Ampersand Advocates > Edinburgh, Scotland > Profile
Ampersand Advocates Offices

Ampersand
ADVOCATES LIBRARY, PARLIAMENT HOUSE
EDINBURGH
EH1 1RF
Scotland
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Ampersand Advocates > The Legal 500 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.Leading Silks
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
2023 Silks
Leading Juniors
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
Leading Juniors
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.Leading Silks
Leading Juniors
Testimonials
‘Alan Moffat and the Ampersand clerking team are very pro-active, very quick to respond to queries and very user friendly.’
‘Alan Moffat does very well at running a tight ship.’
‘The Ampersand clerks are very easy to deal with, friendly, responsive and helpful.’
‘Ampersand is one of the go-to commercial stables. They have an excellent group of advocates.’
‘A well-run stable.’