The Legal 500

PARLIAMENT HOUSE, PARLIAMENT SQUARE, EDINBURGH, EH1 1RF, SCOTLAND
Tel:
Work 0131 260 5697
Fax:
Fax 0131 220 2654
DX:
549302 EDINBURGH 36
Web:
www.murraystable.com
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What we say about the firm's legal practice in Scottish Bar

Civil liberties, human rights, public inquiries, public and administrative law (including local government)

Within Civil liberties, human rights, public inquiries, public and administrative law (including local government) ,

At Murray Stable, Jonathan Mitchell QC, Lorna Drummond and Simon Collins were all involved in the Eba case. The ‘unflappableMungo Bovey QC, who ‘tenders advice objectively and stands by it’, and Ailsa Carmichael QC were involved in the SNP v BBC case. Alan Summers QC, who is ‘intellectually one of the most able seniors at Scottish Bar’, was involved in the Cadder case. Andrew Webster is a ‘popular and well-liked member of the Bar’.

Commercial litigation

Within Commercial litigation,

Murray Stable’s Alan Summers QC, who is ‘excellent on his feet’, and Jonathan Mitchell QC are key commercial litigators in Scotland.

Company and insolvency

Within Company and insolvency,

Murray Stable’s Richard Aird is ‘well known in Scotland for his specialist interest and practice in corporate and insolvency law’.

Employment

Within Employment,

Murray Stable’s Ian Truscott QC and Hastie Stable’s Brian Napier QC are the ‘foremost employment 
lawyers at the Bar in Scotland’. Ian Truscott QC 
‘allies a thorough knowledge of employment law with genuine tactical nous’, and Brian Napier QC is a 
‘doughty pleader with a good bedside manner and a willingness to take on novel or even speculative points’. Christian Marney provides ‘sound and pragmatic employment’ advice.

Family and childcare

Within Family and childcare,

Murray Stable’s Janys Scott QC is able to ‘assimilate a vast amount of information in a very short period of time’, and is ‘sensitive in child-related matters’ 
while also being ‘a force to be reckoned with’. Kirsty Malcolm takes a ‘calm, considered approach’ and is ‘meticulous in the work that she produces’. Ross Macfarlane handles many of the few education law cases in Scotland. The ‘extremely proficient’ John Speir, who is ‘exceptional in court’ and has a ‘very thorough grasp of the law in both financial provision cases and in child-related matters’, recently joined from Hastie Stable.

Intellectual property and information technology

Within Intellectual property and information technology,

Clients look to Iain Mitchell QC of Murray Stable for an opinion on IP and IT issues as he holds ‘extensive knowledge’ of the area, and is an ‘admirably fine writer and speaker’, and ‘extremely creative and a genuine “blue-sky thinker”’. Iain Artis is recommended for brand management matters.

Overview

Within Introduction,

Despite Oracle Chambers’ brave move to break away from the traditional system, it has recently disbanded. Devolution provided Stables with increased independent powers; each can select its own members, market itself to agents however it chooses, and set up specialist practice area groups. Such powers are expected to lead to increased competition, and it is hoped that agents and lay clients will continue to see a better service. Richard Keen QC, who remains the Dean of the Faculty, is ‘an excellent leader, who lived up to his reputation as one of the leading lights of the Scottish Bar’. Scottish Advocates generally have far broader practices than English and Welsh barristers; inclusion in one area should not be taken to mean that the advocate is confined to that one area. However, among many notable specialists, Murray Stable has a strong immigration team and certain members of Axiom Advocates focus on media and defamation matters.

Within Lists of government-appointed counsel Standing Juniors

Within Scottish Stables Stables – mainly civil law practitioners

Planning, environmental and licensing

Within Planning, environmental and licensing,

Murray Stable’s ‘extremely sharpScott Blair has ‘considerable experience in liquor licensing work’.

Tax, trusts and pensions

Within Tax, trusts and pensions,

Murray Stable’s Iain Artis has ‘built up considerable experience in the area of contentious tax work and brings that to any instruction that he is given’.


Legal Developments in the UK

Legal Developments and updates from the leading lawyers in each jurisdiction. To contribute, send an email request to
  • HOUSING

    In Nzinga Maswaku v Westminster City Council [2012] EWCA Civ 669 the Court of Appeal clarified that in offering a homeless person with alternative temporary accommodation the local authority is obliged to point that if the offer is refused it has discharged its Part VII duties under the Housing Act 1996.
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  • COUNCIL TAX

    In Harrow LBC v Ayiku [2012] EWHC 1200 (Admin) Sales J held that the word “or” in the Council Tax (Exempt Dwellings) Order 1992, art 3 Class N, had a disjunctive meaning, therefore it was sufficient for the non-British spouse of a foreign student to satisfy one or other of the two conditions, namely being prevented from taking paid employment or being prevented from claiming benefits, in order to qualify as a “relevant person” who was exempted from liability to pay council tax.
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  • QUEEN’S SPEECH

    Bills already introduced pursuant to the Queen’s Speech on 9 May 2012 include Local Government Finance Bill and Electoral Registration and Administration Bill, both accompanied by Explanatory Notes, which in each case address ECHR compatibility.
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  • Standards

    In R (Calver) v Adjudication Panel for Wales [2012] EWHC 1172 (Admin) Mr Calver was a member of Manorbier Community Council who successfully challenged the decision of the Panel to dismiss his appeal against a decision by Prembrokeshire County Council Standards Committee censuring him for a number of comments or blogs posted by him on a website he owned and controlled.
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  • A justified retrospective

    Clive Sheldon - QC debates the pros & cons of retrospective tax legislation
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  • Public Sector Equality Duty (“PSED”)

    In R (Greenwich Community Law Centre) v Greenwich LBC [2012] EWCA Civ 496 the Court of Appeal held that the Council had had “due regard to the PSED when making changes to its funding of community legal advice services”. At para 30 Elias LJ said:
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  • Public Sector Equality Duty

    Surrey County Council conducted a review of its Library Service. This culminated in a Report to the Council’s Cabinet. The Recommendations in the Report included that there should be consultation about a community-partnership approach at selected Libraries.
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  • Judicial Review

    The Judgment of Lindblom J in The Manydown Co Ltd v Basingstoke and Deane BC [2012] EWHC 977 (Admin) repays attention. The Claimant sought to challenge by judicial review 2 decisions of the Council: (1) the Council’s refusal to reconsider its position on the development of a site that it owns (and is the subject matter of a Joint Development Partnership Agreement with the Claimant); and (2) a decision of the Council’s Cabinet approving a selection of sites for development which did not include this site.
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  • The Health and Social Care Act 2012: impact on adult social services

    After its torrid passage through Parliament, the Health and Social Care Bill received Royal Assent on 27 March 2012. The Act deals principally with healthcare reform, but it also contains some amendments to the legislative framework for social care. It will come into force on a day yet to be appointed by the Secretary of State.
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  • Immigration update May 2012

    In this issue: