Ampersand Advocates has an excellent track record in handling high-profile commercial disputes. The team’s broad workload includes contentious construction, professional negligence, insolvency and intellectual property issues. Paul Reid KC has extensive experience in advising on professional liability claims, and Laura-Anne Van Der Westhuizen KC is well versed in assisting with disputes relating to insolvency, planning and shipping matters. Among the juniors, Ross Anderson is ‘reliable and easy to work with’, Timothy Young has ‘razor-sharp focus on the particulars of a case’, and Michael Way is ‘an accomplished litigator’ with ‘unmatched pure, raw intellect’. In recent work for the stable, newly appointed silk Usman Tariq KC, who attracts praise for his ‘huge depth of knowledge of IP law’, acted as sole counsel for the respondent in D&M Winchester Ltd v Coleburn Distillery Ltd, which involved a dispute over a trade mark; this case was the second ever appeal from the UK Intellectual Property Office to the Court of Session under the Trade Marks Act 1994.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
- Profile
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'Alan Moffat is great.'
- 'Emma Busby is our usual point of contact and is extremely organised and helpful.'
- 'Alan Moffat and Kathryn Ferguson are very helpful.'
- 'The clerks are attentive and efficient.'
- 'Very efficient, friendly and reliable.'
- 'Ampersand is an exceptional stable.'
- 'A go-to stable for any commercial dispute, and the range of advocates is very impressive.'
- 'Ampersand is an excellent 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.
Laura-Anne Van Der Westhuizen KC
2023 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.
Paul Reid 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
Usman leaves no stone unturned when preparing for a case. He has a quiet but confident cross examination style – there will be no court room dramatics on show, but his effective denouement of a case is always expertly delivered and well received by the court.’
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
Very intelligent, technically able and user friendly. A robust and pragmatic junior.'
Eoghainn MacLean
Eoghainn's forensic analysis of a case is genuinely astounding. On his feet, he clearly has the ear of the court.'
Mark Boni
Mark is always well-prepared for court appearances and his attention to detail is unparalleled.'
Nicholas McAndrew
Nick is extremely bright, thorough, strategic and responsive. His written and oral advocacy skills are very good.'
Timothy Young
He is a powerful and focused advocate and enjoys the respect of judges.'
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.
Michael Way
Michael's advocacy is exceptional. He can turn dry contractual documents to narratives pulsating with vibrancy.'