Ms Christine O’Neill KC KC > Brodies LLP > Edinburgh, United Kingdom > Lawyer Profile

Situated in the firm’s broader competition and regulation practice, the parliamentary and public affairs practice at Brodies LLP provides ‘unfailingly excellent’ guidance on the full gamut of regulatory and advisory work. Practice leader Christine O’Neill bolsters the team’s capabilities with experience in representing government entities in major public inquiries, while Charles Livingstone leverages extensive expertise in public law. Douglas Waddell focuses on legislative drafting and Niall McLean regularly acts for clients in the public and private sectors.

Brodies LLP handles a range of health mandates, including the acquisition and financing of healthcare facilities, in addition to regulatory matters and national inquiries. With a strong focus in corporate and real estate financing, Peter Kelly jointly leads the team alongside Christine O’Neill, who advises on mandates concerning healthcare regulation. Stuart Murray, a key member of the firm’s infrastructure practice, handles project building and design work, while Jamie Dunne assists with public procurement matters. Other contacts in the group include Kate Donachie and Laura McMillan, who sit within the firm’s wider insurance and risk team.

The market-leading practice at Brodies LLP acts for the largest charities, regulatory bodies and higher education institutions in Scotland. Practice head Kenneth Pinkerton has considerable experience in handling the gamut of charity and third sector-related mandates, including governance issues, mergers and reorganisations. With a focus on corporate governance matters, Brenda Scott further bolsters the team’s capabilities, and Christine O’Neill is recognised for her experience as a litigator. Commercial contract specialist Martin Sloan and accredited mediator Lynne Marr are other key members of the team, and Rebekah Leviston is also recommended.

Brodies LLP is noted for its ‘excellent technical expertise’ in handling a broad range of matters for major Scottish higher education institutions. Niall McLean jointly leads the team alongside Brenda Scott, providing support on commercial mandates and student misconduct cases. Chair Christine O’Neill is another active member of the team, advising educational authorities on IP, employment and regulatory matters. Showcasing a ‘breadth of expertise’, Kirstyn Burke assists on major governance issues and Lynne Marr advises on discrimination-related matters.

With a team that ‘possesses an excellent combination of knowledge and experience’, which enables it to ‘comprehend issues from the client’s perspective and offer practical advice’, Brodies LLP continues to cover the entire spectrum of EU and competition law matters, with an increasing cross-border scope in instructions from multinational corporates and regional and international authorities and agencies. In particular, the group excels at subsidy control mandates, advising on the development of internal policies, the application of legislation, and procurement issues, where it handles a range of contentious and non-contentious instructions. The ‘efficient, knowledgeable and proactive’ team head Charles Livingstone is highly reputed for his varied practice that is particularly specialised in compliance and breach investigations. As a go-to in the practice for disputes work, Christine O’Neill also handles a high-volume of procurement matters and is often supported by senior associate Jamie Dunne, while Robert Ross is recommended for his expertise in the public and transport sectors. Roger Cotton retired in 2023.