Ms Christine O’Neill KC > Brodies LLP > Edinburgh, > Lawyer Profile

Brodies LLP combines its strength in commercial litigation with its private client capabilities to provide a broad contentious trust offering from four office locations across Scotland. Typical work includes executry disputes, winding up estates, validity of wills and various trustee issues. Mark Stewart heads the team and divides his time between the firm’s Aberdeen and Inverness offices; he acts for wealthy individuals and their family trusts, and alongside contentious issues, also advises on estate, succession and tax planning matters. He shares this expertise with Alan Barr based in Edinburg. Also based in Scotland’s capital, Christine O’Neill is a key contact for litigation, while Angela McCulloch in Glasgow assists trustees, executors and high-net-worth individuals with estate planning. Hayley Robertson (Edinburgh) is another key member of the team.

Brodies LLP‘s healthcare practice demonstrates considerable expertise across the full spectrum of healthcare-related matters with particular strength in handling complex regulatory work and major national inquiries. This leads to regular high-profile instructions, covering contentious and non-contentious issues, from a wide range of clients, including governmental bodies and local authorities. The ‘exceptional’ practice is led by public law specialist Jackie McGuire, who advises clients on various healthcare issues; former co-head David Gallagher (sector-specific regulatory and commercial work) left the firm in April 2023 to work independently. Other key individuals include experienced litigator Christine O’Neill and Stuart Murray, who routinely handles healthcare-related infrastructure work.

With an impressive client list that includes some of the biggest charities operating in Scotland, Brodies LLP‘s charities and not-for-profit team combines its full-service offering with an extensive geographical spread across Scotland’s major cities. Kenneth Pinkerton, praised for his ‘exceptional‘ knowledge of the charity law sector, jointly heads the team with Brenda Scott . Christine O’Neill takes point on contentious matters, while Martin Sloan advises a wide variety of charities on commercial, contractual and data protection issues. The firm also receives regular instructions from philanthropic and family foundations as well as Scottish regulators and larger corporate entities operating in the charity sector. Lynne Marr and senior associate Rebekah Leviston are other notable members of the team.

Brodies LLP has established one of the most comprehensive EU and competition services in Scotland, regularly advising major clients across the gamut of areas including antitrust compliance and investigations, merger control, state aid and subsidy control, public procurement, and pre- and post-Brexit EU law. The team is highly active across a number of key sectors including transport and infrastructure, food and drink, technology, and energy, with practice head Charles Livingstone being renowned for his expertise advising private and public sector clients in both contentious and non-contentious situations. Christine O’Neill KC brings significant competition litigation experience, having acted on a number of transport infrastructure cases, while Roger Cotton leads the firm’s State aid and subsidy control practice and has considerable commercial law expertise. Senior associate Jamie Dunne has a strong procurement law practice, regularly representing bidders and public authorities.

With firm chair and experienced KC Christine O’Neill at the helm, Brodies LLP‘s team in Edinburgh maintains an excellent defamation and reputation management offering, working with leading global broadcasters and content platforms on media disputes and injunctive proceedings. Senior associate Sarah McCormick further excels in this area, handling a mixture of defamation, privacy and contempt of court issues. Also praised in the contentious sphere is Niall McLean for his litigation and reputation management advice to individuals, corporations and public authorities. Martin Sloan anchors the firm’s equally strong commercial media practice, advising major Scottish publishers and global production studios on a range of contracts, IP and data matters.

Brodies LLP‘s wide-ranging practice covers the full spectrum of parliamentary and public affairs, with the team’s expertise spanning both contentious and non-contentious legislative and constitutional matters. The ‘outstanding‘ Christine O’Neill heads the practice and is regularly instructed by governmental authorities to act on high-profile public inquiries and constitutional law cases before Scottish and UK courts. Legislative drafting is a core specialism for the firm, with O’Neill and public law specialist Charles Livingstone being key contacts in this area. Other key members of the team include Jackie McGuire, who advises regulatory bodies and local authorities on statutory matters, and Niall McLean, who routinely handles public sector disputes.