Ampersand Advocates > Edinburgh, Scotland > Profile

Ampersand Advocates
Ampersand
ADVOCATES LIBRARY, PARLIAMENT HOUSE
EDINBURGH
EH1 1RF
Scotland

Email firm Visit website 0131 260 5674 0131 225 3642

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Rankings

Scottish Bar > Administrative and public law Tier 1

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.

Rising stars

Michael Way – Ampersand Advocates

Leading Silks

Susanne Tanner KC – Ampersand Advocates

Aidan O’Neill KC – Ampersand Advocates

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

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.'

Una Doherty KC - Ampersand Advocates

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

2023 Silks

Paul Reid KC – Ampersand Advocates

Leading Juniors

Ross Anderson – Ampersand Advocates

Usman Tariq – Ampersand Advocates

Timothy Young – Ampersand Advocates

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.’

Scottish Bar > Personal injury and medical negligence Tier 1

At Ampersand Advocates, the team is well-regarded for its strength in representing defenders and pursuers in high-profile, complex clinical negligence cases, and continues to handle the full range of high-value personal injury work. Lauren Sutherland KC (who has dual tenancy with Manchester-based set Byrom Street Chambers) has established expertise in advising on issues of consent concerning clinical negligence matters. In recent instructions for the stable, Douglas Ross KC is acting for the defenders in a case involving a claim arising from a prison officer undergoing alleged secondary exposure to a psychoactive substance via vapes being used by the prisoners. Lisa Henderson KC is a dual tenant at London set 42BR Barristers. Fiona Drysdale KC took silk in September 2023.

Leading Silks

David Stephenson KC – Ampersand Advocates

Maria Maguire KC –Ampersand Advocates

Graham Primrose KC – Ampersand Advocates 'A powerhouse silk.'

Euan Mackenzie KC – Ampersand Advocates 'Euan approaches each case with excellent attention to detail. His negotiation skills are second to none. He is an exceptional KC in the complex field of clinical negligence.'

Simon Bowie KC –Ampersand Advocates

Lauren Sutherland KC – Ampersand Advocates

Geoffrey Mitchell KC – Ampersand Advocates 'He is very focused, and equally approachable. A silk with outstanding attention to detail and an excellent command of the evidence. He has the ear of the court.'

Lisa Henderson KC – Ampersand Advocates

Alan Dewar KC – Ampersand Advocates

Vinit Khurana KC – Ampersand Advocates

Douglas Ross KC – Ampersand Advocates 'He is very impressive in court. Always extremely well prepared and presents arguments methodically, logically and carefully.'

Una Doherty KC – Ampersand Advocates 'Una is acutely intelligent with a meticulous and analytical approach. Her negotiation skills are excellent, and her legal analysis second to none.'

Archie MacSporran KC –Ampersand Advocates 'A fantastic silk.'

2023 Silks

Fiona Drysdale KC – Ampersand Advocates 'Fiona is very precise. She has the ear of the court, and is well respected by the bench.'

Leading Juniors

James McConnell – Ampersand Advocates

Shane Dundas – Ampersand Advocates 'Shane is very diligent. A dedicated junior with superb judgement.'

Jennifer Nicholson-White –Ampersand Advocates 'A stand-out junior counsel in the field of personal injury and medical negligence. Her attention to detail is unrivalled. She is a persuasive advocate and is always one you would prefer to have in your corner. She is effective in court and in negotiation.'

Testimonials

‘Ampersand has a strong and accessible clerking team, under the strong leadership of Alan Moffat.’

‘Alan Moffat is a stand-out clerk, who takes client relationships extremely seriously.’

‘Excellent – Sheena Hume is very organised and always quick to help.’

‘Sheena Hume is fantastic. She is always responds quickly and keeps you updated on her contact with counsel.’

‘Ampersand has a very strong clinical negligence offering.’

‘Ampersand Advocates is a highly professional and helpful stable.’

‘The stable has strength of depth in relation to medical negligence.’

‘Good stable with in-depth clinical negligence experience.’

Scottish Bar > Property, planning and construction Tier 1

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.

Leading Silks

Malcolm Thomson KC – Ampersand Advocates 'A highly authoritative KC.'

Ailsa Wilson KC – Ampersand Advocates

Robert Howie KC – Ampersand Advocates

Laura-Anne Van Der Westhuizen KC – Ampersand Advocates 'Laura-Anne is a compelling advocate, whose grasp of the fine details appears effortless.'

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.'

Leading Juniors

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.’

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.’

Eoghainn MacLean – Ampersand Advocates

Giles Reid – Ampersand Advocates 'A diligent junior who has the ear of the court.'

Ross Anderson – Ampersand Advocates

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.’

Scottish Bar > Commercial disputes Tier 2

At Ampersand Advocates, Laura-Anne Van Der Westhuizen KC ‘provides clear and concise advice‘ on a broad range of commercial disputes, including cases with real estate, planning and insolvency aspects, and Robert Howie KC has an excellent reputation for his expertise in handling professional negligence litigation. Usman Tariq is highly regarded for advising on contentious matters involving IP issues, and Eoghainn MacLean is ‘impressive in court‘. Timothy Young ‘approaches matters with an eye on the commercial aspects of a case‘. In September 2023 Paul Reid KC took silk.