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Property, Planning And Construction

Ampersand Advocates
Axiom Advocates
Terra Firma Chambers

Leading Silks

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Garry Borland KC – Axiom Advocates
James Findlay KC – Terra Firma Chambers 'James is wonderfully and effortlessly persuasive. Very good on his feet, and at home in the Inner House.'
Robert Howie KC – Ampersand Advocates
Malcolm Thomson KC – Ampersand Advocates 'A highly authoritative KC.'
Steven Walker KC - Themis Advocates 'A formidable and persuasive advocate. He is an excellent commercial strategist. Clients trust and like him because he has great judgement; they often see him as their knight in shining armour.'
Ailsa Wilson KC – Ampersand Advocates
2
Douglas Armstrong KC – Terra Firma Chambers 'A well-regarded silk.'
Jonathan Barne KC – Axiom Advocates
Alasdair Burnet KC – Terra Firma Chambers 'A pragmatic and solutions-focused advocate.'
Ruth Crawford KC – Axiom Advocates
Nick Ellis KC – Westwater Advocates
Gavin MacColl KC – Themis Advocates 'An excellent silk with notable property litigation expertise.'
Marcus McKay KC – Ampersand Advocates 'Marcus is really easy to work with, always well-prepared and a great communicator with both the court and clients.'
James Mure KC – Axiom Advocates 'James is adept at navigating very complex legal issues with a calm presence. Excellent presentation in court.'
Laura-Anne Van Der Westhuizen KC – Ampersand Advocates 'Laura-Anne is a compelling advocate, whose grasp of the fine details appears effortless.'
Gavin Walker KC – Axiom Advocates

Leading Juniors

1
Denis Garrity – Terra Firma Chambers 'Denis is extremely clever. He has vast property litigation expertise and is a go-to advocate for particularly thorny disputes.'
Eoghainn MacLean – Ampersand Advocates
Scott Manson – Axiom Advocates
David Massaro  – Axiom Advocates 'A very erudite junior.'
Nicholas McAndrew – Ampersand Advocates ‘Nicholas’ very clear drafting style simplifies and strengthens the core arguments of a client’s case, which is great for persuading the tribunal.’
Adam McKinlay – Axiom Advocates
Maurice O’Carroll – Terra Firma Chambers ‘Maurice always provides accessible advice that offers a practical steer to clients as well as a helpful analysis of the legal issues.’
Timothy Young – Ampersand Advocates ‘Tim’s ability to break down complex problems and legal arguments and get to the nub of the issue is second-to-none.’
2
Ross Anderson – Ampersand Advocates
Ewen Brown  – Terra Firma Chambers 'Ewen is a very impressive advocate. He is always thoroughly prepared, and provides valuable, measured and strategic advice underpinned by a remarkable knowledge of the law. He is very well liked by clients. He has exceptional advocacy skills and his confident and measured approach is very effective.'
Brian Crook – Terra Firma Chambers 'Brian is an authoritative and respected court practitioner. He is concise and particularly skilled at explaining complex concepts to clients.'
Graham Dunlop – Terra Firma Chambers 'A methodical junior, who is considered and reasonable with clients.'
Giles Reid – Ampersand Advocates 'A diligent junior who has the ear of the court.'
Robert Sutherland – Terra Firma Chambers 'He is very responsive and well known for his knowledge of agricultural holdings legislation.'

Rising Stars

Charles Oliver – Arnot Manderson Advocates 'A junior with mastery over the facts in a case and confident in court.'

Property, planning and construction in Scottish Bar

Ampersand Advocates


At Ampersand Advocates, Malcolm Thomson KC stands out as ‘an extremely effective advocate who clearly has the ear of the court‘ and is highly regarded for his expertise in planning matters, which are also prominent in Laura-Anne Van Der Westhuizen KC‘s workload. At the junior end of the stable, Nicholas McAndrew acted as junior counsel for the pursuer in Oil States Industries (UK) Limited v “S” Limited & Anr, concerning a claim brought against the project manager involved in the procurement of a building contractor; the case marked the first time bribery was advanced as a free-standing civil cause of action in Scotland. Giles Reid has a solid track record in advising across a range of contentious property issues.

Testimonials

‘A strong stable.’

‘Very well regarded commercial stable with good strength and depth.’

‘Always very helpful and available.’

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

‘The clerks are very responsive and always helpful.’





Terra Firma Chambers


Viewed as ‘the go-to stable for planning law specialists in Scotland‘ with ‘a wealth of experienced advocates‘ by instructing solicitors, Terra Firma Chambers also has an excellent reputation for its expertise in property law matters. In recent instructions for the group, two silks and a junior acted for various parties in Edinburgh Crematorium Ltd v East Lothian Council, involving a judicial review of the council’s decision to grant planning permission for a new crematorium, namely: James Findlay KC (a dual tenant with English set Cornerstone Barristers), Douglas Armstrong KC and Ewen Brown. Alasdair Burnet KC ‘is continually thinking three-steps ahead and considers the larger issues of a dispute when dealing with the minutiae‘. Denis Garrity is ‘measured and decisive‘, and the ‘very responsive‘ Maurice O’Carroll, who shares dual tenancy with English set 33 Bedford Row, has solid experience in handling environmental law issues.

Testimonials

‘Emma Caskie-Potter is ever-helpful and knows the practice of her stable members inside out.’

‘The clerks at Terra Firma, particularly Emma Caskie-Potter, are excellent in terms of responsiveness and knowledge of counsel’s availability.’

‘Excellent. Responsive, pragmatic and helpful. Emma Caskie-Potter, Andrew Veitch, Tracy Whitelaw and Catriona Downie are a great team.’