What the Legal Directories say about Ampersand
Ampersand possesses a solid bench of highly experienced senior and junior counsel across all of our core areas of practice. Our members are continually ranked in the UK’s foremost independent legal directories, many of whom are noted as being “leaders” in their field of expertise.
You can find out more about our latest legal directory listings from the following sources and on our members individual pages.
Ampersand received 89 listings across all 18 areas of practice, ranking as top tier (band 1) in Clinical Negligence, Personal Injury, Planning & Environment and Public & Fatal Inquiries as a set, and band 2 in Administrative & Public Law, Civil Liberties & Human Rights, Commercial Dispute Resolution, Construction, Professional Negligence, Real Estate Litigation and Restructuring and Insolvency as a set. 3 Members are noted as “Star Individuals”.
Set Band 1 listings
Ampersand Advocates “has huge experience in dealing with highly complex cases” and retains its reputation as a “go-to chambers for medical negligence work.” Its advocates continue to provide expert legal advice and representation to both pursuers and defenders in a wide range of disputes, including claims relating to birth and catastrophic brain and spinal injuries. Its members are well versed in cases arising from alleged failures in diagnosis and surgical errors and regularly appear at fatal accident inquiries. The stable also houses considerable expertise in obstetric negligence cases. Ampersand’s members recently acted in McCulloch v Forth Valley Health Board, which re-examined the law on reasonable treatment options and was heard before the UK supreme court.
Rankings include Maria Maguire KC as “Star Individual”, with 13 further Silks and 3 Juniors also ranked – Euan Mackenzie KC, Lauren Sutherland KC, Lisa Henderson KC, Simon Bowie KC, Una Doherty KC, Geoffrey Mitchell KC, Graham Primrose KC, Isla Davie KC, Jamie Dawson KC, Vinit Khurana KC, Fiona Drysdale KC, James McConnell KC, Paul Reid KC, Mark Fitzpatrick, Jennifer Nicholson-White and Shane Dundas.
Ampersand Advocates is well regarded for the complex planning and environmental work undertaken by its advocates. Members of the stable regularly act in judicial reviews and challenges to planning permissions, and frequently act on behalf of developers, objectors, public sector bodies and energy companies. Members are regularly engaged in high-profile matters, including those relating to large renewable energy projects. One source comments : “The stable’s expertise for relevant matters has been excellent.” Another interviewee states: “Ampersand is a go-to stable for complex and contentious matters.”
Rankings include, Band 1 Silks Ailsa Wilson KC, Laura-Anne van der Westhuizen KC and Marcus McKay KC and 1 Junior ranked Nicholas McAndrew.
Ampersand Advocates is a highly regarded stable for personal injury matters with “a superb range of senior and junior counsel.” Members act for both pursuers and defenders, including several major insurers, in the full range of claims, and offer considerable expertise in the handling of catastrophic injury cases arising from road traffic and workplace accidents. The team is also well regarded for its expertise in complex product liability and occupiers’ liability disputes and matters involving accidents abroad. Recent matters include acting on behalf of an individual pursuer in their claim against EasyJet where the airline was found to be liable for the pursuer’s injuries after falling out of a wheelchair. Interviewees report: “Its advocates are extremely knowledgeable in their specialisms, as well as having the ability to clearly communicate with clients and provide pragmatic solutions.
Rankings include Graham Primrose KC and Maria Maguire KC as “Star Individuals” with 9 others ranked – Euan Mackenzie KC, Lisa Henderson KC, Simon Di Rollo KC, Douglas Ross KC, Isla Davie KC, Jennifer Nicholson-White, Alan Cowan, Christian Marney and Shane Dundas.
