Dr Alisdair MacPherson

Biography

Alisdair is a Senior Lecturer in Commercial Law, specialising in the law of debt, insolvency law and related areas.

He joined the School of Law in June 2018, having previously been a teaching fellow at the University of Edinburgh. He obtained a PhD in 2018, and his research was subsequently published as a monograph, The Floating Charge. Alisdair has continued to research this area, and is co-editor of Floating Charges in Scotland: New Perspectives and Current Issues and Floating Charges in Comparative Perspective. He is also a co-author of Commercial Law in Scotland and Scottish Commercial Law Essentials and the editor of Avizandum Statutes in Scots Commercial and Consumer Law. 

During his doctoral studies, Alisdair spent a year at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative and International Private Law in Hamburg. Prior to commencing his PhD research, he qualified as a solicitor and notary public in Scotland. In addition, he holds an MA (Hons) in history, LLB and Diploma in Legal Practice, all from the University of Edinburgh.

Alisdair was formerly a member of the Scottish Law Commission's Moveable Transactions Advisory Group and was on the Law Society of Scotland's Board of Examiners. He is on the Council of the WS Society and is a member of R3's Scottish Technical Committee, the Law Society of Scotland's Banking, Company and Insolvency Law Sub-Committee and the European Law Institute. 

Alisdair is co-director of the Centre for Scots Law at the University of Aberdeen. He regularly responds to consultations and calls for evidence. He also provides opinions, consultancy services and CPD in relation to his areas of research, especially insolvency law, debt enforcement and secured transactions. 

He has been a visiting academic at the University of Oxford's Institute of European and Comparative Law and Texas A&M University. He is currently a Scottish Parliament Academic Fellow focusing on digital assets.

Prizes and Awards

University of Aberdeen - Principal's Early Career Outstanding Researcher Award (Arts, Humanities and Social Science) (2022) 

Research Overview

Secured transactions, insolvency law, commercial law, company law, property law, law of trusts, comparative law, modern legal history.

Alisdair would be interested in supervising research students working in any of these areas. He is currently supervising LLM/PhD research on the following topics:

• The protection of shareholders in company law 
• Employee participation in corporate governance
• The nature and operation of trusts

He has previously supervised research on: the law of securitisations; ex-ante protections for minority shareholders; financial security instruments for decommissioning liabilities; and electronic letters of credit.

If you are interested in undertaking a postgraduate research degree, further information is available here.

Knowledge Exchange

Selected Papers and Presentations

"60 Years of Shaping Commercial and Property Law: Surveying the Landscape", Scottish Law Commission's 60th Anniversary Conference - Law Reform: Shaping Society?, University of Edinburgh (13 June 2025) 

"Digital Assets in Scotland: Debt Enforcement and Insolvency Law" (with D McKenzie Skene), A Digital Assets Bill for Scotland Symposium, University of Edinburgh (23 May 2025)  

"The English Floating Charge: The Archetypal Floating Security", Nordic Secured Transactions Law Symposium, University of Oslo (17 October 2024) 

"Debt Enforcement and Cryptoassets in Scots Law", Beyond the Basics: Academic Updates - Scots Civil and Commercial Law, SULI/SYLA, Royal Faculty of Procurators in Glasgow (10 October 2024)

"Security Rights, Debt Enforcement and Cryptoassets", Digital Assets in Scots Private Law: Innovating for the Future - Workshop 2, Law Society of Scotland (29 May 2024)

"The Concept of Commercial Law in Scotland" (with J Hardman (Edinburgh)), Development of Commercial Law in Scotland Conference, University of Strathclyde (26 January 2024)

"The Reform of Secured Transactions: Trends and Reflections", AFG College, University of Aberdeen (Doha) (20 November 2023)

"Reflections on the Future of Moveable Security in Scotland", Moveable Transactions Reform Conference, University of Edinburgh (21 April 2023)

"Floating Charges in Comparative Perspective", Institute of European and Comparative Law Seminar, University of Oxford (28 June 2022)

"Recent Developments in Corporate Insolvency Law: CIGA 2020 and Beyond", Insolvency Law Conference, Royal Faculty of Procurators in Glasgow (30 March 2022)

"The 'Pre-History' of Floating Charges in Scots Law", Scottish Property Law Discussion Group (28 October 2020)

"Consumer Sales Contracts: Transfer of Ownership", Scottish Law Commission Workshop on Consumer Contracts in Scotland: Reforming the Law of Transfer of Ownership (8 October 2020)

