Ian Forrester KC receives lifetime achievement award at the Herald’s Law Awards of Scotland

One of Scotland’s most distinguished advocates, Ampersand’s Ian Forrester KC, received a Lifetime Achievement Award from The Herald Law Awards of Scotland 2025. His award was just one of many that were handed over during a glittering ceremony hosted by Rob Rinder, which took place in the Radisson Blu Hotel in Glasgow on Friday, 7 November.

Ian S Forrester KC LLD, who served as judge from the UK in the General Court of the European Union before returning to the Scottish Bar in 2020, received the accolade for his extensive experience in the European Court of Human Rights and for his record in arbitration and mediation over many decades.

Ampersand’s Usman Tariq KC presented Ian with the award. Usman said:

Unfortunately, I come not bearing gifts but only warm and admiring words for one of the most remarkable Scottish lawyers of this generation.

It is a real privilege and honour to present this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award to an individual who has had an extraordinary legal career, one that began in this great city.He was born in Glasgow in 1945 and educated at Kelvinside Academy and the University of Glasgow. He began his career with Maclay Murray & Spens in the mid-1960s. An opportunity to study at Tulane University in Louisiana took him to the United States, where he spent a couple of years working in New York for Davis Polk.

One of the memorable cases that he worked on in New York involved a Pan Am airplane that was hijacked by Palestinians, flown from Amsterdam to London then on to Beirut and ultimately blown up in Cairo. It was a dispute between two insurance companies. He spent months in Beirut, Damascus and Istanbul working on this case.He returned to Scotland and called to the Scottish Bar in 1972 as the “devil” of Sir David Edward KC, the recipient of last year’s Lifetime Achievement Award. The Bar had been in his sights since his days at the Glasgow University Union, when he debated the likes of Donald Dewar, John Smith, Colin MacKay and James Douglas-Hamilton.

He took silk, becoming a Queen’s Counsel in 1988. In the meantime, he was admitted to the New York and English Bars. However, despite calling to the Scottish Bar in 1972, it took him a full 50 years before he started practising there.

In 1973, he instead headed to Brussels to work for another top-tier law firm doing customs law, chemicals and competition law. He was one of the first generation of UK lawyers who arrived in Brussels when the UK joined the European Communities.

For the next 42 years, Brussels was his home. He set up his own firm in Brussels in 1981 which was ultimately bought over by White & Case in 1997.  While at White & Case, he set up a global pro-bono programme for the firm.

One of the important pro-bono cases handled by the firm under his watch was the challenge to the US military’s ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy, which served in practice to prolong the discrimination that gay people had been subjected to in the military.

During his career, he was involved in many of the seminal cases which contributed to the development of key principles of EU law, and in particular competition law, including Bosman, Magill, Microsoft, Intel and Rambus.

He resigned from White and Case in 2015 as he was nominated by the UK to serve on the General Court of the European Union in Luxembourg.  He followed fellow Scots, Lord Mackenzie Stuart and Sir David Edward, on to the Bench in Luxembourg.

That judicial position ended with Brexit with his tenure coming to an end in 2021. He was the UK’s last ever judge of the EU court. The UK’s loss was the Scottish Bar’s gain. After 50 years, he returned to practice at the Scottish Bar. He is now a practising member of Ampersand Advocates. It has been, in his words, “quite a journey”.

I have had the privilege of working with this remarkable man since his return to Edinburgh. He is a brilliant lawyer but an even better person – a man who is generous, modest and the best of company. Working with him has been a genuine highlight for me. He has been a mentor to many young lawyers around the world, including me.

This Award is not simply a recognition of years of service, but of a lifetime devoted to the law in a career which has spanned practice; scholarship; and judicial office. He is a true global Scot. The Judges unanimously decided to award this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award to Ian Forrester KC

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Usman Tariq KC announced as new Chair of JUSTICE Scotland

JUSTICE are delighted to announce that Ampersand’s Usman Tariq KC will take on the role of Chair of JUSTICE Scotland, succeeding Almira Delibegović-Broome KC.

JUSTICE has been at the forefront of law reform in the UK since 1957, aiming to build a fairer justice system within everyone’s reach, carrying out research and generating practical, workable recommendations. JUSTICE Scotland was established in 2012, following JUSTICE’s successful intervention in Cadder v HM Advocate, and focuses on important issues within the Scottish justice system.

JUSTICE Chief Executive, Fiona Rutherford said: “I am very pleased to welcome Usman Tariq KC to JUSTICE Scotland and look forward to working with him. Usman’s experience, insights, and leadership will be invaluable for building long-lasting change within the Scottish legal system.”

Usman Tariq KC said: “I am delighted to join the JUSTICE Scotland team and build on Almira’s excellent work. Nearly 10% of JUSTICE’s members are now in Scotland. I believe that JUSTICE, as one of the most respected and trusted voices in the justice system across the UK over its 68-year history, is uniquely placed to bring cross-border expertise, experience and networks to the conversations in Scotland to ensure a fair, accessible and well-functioning justice system.

“This feels like a particularly important time for the JUSTICE community as there are increasing attacks on the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary across the world as well as misinformation about the justice system and those who work within the system. There are also significant concerns about the erosion of access to justice for some of the most vulnerable in our society because of the legal aid crisis.

“JUSTICE has always been proudly independent, non-partisan and collaborative. JUSTICE Scotland will work with stakeholders from across the wide ecosystem of the justice system in Scotland to uphold the rule of law, access to justice and ultimately, build a better justice system.”

Usman is a King’s Counsel at the Scottish Bar. He was previously standing junior counsel, including latterly the Second Standing Junior, to the UK Government in Scotland. He served as a full-time Advocate Depute at the Crown Office between 2021 and 2022 where he prosecuted serious crime. Since 2022, he is appointed as counsel to the UK Covid-19 Public Inquiry.

He is passionate about improving diversity and inclusion in the Scottish legal profession. He co-founded the Scottish Ethnic Minorities Lawyers Association (SEMLA) and was appointed to the Law Society of Scotland’s Racial Inclusion Group, reviewing racial inclusion in the profession. He is a member of the Scottish Government’s Future of the Legal Profession short-life working group and the Judicial Appointments Board for Scotland’s Judicial Diversity Reference Group.

Outgoing JUSTICE Scotland Chair, Almira Delibegović-Broome KC said: “It has been a great pleasure and honour to serve as JUSTICE Scotland Chair these past three years. I wish the new Chair, Usman Tariq KC, and the rest of the JUSTICE team all the very best in moving JUSTICE Scotland forward. JUSTICE’s work will stay close to my heart as I remain involved in its work as a member of the JUSTICE Council.”

JUSTICE is a law reform organisation working to build a fair UK justice system within everyone’s reach. Over our 68-year history we have transformed the legal landscape for the better, led by evidence, expertise, and a focus on practical solutions. For more information, please visit justice.org.uk and www.justice.org.uk/justice-scotland/home.

Usman will work alongside JUSTICE Scotland Vice-Chair, Seonaid Stevenson-McCabe.

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