Public & Fatal Accident Inquiries
Ampersand Advocates continues to be a dominant player in the Scottish inquiries space. The stable offers unparalleled bench strength across seniorities, from rising star juniors to distinguished silks. The advocates have tested their mettle on several of the highest-profile mandates in recent history, including both the UK and Scottish COVID-19 inquiries, the UK infected Blood Inquiry and the Scottish Hospitals Inquiry. Ampersand Advocates’ broader public and administrative law and clinical negligence pedigree ensures that all representations are backed up by market-leading expertise. In addition to public inquiries, members are also instructed as leading counsel on independent investigations and reviews and fatal accident inquiries. An instructing solicitor notes: “The legal advice and service provided is second to none. The lawyers display a variety of skills and expertise spanning across all sectors.” Clients of the stable include the Scottish Government, the Scottish Prison Service, NHS bodies and health boards, police constabularies and bereaved parties.
Rankings include Geoffrey Mitchell KC, Jamie Dawson KC, Jennifer Nicholson-White, Lisa Henderson KC, Simon Bowie KC, Susanne Tanner KC, Ayla Iridag, Michael Way, Fiona Drysdale KC, James McConnell KC and Paul Reid KC.
Set Band 2 listings
Administrative & Public Law
Ampersand Advocates houses highly praised practitioners who are skilled at acting in public law cases involving significant constitutional and human rights issues. The stale is praised for its impressive number of highly rated junior and senior counsel, and members frequently appear before the highest courts in Scotland and the UK. In recent months. Members acted on behalf of the Scottish Ministers in a challenge over the lawfulness of the Secretary of State’s decision to prevent Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill being submitted for royal assent.
Rankings include Aidan O’Neill KC as “Star Individual” with 5 others also ranked – Douglas Ross KC, Ian S Forrester KC, Laura-Anne van der Westhuizen KC, Paul Reid KC, Usman Tariq KC
Civil Liberties & Human Rights
Ampersand Advocates is a highly regarded civil liberties and human rights stable, known for representing both private individuals and public bodies in significant proceedings. Practitioners at Ampersand are regularly instructed by the government and the Equality and Human Rights Commission. Recent work includes Burns v Scottish Ministe rs, a challenge brought by a life sentence prisoner.
Rankings include Aidan O’Neill KC, Douglas Ross KC and Usman Tariq KC
Ampersand Advocates is admired for its skilful work in high profile commercial disputes. The stable offers a large team comprising highly rated advocates at the senior and junior levels. The advocates are instruction behalf of corporations and financial institutions and are involved in a variety of related areas of practice including intellectual property and insolvency. Recent work highlights include Rankine v Livingston FC Limited, a series of disputes arising out of the acquisition of Livingston FC concerning allegations of fraud and shadow directorship. A commentator remarks: “Ampersand is one of the go-to stables in Scotland for any commercial property dispute.”
Rankings include Robert Howie KC, Graeme Hawkes KC, Laura-Anne van der Westhuizen KC, Paul Reid KC, Usman Tariq KC, Ross G. Anderson, Timothy Young, Giles Reid, Eoghainn MacLean, Mark Boni, Micheal Way and Nicholas McAndrew
Ampersand Advocates is recognised as a leading stable for professional liability matters in Scotland. The advocates often advise and act in proceedings on behalf of and against a suite of professionals including solicitors, surveyors, architects and financial advisers. One recent matter saw members successfully appeal against the extension of an interim order imposed by the GMC.
Rankings include Paul Reid KC and Usman Tariq KC
Ampersand Advocates offers a strong bench of well-regarded advocates who are active across a broad range of real estate litigation topics. The set demonstrates strong expertise in areas of overlap between commercial and real estate disputes. Members are instructed at all levels from the Supreme Court down. This year, a highlight of the work the set carried out was Forthwell Limited v Potegadea UK Ltd, a case in the Commercial Court regarding flood damage to a restaurant.
Rankings include Ross G. Anderson, Timothy Young, Giles Reid, Robert Howie KC, Mark Boni and Michael Way.
