The Legal 500

ADVOCATES LIBRARY, PARLIAMENT HOUSE, PARLIAMENT SQUARE, EDINBURGH, EH1 1RF, SCOTLAND

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 Hastie Stable, Chris Pirie is a ‘rising star’, who is ‘hardworking and intelligent’, and was involved in the Greens judicial review case.

Commercial litigation

Within Commercial litigation,

Hastie Stable’s Michael Howlin QC is a ‘very experienced corporate lawyer who is efficient and thorough’. Gavin MacColl is a ‘pragmatic and commercially astute advocate who gains respect from clients with his clear and direct advice’, and is particularly praised for handling property and corporate-related disputes.

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,

At Hastie Stable, the ‘pragmatic and fair’ David Jack ‘deals appropriately with clients from a wide range of backgrounds’.

Overview

Within Lists of government-appointed counsel UK Second Standing Junior Counsel for the Advocate General of Scotland

Within Scottish Stables Stables – both civil and criminal law


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: