Michael Way

Michael Way’s principle areas of practice are public & administrative law, commercial disputes and civil liberties/human rights.

Michael is listed as a ‘Rising Star’ in the 2021/22 Legal 500 in both Commercial Disputes and Administrative and Public Law.

“A brilliant advocate – insightful, thorough and refreshingly convincing on his feet, he is approachable and easy to work with.” – Legal 500 2021/22 ‘Administrative and Public Law’

After spending several years as a performer in the music industry, Michael trained with one of Scotland’s leading commercial law firms and undertook a six month secondment to the Scottish Government Legal Directorate. Shortly after qualifying as a solicitor Michael began devilling, during which he won the Mike Jones Excellence in Advocacy prize and was the Faculty Scholar 2018/19.

Since calling, Michael has appeared regularly in courts and tribunals throughout Scotland. In particular, he has:

appeared for Serco defending over 150 interdict actions, including appearances in the Sheriff Appeal Court and instruction during the related Inner House reclaiming motion process;
been instructed by petitioners in a number of successful Court of Session judicial review actions in immigration and housing matters;
instructed by child respondents in nobile officium petitions seeking recognition of English High Court deprivation of liberty orders;
appeared frequently for the Advocate General as a standing ‘junior junior’ in the First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber);
been instructed in a variety of property, contractual, professional negligence, debt recovery and insolvency disputes, including success after proof in a case involving a challenge to interest to enforce real burdens;
developed a proficiency in consumer rights issues, including claims under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 and the Consumer Protection From Unfair Trading Regulations 2008;
assisted in a major offshore dispute in Jersey;
undertaken criminal appeal work, with successful appearances in the High Court and Sheriff Appeal Court.

Michael has a strong academic background with degrees from Oxford, King’s College London and Edinburgh. Since 2015, Michael has tutored at the University of Edinburgh (Jurisprudence; Critical Legal Thinking) and was previously a guest lecturer in Business Law at Queen Margaret University. He was the research assistant to Lady Poole and Sheriffs McCartney and Drummond on their recent book A Practical Guide to Public Law Litigation in Scotland (2019; W.Green)

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Alexander Sutherland

Alex Sutherland practises in commercial law, public law (including judicial review and planning) and reparation. Selected cases are below.

He was an advocate depute, preparing and presenting cases in the High Court of Justiciary, from 2021 to 2024. He conducted over 30 trials in the High Court, including for murder, attempted murder, causing death by dangerous driving, possession of firearms and rape.

In March 2024 he was appointed as a standing junior to the Scottish Government.

In May 2020 he was appointed as a reporter for Session Cases. He contributed chapters on the sale of goods and (together with Ross Anderson) alternative dispute resolution for the second edition of Scots Commercial Law. He tutored Civil Court Practice as part of the Diploma in Professional Legal Practice at Edinburgh University in 2019 and 2020.

Before calling to the Bar, Alex trained with a commercial firm in Edinburgh. He completed his LLB at Glasgow University in 2014 and the Diploma in Professional Legal Practice at Edinburgh University in 2015. Before then, he studied German and English Language at Edinburgh University, during which time he spent a year studying in Vienna.

He speaks fluent German and French and is well placed to undertake work involving consideration of documents in those languages.

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Timothy Young

‘Timothy is a very astute operator who commands the confidence of clients and solicitors alike.’ (Chambers (2024) – Commercial Dispute Resolution)

‘His intellectual prowess and ability to quickly and competently ascertain the critical considerations of a case and the best strategy moving forward is matched with a formidable style of advocacy.’ (Chambers (2024) – Construction)

‘Timothy understands issues and is good on his feet. He is popular with both solicitors and clients and robustly puts forward his clients’ positions.’ (Chambers (2024) – Company)

‘Tim’s ability to break down complex problems and legal arguments and get to the nub of the issue is second-to-none.’ (Legal 500 (2024) – Property, Planning and Construction, Band 1)

‘He is one of the best advocates at the Bar. He is very bright and very user-friendly’ (Chambers (2023) – Commercial Dispute Resolution)

‘Tim is excellent. He is regularly instructed in public law matters and his written work is exceptional.’ (Chambers (2023) – Administrative and Public Law)

Tim Young is a leading junior counsel with particular emphasis on commercial and public law disputes.

He has acted in many of the most complex and high-value commercial disputes of recent years. He has a broad expertise in commercial contract disputes (particularly construction and IT contracts), trusts, property (including agricultural and crofting matters), banking, insolvency, and shipping and maritime law. He is also a contributing editor to leading practitioner texts in these areas, the Companies Law (reissue) and Shipping and Maritime Law (reissue) volumes of The Laws of Scotland: Stair Memorial Encyclopaedia.

He also has substantial experience of judicial review and statutory appeals in the field of public and administrative law, particularly dealing with human rights challenges, malicious prosecution cases, public procurement disputes, and professional discipline matters. As well as appearing in Court, he has appeared in a wide variety of tribunals, committees, and disciplinary hearings.

Tim has also been appointed as a Standing Junior Counsel to the Scottish Government, and regularly appears in the courts for the Scottish Government.

He graduated with a first class honours from the University of Strathclyde. Throughout his career, he has maintained links with academia through tutoring Business Entities and Constitutional Law at both the University of Edinburgh and Napier University, and as an external examiner at Robert Gordon University. He is also the Deputy Editor of the official law report series in Scotland, Session Cases.

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Usman Tariq KC

Usman Tariq has extensive experience of high-value and complex commercial disputes and public law litigation. His core areas of practice include contractual, intellectual property, insolvency, banking, company and professional negligence disputes. He also specialises in administrative and public law, including judicial reviews, and has experience of advising clients on sanctions law. He has appeared at all levels of the Scottish court system, including the UK Supreme Court.

The breadth of his experience and expertise is recognised in the Chambers & Partners UK Bar Guide 2025 in which he is ranked as a leading individual in eight practice areas. This is the highest number of individual rankings for the Scottish Bar. He was recognised as Advocate of the Year at the Law Awards of Scotland 2017 and the Legal 500’s Junior Counsel of the Year at the Scottish Bar at the Legal 500 UK Awards 2019.

He has held a number of professional appointments. Since 2022, he is appointed as counsel to the UK Covid-19 Public Inquiry chaired by Baroness Heather Hallett. He is a member of the legal team investigating core political and administrative governance and decision-making in relation to the pandemic. He was involved in high-profile public hearings in January 2024 in which key individuals involved in the pandemic response in Scotland gave evidence. He has gained significant experience of acting in public inquiries. He was also a Standing Junior counsel to the UK Government in Scotland for nine years and latterly served as Second Standing Junior to the Advocate General for Scotland before his appointment as silk. He has served as a full-time Advocate Depute at the Crown Office between 2021 and 2022.

He has been described in the Chambers & Partners UK Bar Guide as being “universally respected at the Bar, including by opponents and the judiciary” and a “very highly regarded practitioner” who has “the ear of the court” and is “very popular with the judiciary”. He is ranked in the Chambers & Partners UK Bar Guide 2025 for the following eight practice areas: (i) commercial dispute resolution; (ii) intellectual property; (iii) information technology; (iv) media law; (v) restructuring / insolvency; (vi) professional negligence; (vii) administrative and public law; and (viii) civil liberties and human rights. He is also ranked in the Legal 500’s UK Bar Guide 2024 for commercial disputes and administrative and public law.

He acts in cases across the commercial spectrum. He is ranked in the Chambers & Partners UK Bar Guide 2025 and in the Legal 500 UK Bar Guide 2024 for commercial disputes. He is described in the Chambers & Partners Bar Guide 2024 as “an absolute standout advocate, a superb all-rounder who is great with clients” and whose “legal analysis is outstanding”. His expertise in professional negligence claims is recognised by Chambers & Partners who note that he has a “reputation for his handling of professional negligence claims, primarily against firms of solicitors”. He also undertakes a significant amount of work in the field of personal and corporate insolvency. Chambers & Partners note that “he is regularly instructed to act for administrators, liquidators and trustees, among other parties, in complex corporate and personal insolvency cases”.

He has developed a market-leading reputation for intellectual property disputes. He has been described by the Legal 500 as “The best all-round IP junior in Scotland”. Chambers & Partners has noted that he is a “real standout in IP” and “well deserving of his reputation as a go-to IP barrister”. In addition to appearing in most of the leading IP cases in the Court of Session over the past decade, he has experience of conducting proceedings in the UK Intellectual Property Office. He also has a leading reputation for Information Technology disputes. He is the only junior counsel in Scotland recognised by Chambers & Partners for expertise in this practice area. Chambers & Partners note that he “garners critical acclaim in the market for his abilities in a host of cases including those involving the IP rights in games, television and related merchandise”. He has acted in high-profile cases in the gaming industry, including for Sony Interactive Entertainment and Naughty Dog in relation to the hack of servers and leak of footage from the “Last of Us Part II” video game before its release, and Rockstar Games in relation to modding of the software of the “Grand Theft Auto V” video game.