Ampersand Advocates offers significant experience in advising clients in relation to a range of building and construction works in Scotland. The bench handles a variety of contractual and delay disputes, also involving defects issues. Its advocates have notable expertise in adjudications and enforcement actions, as well as construction-related bond matters. This year’s work highlights include Leonardo Hotel Management (UK) Ltd v Galliford Try Building 2014 limited, A Multimillion-pount dispute relating to cladding defects. One source says: “the stable has excellent strength in depth in relation to property disputes of all natures.”
Rankings include Robert Howie KC, Timothy Young and Nicholas McAndrew
Ampersand Advocates is well regarded for its handling of a wide range of restructuring and insolvency matters. The stable’s advocates are frequently instructed to represent administrators, companies, banks and insolvency office holders in complex claims involving allegations of wrongful trading and breach of fiduciary duty, among other matters. Members have further experience of appearing in both domestic and cross-border matters and are regularly called upon to act for and advise their clients on both contentious and non-contentious insolvency cases. Barristers at the stable have recently acted on MCR Oil Tools LLC v SPEX Group Holdings Limited, in an appeal to the Court of Session involving the adjudication and rejection of high-value claims by liquidators.
Rankings include Robert Howie KC, Ross G. Anderson and Usman Tariq KC
Individual practice area rankings
- Company: Ross G Anderson and Tim Young
- Employment: Aidan O’Neill KC
- Information Technology and Intellectual Property: Usman Tariq
- Media: Usman Tariq
- Product Liability: Paul Reid
- Tax: Julian Ghosh and Ross Anderson
Source here.
Listed as tier 1 in Administrative and Public Law, Crime and Regulatory, Personal Injury and Medical Negligence and Property, Planning and Construction, and tier 2 in Commercial Disputes. Ampersand has collected 33 Senior counsel rankings, 17 Junior Counsel and a rising star ranking, across the Scottish Bar Listings.
TIER 1
Ampersand Advocates’ members have been kept especially busy handling high-profile judicial reviews, and the stable is widely recognised for its expertise in advising on cases involving human rights and civil liberties issues. Douglas Ross KC’s ‘analysis of a case is exceptional’. Paul Reid KC is ‘intellectually very able’ and has extensive experience in advising the Scottish Government on a broad range of constitutional issues. In recent work for the group, Ross Anderson successfully acted as junior counsel for the petitioners in Averbuch v City of Edinburgh Council, a judicial review of the council’s short-term lets licensing policy, and Timothy Young is acting as junior counsel for the Scottish Association of Landlords in a high-profile judicial review of the rent control provisions in the Cost of Living (Tenant Protection) (Scotland) Act 2022. Bolstering the team at the senior end of the stable, Usman Tariq KC took silk in September 2024.
Testimonials
“Extremely helpful. Always engaged and engaging”
“Excellent – all clerks are very good”
“The clerks at Ampersand are always eager to assist and responsive to emails”
Leading silks
Band 1
Aidan O’Neill KC – ‘A simply extraordinary talent.’
Douglas Ross KC –’Douglas is a first-class silk. He has the ear, and confidence, of the court.’
Band 2
Laura-Anne Van Der Westhuizen KC
Leading juniors
Band 1
Rising Star
Michael Way – ‘He demonstrates excellent knowledge of the field and case law, is very personable and professional, and meticulous in preparation’.
Personal Injury and Medical Negligence
TIER 1
‘The primary set for clinical negligence counsel’ for many, Ampersand Advocates‘ ’highly experienced ‘team is regularly instructed by pursuers and defenders in a range of high-profile cases. Una Doherty KC represented the defender before the Supreme Court in McCulloch and others v Forth Valley Health Board, an appeal pertaining to a claim of alleged negligent care by a cardiologist, involving issues of assessment of reasonable treatment options, informed consent and causation. The Court granted decree of absolvitor, concluding that the correct test to apply to what constitutes a reasonable alternative treatment is the Bolam test, and there was no breach of duty on the part of the cardiologist. Among the juniors, Jennifer Nicholson-White ’knows the intricacies of clinical negligence principles’ and ‘truly holds her own in court’, and the ’confident ‘Ayla Iridag is very experienced in acting for defenders in clinical negligence and personal injury claims. David Stephenson KC retired in late 2023, and James McConnell KC took silk in September 2024
Testimonials
‘Alan Moffat and his team of clerks are always excellent.’