"The 'Pre-History' of Floating Charges in Scots Law", Scottish Legal History Group Conference (3 October 2020)

"Floating Charges in Comparative Perspective", Young Property Lawyers’ Forum Experts' Meeting, University of Glasgow (5 June 2019)

"The Reform of Security over Moveable Property in Scots Law", Young Property Lawyers’ Forum, University of Maastricht (28 May 2018)

"A Real Right Sui Generis? The Floating Charge in Scots Law", Young Property Lawyers' Forum, Max-Planck-Institut für ausländisches und internationales Privatrecht, Hamburg (23 September 2016) 

"Floating Charges and Trust Property in Scots Law", Scots Law Discussion Group, University of Edinburgh (24 June 2016)

"The Floating Charge in Scots Law and its Attachment to Property", Modern Studies in Property Law Postgraduate Conference, Queen’s University, Belfast (7 April 2016)

"A Tale of Two Mixed Systems: Assignation/Cession in Security in Scotland and South Africa", Young Property Lawyers’ Forum, University of Groningen (23 November 2015)

"The Floating Charge Attachment and Ranking Paradox in Scots Law", Aktuelle Stunde, Max-Planck-Institut für ausländisches und internationales Privatrecht, Hamburg (21 October 2014)

Selected Blog Posts 

A MacPherson and C Rapatz, "Floating Charges in Comparative Perspective: An Exploratory Study", University of Oxford Business Law Blog (9 May 2025)

B Yuksel Ripley, A MacPherson and L Carey, "Digital Assets in Scots Private Law: With a Focus on Private International Law Matters and Developing International Frameworks", EAPIL Blog (21 November 2024)

J Hardman and A MacPherson, "Small and State Funded: An Empirical Study of Liquidations in Scotland", Singapore Global Restructuring Initiative Blog (12 September 2024)

A MacPherson, B Yuksel Ripley and L Carey, "Mapping the Legal Landscape for Cryptoassets in Scotland", University of Aberdeen School of Law Blog (26 August 2024)

B Yuksel Ripley and A MacPherson, "Digital Assets Law Reform in England and Wales and Prospects for Scotland", University of Aberdeen School of Law Blog (21 July 2022)

J Hardman and A MacPherson, "'A Floating Charge' - A Conversation with Jonny Hardman and Alisdair MacPherson", Edinburgh University Press Blog (14 June 2022)

A MacPherson, "Brae Oilfield, Decommissioning Liabilities and Default", University of Aberdeen School of Law Blog (23 February 2022)

A MacPherson, "Property and Insolvency Law: The Need for Multiple Perspectives", University of Aberdeen School of Law Blog (29 October 2020)

A MacPherson and D McKenzie Skene, "Legislating for the Insolvency Impact of the Coronavirus Crisis", University of Aberdeen School of Law Blog (16 April 2020) 

A MacPherson and D McKenzie Skene, "Debt and Insolvency Law in the Age of Coronavirus", University of Aberdeen School of Law Blog (23 March 2020) 

A MacPherson and CS Rupp, "A Child of the YPLF: Floating Charges in Comparative Perspective", Young Property Lawyers Forum (10 July 2019)

A MacPherson and CS Rupp, "Floating Charges in Comparative Perspective", University of Aberdeen School of Law Blog (5 July 2019)

A MacPherson and D McKenzie Skene, "Back to the Future? The Partial Reinstatement of the Crown Preference in Insolvency", University of Aberdeen School of Law Blog (12 December 2018)

Teaching Responsibilities

LS2525 – Commercial Organisations and Insolvency (Course Co-ordinator)

LS4067/LX4067 – Corporate Finance Law (Honours) (Joint Course Co-ordinator)

LS4573/LX4573 – Corporate Insolvency Law (Honours) (Course Co-ordinator)

LS501G – Comparative and International Perspectives on Company Law (LLM) 

LS501R – Advanced Research Skills for Postgraduate Researchers

LS504H – Corporate Finance Law

LS553L – Debt Finance Law (2021-2023)

LS553M – Equity Finance Law (2021-2023)

QL5007 – Comparative and International Perspectives on Company Law (LLM – Qatar) (Course Co-ordinator)

LS503N – Introduction to Corporate Finance Law (2020-2021)

LS2031 – Property Law (2019-2020)

LS2533 – Business Law (2018-2020)

LS3030 – Law of Equity and Trusts of England and Wales (2018-2023)

LS503D – Financing of International Sales - Distance Learning (2019-2020)