LLM in European Law students attend UK Supreme Court in Glasgow
Mon 1 June 2026
Students on Edinburgh Law School's LLM in European Law programme had a rare opportunity to witness the UK Supreme Court in action this month, attending a hearing at Glasgow's City Chambers on 18 May 2026.
Cohort events are a regular feature of Edinburgh Law School's LLM programmes, giving students the chance to connect with each other and experience the law outside of the classroom.
Although the UK Supreme Court is based in London, it occasionally sits in other cities across the UK — most recently spending a week in Glasgow between 18 – 21 May. The Glasgow sitting gave students a unique opportunity to attend in person.
The students heard the case of ScottishPower v HMRC, which centres on whether ScottishPower should be permitted to deduct around £28 million in payments — made to customers and consumer groups following an Ofgem investigation into mis-selling and poor complaints handling — from its taxable profits. The key question for the Court is whether those payments constitute a legitimate business expense or fall within the rule preventing deduction of penalty payments. With lower courts reaching different conclusions, HMRC has brought the matter to the UK Supreme Court.
Among those on the bench were Edinburgh Law School alumni Lord Reed and Lord Doherty, sitting alongside Lady Rose, Lady Simler and Lord Stephens.
Dr Timothy Jacob-Owens, Programme Director, LLM in European Law said: “This was an excellent opportunity for our students to witness high-level oral advocacy and judicial decision-making first-hand. Particularly for those who had got involved with mooting during their LLM, for instance through participation in the European Law Moot Court competition, this was a great experience.”
Interested in joining our LLM in European Law programme?
The LLM in European Law is an ideal stepping stone for anyone interested in a rewarding career in law, business, policy, or politics within the European Union and beyond. As a world-leading centre for the study of EU law located in a former Member State, we are uniquely positioned to critically assess the Union's past, present, and future.
Our programme exposes students to a wide array of cutting-edge perspectives, with a teaching team composed not only of leading scholars, but also legal practitioners and policymakers.