‘Sheena Hume is excellent. She will always communicate, is efficient and organised, and very accommodating
‘Alan Moffat is a very capable senior clerk.’
‘Alan Moffat stands out for his approachability and standards of service.’
‘Alan Moffat is always great to deal with – completely sensible and understands the needs of solicitors.’
‘Alan Moffat runs a highly efficient stable. Nothing is ever a problem, and he will always do everything he can to assist and find solutions when problems arise.’
Leading Silks
Band 1
Simon Bowie KC – ‘A respected council’
Una Doherty KC –‘Una is one of Scotland’s most experienced and specialised counsel in the field of medical law. Nothing fazes her. She is calm and collected as well as extraordinarily thorough. She will not shy away from running complex arguments and has an ability to unpick and clearly present complicated evidence.
Lisa Henderson KC – ‘She is analytical, thorough and prepared, and fights her client’s corner’
Euan Mackenzie KC – Euan is highly respected at the Bar because of his specialist knowledge, his expertise and talent. He is professional but able to deal with the sensitive issues and reassure families. He is certainly an expert in his field.’
Maria Maguire KC – She is a stand-out silk in the field of clinical negligence.’
Geoffrey Mitchell KC – An excellent communicator with strong analytical skills. He has great insight, and an ability to simplify even the most complex issues.’
Graham Primrose KC – Graham is a brilliant advocate, persuasive and intuitive as to when to press a point, and when to draw a line.’
Lauren Sutherland KC – Tenacity, intellectual rigour, and passion are all strengths of Lauren’s. She is dedicated to the cause for pursuers.’
Band 2
Douglas Ross KC – Douglas’ strengths are his attention to detail and his grasp of the finer details of each case he presents. It is reassuring to have counsel who know their papers inside out, and can provide guidance to his instructing agents as well as well-informed advice to clients.’
Leading Juniors
Band 2
Shane Dundas – Shane’s depth of knowledge and understanding within the highly complex field of medical litigation is of a golden standard.’
Ayla Iridag – Ayla is a robust and knowledgeable counsel, as well as pragmatic and a good communicator.
Jennifer Nicholson-White – An acknowledged expert in clinical negligence cases, Jennifer’s courtroom skills display her deep knowledge of this area of law. She is analytical, indefatigable, and robust.’
Property, Planning and Construction
TIER 1
Ampersand Advocates is ‘a very well regarded stable in the planning law area’, and has a solid track record in advising on high-profile real estate disputes and development and infrastructure projects in Scotland. Marcus McKay KC is well-known for assisting energy companies with the planning aspects of prominent energy infrastructure projects. Ailsa Wilson KC is ‘one of the most experienced and sought after planning advocates in Scotland’. Timothy Young acted as junior counsel for the pursuers in Wilson & Anor v McAteer, concerning a challenge to an asserted servitude right over an access road in the pursuers’ land; the court found in favour of the pursuers. Ross Anderson is well-versed in advising on property law matters and has been kept busy handling contentious real estate issues. Malcolm Thomson KC retired in April 2024
Testimonials
‘Alan Moffat is excellent.’
‘Alan Moffat is a stand-out clerk.’
‘Alan Moffat goes out of his way to assist. Shawn McArthur is great to deal with and takes a proactive approach when it comes to finding suitable dates and assisting with availability of counsel.’
‘Ampersand Advocates is extremely impressive.’
‘Ampersand has a distinct and reputable presence across construction, property and planning disputes.’
‘Ampersand is an exceptional stable.’
‘Breadth and depth of talent.’
