13 must-see Edinburgh International Book Festival shows for Scottish solicitors in 2025 including Nicola Sturgeon and Monica Feria-Tinta

The brochure is out and amidst a sweeping programme of events under the umbrella theme of ‘repair’, the Edinburgh International Book Festival has a host of essential events for solicitors and legal practitioners.

The Book Festival is and always has been a highlight of the year for me. I have my parents to thank for taking us along as kids, encouraging us and, dragging us to ‘boring’ book talks by adults we’d never heard of for my love of reading and literature and authors and words.

So to that end, I’ve scoured the 2025 programme (which includes 700 events featuring 641 writers from 35 countries on six continents) for a shortlist of must-see shows for you from former First Ministers talking legislation and legal careers to an exceptional South American lawyer pushing the boundaries of environmental law.

Jenny Niven, Director of Edinburgh International Book Festival, said: 

This year’s key theme of Repair starts from the belief that the brilliant ideas of writers and thinkers can help us repair a host of seemingly ‘broken’ things in our society, from the cycle of fast fashion and our relationship with the environment, to cultural reparations and the state of our politics. It’s a statement of hope and resilience, and an invitation for our audiences to think about what repair might mean for them.

The events will be returning to the stunning Edinburgh Futures Institute from 9-24 August. Tickets for the in-person talks go on sale on June 21, and most of the events are available to steam online. The following previews are chosen from the EIBF programme.

Philippe Sands: Bringing Evil to Justice

Sun 10 Aug 18:45 - 19:45  Venue T  Captioned

From the brochure: Philippe Sands' career as a leading international lawyer has been complemented by his writing, not least his 2016 Baillie Gifford Prize-winner, East West Street. 38 Landres Street is another fine example of his singular blend of memoir, travelogue, detective story, and courtroom drama, this time focusing on Sands' experiences working for the prosecution of Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet and the investigation into an exiled Nazi with ties to Pinochet's regime. Chaired by Gavin Francis. Find out more

Monica Feria-Tinta: Litigating for Mother Nature

Mon 11 Aug 17:45 - 18:45  Courtyard Theatre  Captioned

From the brochure: If corporations can have legal rights, why shouldn't nature? Meet the pioneering British-Peruvian lawyer at the forefront of the climate justice movement: Monica Feria-Tinta. In A Barrister for the Earth, she unravels her most inspiring successes helping ordinary people hold the biggest perpetrators of environmental damage to account. She talks with us today about the groundbreaking potential of these new legal frameworks to help repair the relationship between people and the planet. Chaired by Paul Behrens. Find out more

Gabriel Gatehouse: The Conspiracy That Could Bring Down Democracy

Mon 11 Aug 18:45 - 19:45  Venue T  Captioned

From the brochure: Conspiracy theories are a scourge of online life, but how have they been weaponised to distort reality for political gain? BBC Newsnight’s former international editor, Gabriel Gatehouse, was shortlisted for the Orwell Prize for Journalism and won a Broadcasting Press Guild award for his The Coming Storm podcast, which goes down the rabbit hole of conspiracies upending US politics, and became a vital book. He talks to Festival director Jenny Niven about the threat technology poses to democracy itself. Find out more

Steve Crawshaw & Philippe Sands: Prosecuting the Powerful

Mon 11 Aug 19:30 – 20:30  Courtyard Theatre  Captioned

From the brochure: Is justice possible when war crimes have been committed? Should retribution, reconciliation, or something else be the goal? Two leading authors discuss this tense subject from their own experience. Writer and international lawyer Philippe Sands KC represented Palestine at the International Court of Justice in recent key rulings, while as a former journalist and UK director of Human Rights Watch, Steve Crawshaw reports in Prosecuting the Powerful on the history of putting national leaders on trial. Find out more

The Front List: Nicola Sturgeon

Thu 14 Aug 13:30 - 14:30  McEwan Hall  BSL Interpreted, Captioned

From the brochure: Nicola Sturgeon’s time as Scotland’s first female – and longest serving – First Minister,  saw her tackle some of the most challenging events in modern history. From the Scottish Independence Referendum, Brexit, Covid, and much more, there have been moments of unfathomable pressure – and sometimes, also joy. In this special event celebrating the launch of her warm and revealing new memoir, Frankly, Sturgeon pulls back the curtain on her personal evolution from a shy working-class child to one of Scotland’s most significant political leaders. Find out more

