News
13 September, 2023
Two King’s Counsel Appointments at Ampersand Advocates
Congratulations to Ampersand’s Fiona Drysdale KC and Paul Reid KC, on taking silk. Fiona and Paul are amongst fifteen new silks announced today, appointed by His Majesty the King on the recommendation of First Minister Humza Yousaf.
The rank of King’s Counsel is generally reserved for those who have distinguished themselves in practice in the Supreme Courts. Advocates and Solicitors with Rights of Audience in the Supreme Courts are eligible to apply to the Lord Justice General, Scotland’s senior judge. Before making nominations to the First Minister, the Lord Justice General consults other judges, the Lord Advocate, the Dean of the Faculty of Advocates and the President of the Law Society of Scotland.
Fiona specialises in reparation, clinical negligence and public inquiries. She has considerable experience in catastrophic injury and cases involving children and young people.
She was appointed as a Standing Junior to the Scottish Government in 2022. She is a member of both the Scottish Civil Justice Council and the Access to Justice Committee of the Civil Justice Council. She is an Ad Hoc Advocate Depute and has served as acting Clerk of Faculty, Deputy Clerk of Faculty and Clerk to the Board of Examiners. She is a Faculty Skills Instructor and a Legal Assessor for the General Teaching Council for Scotland.
Before calling to the bar, she worked as a solicitor in a large commercial firm, having trained there in Edinburgh and London. She has also worked as a legal translator for the European Court of Justice.
Since calling to the Bar in 2011, Paul has built a strong practice anchored around professional liability and public law. In 2020, he was appointed the First Standing Junior Counsel to the Scottish Government. In that capacity he has advised the Scottish Government in respect of a broad range of public law matters and represented them in numerous high profile cases of constitutional significance (e.g. the 2022 Referendum Reference to the Supreme Court). In that capacity, he has also represented the UK Government before the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. He has particular experience in respect of prison-related litigation (including several high profile Fatal Accident Inquiries following deaths in custody) and planning-related litigation (including compensation claims before the Lands Tribunal and planning appeals to the Inner House).
Paul also has particular interest and experience in professional liability and regulation (especially claims against solicitors, surveyors and medical professionals). As well as conducting litigation on behalf of professionals and professions, he has appeared before fitness to practice panels (medical profession), the Scottish FA’s judicial panel (sporting) and has represented legal professionals seeking leave to appeal decisions of the SLCC. He has appeared in a number of regulatory appeals to the Court of Session (both following substantive fitness to practice proceedings and in respect of extensions of interim orders). In that respect, he has experience represented both professionals and regulatory bodies.
Paul has taught public law at the University of Edinburgh since 2004, regularly lecturing and tutoring on various aspects of the subject. He has a particular interest in judicial review, surveillance powers and electoral law. Paul regularly publishes articles and blogs on public law and has written the third and fourth editions of the Green’s Concise Guide to Public Law (published in October 2015 and August 2020, respectively). He also regularly speaks at seminars on public law and professional liability.
Stable Director Euan Mackenzie KC said: “I congratulate Fiona and Paul on their well deserved appointment as King’s Counsel. They are both first class Counsel who are held in high regard in the profession and their appointment illustrates Ampersand’s continuing commitment to excellence.”
The full list of new silks can be found on the Judiciary of Scotland website here.