Aidan O’Neill KC
A phenomenally knowledgeable silk.'
Ampersand Advocates is highly regarded for its ‘strong public and administrative law offering’. The team continues to handle a range of high-profile judicial review cases, and is equally adept at advising on public law litigation, often involving human rights issues. In a recent matter, Aidan O’Neill KC represented the successful appellant before the Supreme Court in For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers, in which the Supreme Court ruled that the granting of a Gender Recognition Certificate under the Gender Recognition Act 2004 does not alter a person’s sex for the purposes of the Equality Act 2010. Paul Reid KC ‘has the ear of the court and always hits the right tone when making his submissions’, and Douglas Ross KC is ‘a first-class public lawyer’. Among the juniors, Ross Anderson is ‘an absolutely first class advocate with an in-depth understanding of public law’, and the ‘meticulous’ Michael Way is well versed in handling cases involving civil liberties issues.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'Alan Moffat is very professional.'
- 'Alan Moffat is very responsive.'
- 'The clerks are always helpful and efficient.'
- 'Extremely helpful clerks.'
- 'Ampersand is an excellent stable for public law.'
- 'Ampersand is a good and highly rated public law stable.'
Lawyers
Leading Silks
KCs at the very top of their field, with a long-established record of market-defining cases, and widespread endorsement from clients and peers. All silks appointed in the last two rounds are listed further below.
Douglas Ross KC
Douglas is an exceptional silk who is unshakeably calm in the face of difficult circumstances.'
Susanne Tanner KC
Susanne is a strategic and pragmatic decision maker with meticulous attention to detail.'
Paul Reid KC
Paul has a comprehensive knowledge of public law; he deploys new and novel arguments to very great effect.'
Laura-Anne Van Der Westhuizen KC
2024 Silks
KCs at the very top of their field, with a long-established record of market-defining cases, and widespread endorsement from clients and peers. All silks appointed in the last two rounds are listed further below.
Usman Tariq KC
Leading Juniors
Leading juniors are those with significant experience of key cases, strong market recognition from both peers and clients, and are seen as future candidates for silk.
Ross Anderson
He is commercial, detailed, brilliant with clients, great on his feet and a pleasure to work with.'
Timothy Young
A junior who is well liked by clients.'
Rising stars
Rising stars at the Bar are defined as barristers between four and eight years’ call who are seen as up-and-coming members of the Bar in their respective practice areas by clients and peers alike. They will already be instructed in high-profile, complex, and high-value contentious and non-contentious matters, working with and opposite more experienced leading counsel.
Scott Clair
Michael Way
Michael is a highly skilled and proficient counsel with a strong ability to analyse complex legal disputes and deliver practical, effective solutions. He demonstrates confidence and poise in the courtroom while maintaining a friendly and approachable demeanour.'