Kevin Guyan & Keio Yoshida: Queer Rights and Realities

Thu 14 Aug 17:45 - 18:45  Courtyard Theatre  Captioned

From the brochure: Writer-researcher Kevin Guyan and human rights lawyer Keio Yoshida both grapple with the complex realities – the challenges and triumphs – of queer existence in contemporary society. Guyan’s Rainbow Trap delves into the societal pressures and expectations that can constrain queer identities, while Yoshida’s Pride and Prejudices examines the flawed legal frameworks shaping LGBTQ+ experiences. Join them for a vital conversation with Caro Clarke about justice, visibility, and the ongoing fight for equality. Find out more

Ash Sarkar: Immigrants Aren’t Eating Your Pets

Sat 16 Aug 12:00 - 13:00  Courtyard Theatre  Captioned

From the brochure: One of the left’s most prominent commentators, Ash Sarkar wades right into the middle of the culture wars in Minority Rule in hyper-intelligent, acid fashion. Join Heather Parry as Sarkar attempts to tear apart the modern morass of identity politics while also reckoning with some of her own long held views. The goal? To expose the minority that’s really screwing us over. Find out more

Mike Berners-Lee: Climate Action and the Power of Truth

Sat 16 Aug 17:00 - 18:00  Venue T  BSL Interpreted, Captioned

From the brochure: Global emissions are worse than ever. The ‘polycrisis’ we face reaches far beyond the climate. Why have we continued to fail when we have the means to succeed? Acclaimed researcher Mike Berners-Lee argues in A Climate of Truth that by focusing on the concept of honesty in our politics, media, and businesses, we can make a radical impact and have more efficiency than we thought possible. His conversation with us today will leave you energised for action. Chaired by Yassmin Abdel-Magied. Find out more

Claire Mitchell and Zoe Venditozzi: Women, Not Witches

Sun 17 Aug 11:45 - 12:45  Venue T  Captioned

From the brochure: Campaign group Witches of Scotland are on a mission to illuminate the unjust killings of nearly 4,000 Scottish women in the 1500s. They want an official pardon, an apology, and appropriate memorialisation of those who were killed. Human rights lawyer Claire Mitchell and novelist Zoe Venditozzi are here to expose this dark side of Scottish history with their illuminating book, How to Kill A Witch: A Guide for the Patriarchy. Find out more

Henry McLeish & James Mitchell: Scottish Devolution – How’s It Going?

Mon 18 Aug 16:00 - 17:00  Courtyard Theatre  Captioned

From the brochure: Henry McLeish (former Scottish first minister and leader of the Labour Party in Scotland) and James Mitchell (director of the Academy of Government at the University of Edinburgh): two authors with heavyweight viewpoints on Scottish politics and devolution. Their new book, Unfinished Business, looks back on the achievements, challenges, and possibilities presented by the creation of the modern Scottish Parliament in 1998. An essential event for anyone intrigued by Scottish politics' workings. Chaired by Brian Taylor. Find out more

Andy Wightman: Who Owns Scotland?

Wed 20 Aug 15:00 - 16:00  Venue T  Captioned

From the brochure: Ten years ago Andy Wightman – a former Member of the Scottish Parliament with the Scottish Greens and a tireless campaigner over issues around land ownership and reform in Scotland – published The Poor Had No Lawyers, a definitive investigation into just who owns the country’s urban and rural land, and how they came to acquire it. Now, with an updated edition just published, he joins us to discuss a topic no less urgent today. Find out more

A C Grayling: Disagreeing Agreeably?

Fri 22 Aug 17:00 - 18:00  Venue T  BSL Interpreted, Captioned

From the brochure: Sometimes it feels like we can’t talk about anything without further polarising opinions. Join author and philosopher A C Grayling as he seeks the middle-ground in an incendiary debate. Drawing from his new book, Discriminations: Making Peace in the Culture Wars, Grayling shares a fresh take on how we might navigate the messy politics of cultural conflict by recognising the nuance between competing rights and interests. Find out more

Jonathan Freedland: Defying a Dictator

Sat 23 Aug 12:00 - 13:00  Courtyard Theatre  Captioned

From the brochure: Author, journalist, and host of both BBC Radio 4’s The Long View series and the Guardian’s Politics Weekly America podcast, Jonathan Freedland has won both the Orwell Prize for Journalism and the Somerset Maugham Award for Non-Fiction. An insightful and authoritative voice on modern history, today he speaks to Kenny Farquharson about his varied career, and the current resonance of his book The Traitors Circle, a true story of rebellion against the Nazis. Find out more