Levy & McRae

Levy & McRae

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Scotland

Private Crime Department

David McKie

David McKie

Senior Partner David McKie is senior partner of the firm. He has been practising as a solicitor since 1997. He has a diverse and high profile litigation practice and has been involved in some of the most significant cases in Scotland in the last 25 years. He has vast experience in almost all forms of litigation including police investigations, criminal cases, civil disputes (court and via mediation or arbitration) and all forms of inquiries – public, parliamentary and fatal accident inquiries. His exceptional experience included working as a young lawyer on major public inquiries, ground-breaking media cases and learning his trade in the civil and criminal courts throughout Scotland. In recent years, he led the legal teams for Alex Salmond in his successful judicial review against the Scottish government, the criminal trial as well assisting the former First Minister’s interests as a key contributor to the Parliamentary Inquiry. He represents many key figures in politics, education, business and in the major professions, providing both legal and reputation management advice. David also has a substantial rural and agricultural practice with a focus on representing a large number of sporting estates in Scotland, including their (often high profile) owners, managers and employees, as well as advising the major rural sporting representative bodies in the UK and looking after their many members. He advises many of the major media companies in the UK, in print, broadcast and online. He was head of media law at the University of Glasgow for ten years and has advised on almost all of the major media stories in Scotland over the last quarter century, many of which have changed the law. He has authored books, legal articles and is a regular commentator on legal issues in the media. His clients include major corporations, celebrities and extremely successful entrepreneurs. Much of his work is referred from other lawyers who rely on his specialism and experience in niche areas of the law. As senior partner, he has overseen the material growth of the business since 2015, which has involved expansion into Edinburgh.

Callum Anderson

Callum Anderson

Head of Regulatory Crime. Partner & Solicitor Advocate Callum is a Partner and Solicitor Advocate. He advises a range of clients in a wide variety of contentious legal issues and appears in Courts all over Scotland, in Fatal Accident Inquiries and has represented clients at mediations. Callum leads the firm’s expertise in all areas of transport law and insurance litigation. He has particular expertise in regulatory crime including health and safety prosecutions, wildlife and environmental crime. He regularly defends police officers in respect of on and off duty issues. He is involved pursuing and defending post publication claims. He is part of the firm’s media law team that provides 24/7 pre-publication advice to newspaper and broadcaster clients. He has particular experience in the issues arising from internet publication. He has been involved in many prosecutions and defences relating to post publication claims. He acts on behalf of policyholders in disputes with insurers and brokers. Callum regularly delivers seminars and training to clients on a wide variety of topics including regulatory crime, transport, insurance and media.
Paul Anderson

Paul Anderson

Senior Associate Paul Anderson is a Senior Associate at the firm who specialises in criminal defence work. He qualified as a solicitor in 2011 before joining Levy & McRae in 2022. Paul has extensive experience of advising and representing clients facing all levels of prosecution in the Justice of the Peace Courts, Sheriff Courts, and the High Court. He has represented many clients at summary and Sheriff and Jury Trials. He has been instructed in High Court trials for clients facing the most serious of allegations. Paul has been instructed in notable cases including an appeal to the Supreme Court in the case of Sutherland (Appellant) v Her Majesty’s Advocate (Respondent)(Scotland); [2020] UKSC 32, on appeal from [2019] HCJAC 61. His case of Quyen Van Phan v HMA; [2018] HCJAC 7 a reference of a Compatibility Minute to the Appeal Court. He has also been instructed in connection with a successful appeal against conviction. His cases have attracted substantial media attention and Paul has been interviewed by the media about his cases. Since joining Levy & McRae, Paul has represented the firm’s wide variety of professional clients which includes businesspeople, estate owners, gamekeepers, and doctors. He has also been instructed by a multi-national truck manufacturer in connection with a Fatal Accident Inquiry. He has dealt with high-profile cases where clients have been charged with assault, sexual offences, firearms offences and wildlife and countryside offences. Paul has dealt with road traffic offences where very often the charges may seem insignificant but have a profound impact because of the consequences of disqualification. Paul has represented clients successfully in persuading the Court in relation to Special Reasons and Exceptional Hardship in road traffic cases. Key to Paul’s success for Levy & McRae’s clients is an understanding of the significance of a criminal prosecution and the implications of conviction. Paul understands that reputation is everything and he strives to protect that.
Hannah Fairbrother

Hannah Fairbrother

Solicitor  Hannah Baxter is a dedicated specialist criminal law specialist with a remarkable track record of success in both summary and solemn courts throughout Scotland. Hannah graduated from the University of Dundee with a first-class honours degree and subsequently received an award for Advanced Advocacy upon completing the diploma. She is widely praised for her exceptional efficiency, unwavering empathy and her warm and personable approach to every client. Her proactive nature ensures that she leaves no stone unturned in seeking the best outcomes for those she represents.