Leading Silks
Band 1
Ailsa Wilson KC – Ailsa is able to deal with challenging issues, quickly gets to the heart of a problem and provides sound practical advice.
Band 2
Laura-Anne Van Der Westhuizen KC – Laura-Anne combines strategic, commercial thinking with excellent legal knowledge and the ability to present complex arguments in a clear and concise manner.’
Leading Juniors
Band 1
Nicholas McAndrew – He is very responsive and user friendly with a real talent for putting clients at ease. An impressive advocate.’
Timothy Young – He is a fierce litigator who puts forward the best case on behalf of clients at all times.’
Band 2
Giles Reid – Giles has an encyclopaedic knowledge of property law, and his advice is pragmatic, commercially aware and tactically sound.’
TIER 1
At Ampersand Advocates, multiple members of the stable have been kept especially busy representing various parties in the high-profile UK and Scottish COVID-19 inquiries, as well as acting for core participants in the Scottish Hospitals inquiry; in the case of the latter, Una Doherty KC is advising NHS National Services Scotland, while Susanne Tanner KC is representing Scottish Futures Trust in the ongoing proceedings. Simon Bowie KC ‘gets to the nub of the issue’ in complex, prominent inquiries. Paul Reid KC has a solid track record in advising on prison-related litigation, and is often instructed in Fatal Accident Inquiries arising from deaths in custody. At the junior end of the stable, Ayla Iridag is well known for appearing for participants in Fatal Accident Inquiries, and acted as sole counsel to NHS Grampian in the fatal accident inquiry into the death of an 83-year old man, who died as a result of injuries inflicted by a person who had been referred for psychiatric treatment but had not attended the appointments; it was found that no health care precautions could reasonably have been taken that could have avoided the man’s death. In a boost to the stable, James McConnell KC and Usman Tariq KC were appointed to silk in September 2024.
Testimonials
‘Alan Moffat is second to none.’
‘Alan Moffat is a great leader of the Ampersand clerking team. Sensible and approachable.’
‘The service of the clerks is efficient, friendly and very responsive. Sheena Hume is particularly helpful and responsive.’
‘Great range and depth of available counsel with a great clerking team.’
‘Great support from the stable.’
Leading Silks
Band 2
Simon Bowie KC – Simon is an exceptional KC. His ability to gather together the key information from large quantities of papers is brilliant.’
Una Doherty KC – Her advocacy style is understated yet powerful due to her thoroughness and cogent reasoning.’
Lisa Henderson KC – Lisa is able to absorb voluminous material covering a variety of complex issues in tight timescales. She is an expert at analysing the detail and pulling out the key points in a case. This strength together with her legal knowledge, drafting skills and advocacy gives clients confidence that they are in safe hands.’
Leading Juniors
Band 1
Ayla Iridag – Ayla has an impressive ability to astutely appreciate and respond to tactical issues and decisions. Proactive in offering advice and assistance, she is a junior counsel whose ability exceeds her years of experience at the Bar.’
Jennifer Nicholson-White – Jennifer is an extremely industrious junior.’
Rising Star
TIER 2
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.
Testimonials
‘Alan Moffat is great’
‘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’
Leading Silks
Band 2
Laura-Anne Van Der Westhuizen KC
Leading Juniors
Band 1
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.’
Band 2
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 Star
Michael Way – Michael’s advocacy is exceptional. He can turn dry contractual documents to narratives pulsating with vibrancy.
Employment
Aidan O’Neill KC – Ampersand Advocates ‘He is an excellent communicator and exceedingly bright. He is also wonderfully adept under pressure.’
Source here.
We have a number of individual rankings across multiple areas:
Construction – Robert Howie KC and Tim Young
Government Contracts – Aidan O’Neill KC
Intellectual Property – Usman Tariq
Professional Negligence – Robert Howie KC and Paul Reid
Restructuring & Insolvency – Robert Howie KC and David Sellar KC
UK Bar: