Administrative And Public Law

Leading Silks

Duncan Hamilton KC – Arnot Manderson Advocates 'Duncan has the ultimate advocacy skill: the ability to persuade. He does this by an ability to tailor his approach to the individual judge or sheriff. He knows when to push and when to give ground, in a graceful way which notably lacks either blandishment or personal ego.'

James Mure KC – Axiom Advocates

Aidan O’Neill KC – Ampersand Advocates

Douglas Ross KC – Ampersand Advocates 'A silk at the top of his game.'

Janys Scott KC – Westwater Advocates

Kay Springham KC – Compass Chambers 'She is excellent on her feet and instantly has the ear of her clients.'

Susanne Tanner KC – Ampersand Advocates

Alasdair Burnet KC – Terra Firma Chambers 'Alasdair is very thorough and detailed in his approach. He is also very calm and measured, which clients and the courts both like and appreciate.'

Ruth Crawford KC – Axiom Advocates

Una Doherty KC - Ampersand Advocates

James Findlay KC – Terra Firma Chambers 'He is very compelling before a judge and very comforting with clients - he has lots of empathy and great communication skills.'

Geoffrey Mitchell KC – Ampersand Advocates 'Geoffrey is excellent. His advocacy skills are expertly honed and extremely persuasive. He is calm and precise and his warmth and understanding of his client's position leads to great results. He is pragmatic, an expert in his field and a real pleasure to work with.'

Morag Ross KC – Axiom Advocates

Andrew Webster KC – Themis Advocates 'A very erudite and personable silk.'

Laura-Anne Van Der Westhuizen KC – Ampersand Advocates 'A sagacious and approachable silk.'

2023 Silks

Dan Byrne KC – Axiom Advocates

Paul Reid KC – Ampersand Advocates

Leading Juniors

Ross Anderson – Ampersand Advocates

Scott Blair – Terra Firma Chambers 'A junior with a wealth of knowledge in licensing law.'

Lesley Irvine – Axiom Advocates

Usman Tariq – Ampersand Advocates

Ewen Campbell – Axiom Advocates

Adam McKinlay – Axiom Advocates

Barney Ross - Compass Chambers

Emma Toner - Compass Chambers

Gordon Watt – Terra Firma Chambers

David Welsh – Axiom Advocates

Stephen Winter – Terra Firma Chambers 'Stephen is highly reliable and particularly knowledgeable on asylum and immigration cases.'

Timothy Young – Ampersand Advocates

Rising Stars

Michael Way – Ampersand Advocates

Administrative and public law in Scottish Bar

Tier 1 sets

Ampersand Advocates

At Ampersand Advocates, the team has an excellent track record in handling a wide range of complex, high-profile administrative and public law cases, with members often appearing before the UK Supreme Court. Aidan O’Neill KC, who is a dual tenant with Matrix Chambers in London, is a highly regarded advocate in the space, with specialist expertise in human rights and EU law. Public inquiries form a key pillar of Laura-Anne Van Der Westhuizen KC‘s practice. At the junior end of the stable, Ross Anderson has extensive experience in acting in judicial reviews, and Usman Tariq is instructed in complex public law litigation. Paul Reid KC was appointed to silk in September 2023.

Testimonials

‘Alan Moffat is a stand out clerk and regularly goes above and beyond to provide a fantastic service.’

‘Ampersand is home to a vast array of very effective advocates. They have a real depth of knowledge of public and administrative law.’

‘The stable has excellent public lawyers.‘

‘Always very helpful and available.’

‘All of the clerks are extremely approachable and knowledgeable about their advocates.’

Tier 2 sets

Terra Firma Chambers

Terra Firma Chambers‘ members have been kept especially busy handling large-scale inquiries, judicial reviews and licensing matters. In recent work for the stable, James Findlay KC appeared in a case involving a judicial review concerning planning permission being granted for the construction of a crematorium. Alasdair Burnet KC regularly acts for developers, local authorities, and landowners in a range of public law matters. Among the juniors, the ‘responsive‘ Scott Blair is appearing for the City of Edinburgh Council in a judicial review concerning Edinburgh's "nil cap" on the number of licences for sexual entertainment venues.

Testimonials

‘Emma Caskie-Potter is a very personable practice manager.’

‘Very good stable.’

‘Good public law stable.’

Coverage By Practice AreaScottish Bar