Team Services

Premier Criminal Defence and Reputation Management in All Scottish Courts

The Value of Reputation

Levy & McRae have a long-established reputation as Scotland’s premier private criminal defence lawyers. Our Private Crime Department is well-known for dealing with the most complex and challenging cases to come before all Scottish courts. We represent clients who are charged with all criminal offences or who are facing allegations and investigations.

Specialists in white-collar, high-profile and complex regulatory and financial crime cases, we are seen as the lawyers of choice for private individuals and as the ‘Lawyer’s Lawyer’ by other top legal firms seeking Scottish criminal law expertise. We understand and know the true value of reputation.

Guiding and Protecting Clients in All Courts and All Cases

Whatever clients are facing, our expert criminal law team will find the right path through any investigation or charges. Our caseload covers everything from heavyweight High Court trials to sensitive domestic or sexual allegations and complex corporate cases. We act for individuals, businesses and organisations.

We recognise that all allegations and charges have the potential to disrupt and derail a person’s professional and family life, professional standing and reputation – we never lose sight of that and work tirelessly to defend their interests in all cases.

Our service is wide-ranging and expert, covering:

  • Criminal Law - all areas of private criminal law for individuals, businesses and organisations.
  • Fraud & Financial Crime
  • Business Crime
  • Legal Advice and Specialist Representation - advice for witnesses and complainers in criminal trials; representation at police interviews; and watching briefs in Scottish courts.

Having our own in-house media expertise means that we are also adept at managing all media to keep matters away from public scrutiny. We will use all our expert knowledge of the law to avoid a prosecution and any potential publicity wherever possible.

If court proceedings are inevitable, we will take control from the outset, managing the legal process and providing formidable personal advocacy, backed up by an extensive and highly experienced defence team.

A Wide Geographical Reach

We act for clients across Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom, as well as for international clients, who are facing allegations or charges in all Scottish courts. Our clients include company directors and business people, politicians, sports personalities, HNW individuals and professionals answerable to professional bodies such as doctors, lawyers and accountants. We also act for companies, organisations and associations requiring our specialist expertise.

We use the latest technology to communicate with clients at all stages and to gain competitive advantage over investigating authorities. We can shadow police investigations behind the scenes to assess police progress and pre-empt developments. All of this informs our strategies and tactics in dealing with individual cases.

With offices in Edinburgh, London and Glasgow, we are well-placed to help clients at all points of the compass across the United Kingdom. Client service, combined with the highest level of legal expertise, is everything at Levy & McRae.

A Trusted Referral Practice

Our Private Crime Department receives many referrals for specialist cases and acts on behalf of leading firms across Scotland and the rest of the UK, including ‘magic circle’ London firms, who are looking for the best Scottish criminal law expertise and representation for their clients. We also refer work ourselves - to firms in England & Wales as we do not act in this jurisdiction.

We can work with referring firms in a variety of highly adaptable ways: whether you wish to continue to work with a client in a partnership arrangement; or fully retain a client, bringing us in for specialist advice or perhaps a watching brief in Scottish courts; or whether you simply wish to hand over a client to us as a trusted firm.

Our service goes way beyond the ‘9 to 5’ approach; we set great store by always being available to clients wherever they are. We make use of all technology platforms to ensure constant feedback and communication. All of this is backed up by a legal team of solicitor-advocates, senior associates, solicitors and support staff.

The firm is additionally well-placed to deal with jurisdictions beyond the UK to represent Scottish interests. Our Scottish criminal law expertise spans the globe.

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Client testimonials

Legal 500 Client

'They are a team of extremely experienced criminal lawyers who are highly skilled in dealing with private and corporate clients.  They have an in-depth knowledge of the criminal law both at common law and under statute, and their legal analysis and understanding of complex cases is extremely impressive.'

Legal 500 Client

‘The team at Levy & McRae were entirely cohesive, organised, well-informed and up-to-date. Needless to say, I had absolute confidence that my matter was being handled with the utmost confidentiality and discretion. No stone was left unturned in terms of identifying and employing the best legal strategy.'

Legal 500 Client

‘They helped me get through what has been the most difficult time in my life and did so with understanding, compassion and of course professional expertise to get the best outcome.'

L500 | Levy & McRae > Scotland | Legal 500 law firm profiles | Private Crime Department