  Thompsons sponsored the Evening Reception which cele...

  I love dogs but unfortunately my friends at Thompsons often have to help out people who have been injured because of a dog bite.  I was pleased to see that new legislation has come into force to close a loophole in the Dangerous Dogs Act. ...

  I was recently reading with interest that a man who nearly died during an operation to donate a kidney to his father has won £6.74 million in compensation. The 39 year old man was donating his right kidney in February 2008 when he suffere...

My friends at Thompsons are announcing a new, imaginative and fun way to offer students a No Win No Fee Internship at one of their offices in Scotland.  This takes me back to the days when I was an up and coming law student, every year me and my f...

  I was amazed to hear about Adam Potter, a climber from Glasgow, who survived a 1000ft fall down a mountain and suffered only relatively minor injuries.  Mr Potter lost his footing whilst out walking with friends in the highlands. He fell down...

  Did anyone see on the news last week that a cash machine in Dundee was spitting out money??  Apparently the machine started to give out double the amount of money that people were requesting and rather unsurprisingly a queue formed with peopl...

  A survey carried out by the AA found that Scotland’s roads were the worst in the UK for potholes, road repairs and blocked drains. Edinburgh was ranked bottom of the league overall in Scotland. This survey was carried out before the recen...

  I am really disappointed to learn that the Protection of Workers Bill brought by the Labour Party’s Hugh Henry, is in danger of being defeated. The bill is being advanced to protect people at work from being assaulted by members of the p...

I read with some alarm that insurance companies are charging motorists higher premiums because they have fitted winter tyres to their vehicles during the current extreme weather conditions. I find it staggering that insurance companies would seek to penal...

  Repetitive driving injury is a condition that is caused by a poor driving posture which can lead to serious long term muscle, joint and spinal injuries. Repetitive driving injury may include foot cramps, lumbar pain, stiff neck, side ache, and hea...

  Although I love the snow and I have been building snowmen all week winter driving is very hazardous and to avoid having an accident, if you must drive in the snow and ice you should ensure that your car is properly prepared.  Before you l...

  Carbon Monoxide Awareness Week was launched earlier this week. Figures from the Health and Safety Executive show that around 20 people lose their life every year as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning and many more people suffer personal injury ...

  The news has been full of depressing stories this week.  I saw that despite a general decrease in road traffic accidents tragically a 6 year old boy has died after being struck by a car in the east end of Glasgow.  It is believed to be a...

  Some compensation lawyers like to brand themselves “Health and Safety Lawyers”; others prefer the tag ‘civil litigators’.  Others, like larger than life, head of Thompsons Aberdeen office, Chris Gordon likes to be know...

  You would think that if you had an accident or were involved in a car crash and you dialled 999, an ambulance would come to your assistance as quickly as possible. I was very shocked to see that it has been reported in the news just the other d...

  I was flabbergasted when I read that The Royal Society for The Prevention of Accidents (ROSPA) estimates accidents in the home cost the UK around £45 billion pounds a year. That’s a lot of money and means a lot of people must be sustai...

No win no fee claims have been in the news an awful lot this week.  Although no win no fee stories are very topical this week and the potential changes that the government want to make might have a huge impact on the law, I think I will talk abou...

  I did not think the potholes in the roads in Glasgow could get much worse however, I read today that a road expert has warned Glasgow motorists to expect another winter of misery on the roads. It has been reported that Glasgow City Council are...

  Whilst surfing the internet the other day I read a very interesting article debating whether or not workplaces should be a third female?  What do you think? Lawyer Baroness Kennedy argues that having a workplace make up similar to that of ...

  Continuing on my ‘no win no fee compensation’ blogging sabbatical I want to again talk about Politics and Achievements.   As I mentioned last week, my big mate Frank Maguire, Senior Partner here at Thompsons won Solicitor of the...

I was astonished this week to read in the news that there was a lorry driver travelling in his lorry, with a laptop and DVD player mounted on his dashboard. Incredible as it may seem, but he appeared to be watching a DVD as he was driving a 30 tonne vehic...

  I like toast and butter for breakfast, which is why I felt unwell when I read the story of Mr Forse who found a dead mouse in a loaf he had bought online through Tesco. Mr Forse noticed something dark in colour in the corner of three or four s...

  I took a break from helping you with your No Win No Fee compensation claims this week and instead focused my efforts on the forthcoming Penrose Inquiry (called this because it will be chaired by Supreme Court judge Lord Penrose). Indeed, unles...

  As I blog today my head is spinning due to the copious amounts of champagne consumed at last nights Firm Magazine Law Awards.   I wasn’t planning a big night but my plasticine plans were pleasantly distorted when Thompsons Managing Pa...

  Thompsons Solicitors will have a team of 25 running in the Great Scottish Run 10K in Glasgow on Sunday 5 September to raise funds for its chosen charity, Clydeside Action on Asbestos. CAA, which was formed in 1984 to provide advice and assistan...

  You would think if you put your car into a garage to be repaired the repairs would be carried out and your car would be safe to drive, however that does not always seem to be the case! I was very concerned when reading a recent report which fou...

  Children’s injuries are a very common occurrence of Emergency Departments in the United Kingdom and elsewhere. Research shows that safety devices, such as helmets and seatbelts, are being ignored in many cases. A case study on children&r...

Globalisation, increasing competition and changing work organisation bring along many new challenges, such as new technologies, new work practices, haste at work, growing mobility and others. These challenges bring new risks and hazards of diseases and bu...

When I was a young plasticine boy I remember enjoying my Granny Thometta Thompson singing in the kitchen as she baked.  I thought she was probably the best singing pensioner in the world. My opinion was changed last night in a moment of melodic, amusing genius.  Janey Cutler from Wishaw wowed me, the judges and commanded a standing ovation from the crowd while singing Shirley Bassey’s ‘This is my Life’ on the Britain’s got talent semi-final. Janey, from Hamilton, is 81, making her older than Welsh singing legend Bassey….and for my money just as talented! As a result of Janey’s age defying performance I have been humming Bassey tunes all day as I go about my noble duties of winning compensation for the people of Scotland.  I supported her all the way in Saturday’s final hoping she would get to sing in front of the nation's (now second) favourite granny – the Queen, but alas she was pipped at the post by Spellbound, who it has to be said were fantastic and a great inspiration with the Olympics coming up.

A Fatal Accident Inquiry in Lanarkshire has criticised the Scottish Ambulance Service for their delay in getting a man injured by the falling bucket of a JCB to hospital.   61 year old former fireman Andrew Andrews died 8 minutes before the ambulan...

With all the talk of cutting public spending in the wake of the election the last thing we wanted to hear is that NHS workers have been defrauding the tax payer.   Unfortunately Joanne Jamieson, an administrative assistant at Stobhill admitted pock...

It takes a really burning issue to produce the heated public debate that we have seen split the Scottish Legal profession over the last few weeks. But that’s exactly how lawyers have reacted to the proposal before the Scottish Parliament, to in...

  The Scottish legal system is in a state of flux at the moment with a number of changes under discussion which could radically affect your freedom to go to court to settle a dispute, a grievance, or to defend your rights. The most worrying, and...

  Much of my work in obtaining compensation for victims centres around those with diseases, be it industrial, hospital associated or blood-borne. One of my longer term campaigns is for those who were contaminated with Hepatitis C through defectiv...

  It’s that time of year when the financial cobwebs of Christmas are being blown away and the pennies are counted and stacked with a view to booking a summer holiday. Last year, more than any year in the recent past, would-be holiday makers...

  Medical negligence cases are always difficult and always require the help of a specialist compensation and injury Solicitor.    It is said, somewhat satirically, in legal circles that the only straightforward Med Neg cases are those w...

I think it is good news that, following compensation payments made to thalidomide survivors in England, the Scottish Government is finding itself under increasing pressure to compensate Scotland’s 55 thalidomiders.   In January the Westmins...

As someone who represents a lot of bus and train drivers I was pleased to see that Labour MSP Hugh Henry has launched a bill last week aimed at protecting these persons from violence or harassment at work.

Mr. Henry says the Bill will help impose harsher sentencing on a “thuggish minority” who’s thoughtless and inexcusable actions cause the whole community to suffer. For example, if a bus driver is assaulted primarily he or she suffers but secondary to this, others suffer as the bus service is removed causing them to miss work or other appointments.

The Bill aims to be an extension to the Emergency Workers Act 2005.  I have a special interest in this piece of law as Thompsons Solicitors are consulting with Trade Unions and the Scottish government with a view to improving this piece of legislation.

It is a source of shame that a minority of idiots continues to thoughtlessly attack transport workers.

Sanctions under the new bill could be up to a year in jail or a £10,000 fine.

Thompsons together with trade unions will press for the harshest sanctions possible by campaigning to improve the law to protect the working man and woman.

It is again the time of year when lists are being written and checked twice.  It’s also the time of year when I am made aware of clients and friends adding their names to the expanding list of those who have been caught out by internet fraud.

On their own list, the police have busted more than 1,000 scam websites selling everything from fake Ugg boots to supposed Tiffany & Co jewellery so far in the run up to Christmas. Over 1200 of these websites, run by organised criminal networks have been taken down.

Even with the credit crunch the value of internet sales by UK businesses rose by 36.6 per cent this year E-commerce now accounts for 9.8 per cent of UK sales.  The boom in trade has meant a boom in internet fraud.

Misrepresentation (of a fake as genuine) is a ground under the law for claiming against a credit card issuer, but the purchaser must have his eyes open and not pay an obviously wrong price, such as £150 for Rolex watch to claim.

If you have unwittingly bought a counterfeit product costing more than £100 and been unable to get redress from the supplier, you can make a claim against the card issuer.

Although credit card issuers are legally required to make recompense if a supplier refuses to, there are still dangers if you have bought counterfeit goods this way.

An even worse outcome is ordering online and receiving nothing at all.

 

When buying online make sure the company has a contact address and telephone number, not just an email and always keep copies of receipts, order details, confirmations, emails and other correspondence from the supplier.

Always check for secure payment facilities known as 'encryption' facilities to ensure your online transactions are secure. Normally a padlock is displayed at the bottom of the screen. Never send your credit card details via e-mail.

If you do receive your online purchase, but are not happy with it you are entitled to a seven day cooling off period under UK consumer law after the goods are delivered.
 
You are also liable to a full refund if the goods or services are not provided by the date you agreed, presumably December 24 at the latest. 

The benefits of the internet and the way it has improved access and exchange of information is well recognised.

However, advertising for jobs exclusively through the internet has the potential to discriminate against those not so computer literate a report published by the Commons Scottish Affairs Committee has found.

The criticism is aimed mainly at local authorities and runs parallel to the Equality Bill, which aims to increase opportunities for disadvantaged groups, currently making its way through Parliament.  The Equality Bill while offer routes for those discriminated against to bring legal action and seek compensation from companies and organisations not in compliance.

The Government’s view is that local authorities should not post public notices online simply for the sake of saving money.  The aim is to reach as wide an ambit of people and candidates as possible.