He has significant expertise in administrative and public law as well as civil liberties and human rights. He is ranked in both the Chambers & Partners and Legal 500 UK Bar directories for administrative and public law. In his role as a Standing Junior counsel to the UK Government in Scotland, he has advised and represented a number of UK government departments including the Cabinet Office, Home Office, Department of Work and Pensions, Department of Energy Security and Net Zero and the Ministry of Defence. He is described by Chambers & Partners as having a “busy public and administrative law practice, in which he acts mostly for central government”. He is also described as a “well-regarded civil liberties and human rights advocate” who is “particularly adept at judicial reviews concerning EU, human rights and immigration law”. He has significant experience of EU law, including having advised on the applicability of the sanctions regime.

He has experience of alternative dispute resolution as counsel in mediations and arbitrations. He has been appointed as the arbitrator in commercial disputes. He has also been a legal member of the Scottish Football Association’s Judicial Panel.

He is an alumnus of the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitors Leadership Program (IVLP). The IVLP is the U.S. Department of State’s premier professional exchange programme in which emerging foreign leaders in a variety of fields are invited to the U.S. to meet with professional counterparts and cultivate lasting relationships. In 2022, he spent time in Washington D.C., San Francisco, Portland and Montana meeting with various federal and state governmental bodies, NGOs and stakeholders in a human rights project on Advancing Minority Rights in Europe.

He is a member of the Royal Society of Edinburgh’s Young Academy of Scotland (YAS). YAS aims to bring together young professionals from all sectors to work together on projects that benefit Scotland and the world.

He is passionate about improving inclusion in the legal profession in Scotland. In 2017, he co-founded the Scottish Ethnic Minority Lawyers Association (SEMLA). SEMLA aims to improve ethnic diversity in the legal profession in Scotland. The group is supported by the Law Society of Scotland and the Faculty of Advocates. SEMLA has collaborated with some of the largest law firms and organisations across the UK on events and work placements for law students from ethnic minority backgrounds. In 2021, he was appointed to the Law Society of Scotland’s Racial Inclusion Group which undertook a systematic review of racial inclusion in the profession and produced a report with recommendations. In 2023, he was appointed to the Scottish Government’s Future of the Legal Profession short-life working group. The purpose of this group is to examine the evidence and propose improvements to address the challenges of recruitment and retention in the profession and to provide support for the planning, collaboration and improvement of legal services in Scotland.

He called to the Bar as the Faculty’s Lord Reid scholar for 2010/2011. This scholarship is awarded annually to the outstanding candidate to the Bar. He is a graduate of the University of Glasgow and the University of Cambridge.

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Una Doherty KC

Una Doherty KC has been ranked in many editions of the Legal 500 UK Bar Directory for Personal Injury and Medical Negligence. At the Legal 500 Scotland Awards 2024 held in November 2024 she was named Silk of the Year.

2025 edition (Band 1 ranking): “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.”
2024 edition: “Una is acutely intelligent with a meticulous and analytical approach. Her negotiation skills are excellent, and her legal analysis second to none.”
2023 edition: “Una is incredibly calm and instils confidence She is determined and dependable, and has the ability to cut straight through the superfluous and immediately identify the issues at the heart of an action.”
2021 edition: “Una has an incredible eye for detail and getting into the minutiae of a case. She runs consultations, negotiations and court hearings very well, making her a go-to senior counsel.”
2019 edition: “Extremely reliable, quick-witted and efficient.”
2018 edition: “A high calibre advocate.”
2017 edition: “Reliable and well organised.”
2016 edition: “An impressive ability to assimilate a lot of technical information very quickly.”
2015 edition: “Great attention to detail and particular strengths in high-value medical negligence claims.”

She has also been ranked for clinical negligence in many editions of Chambers UK Bar Guide.

2025 edition (Band 1 ranking): “Una has experience of the most complex and difficult cases, and in spite of her understated demeanour she will not back away from the challenge of running a difficult case or argument.” “Una Doherty is very conscientious, responsive and has huge attention to detail. In court she is very confident and she has a wealth of experience.”
2024 edition (Band 1 ranking): “Una is very skilled in technical cases. She is robust during consultations and also good with clients.” “Una’s great strength is the ability to deal with details of complex cases, but with a sufficient degree of passion.” “The speed with which she got on top of the detail was really impressive. She has the capacity to simplify complex legal and factual issues. She is a really good litigator who has done several trials for the office.”
2023 edition: “Una works with impressive detail, knowledge, diligence and insight.” “She deals with difficult situations with ease.” “Her written work is always clear and concise.” “She has a very good eye for detail.”
2022 edition: “She is meticulous in her preparation and attention to detail. She turns around work extremely efficiently.” “She is extremely thorough and diligent.”
2021 edition: “She is always extremely well prepared and is very thorough. She’s pragmatic and always puts the clients first.” “She is very meticulous, approachable and practical.”
2020 edition: “She is a thoughtful and diligent advocate.” “Her attention to detail is second to none. She’s also great with clients and is quick to spot issues.”
2019 edition, ranked as a new silk: “Very knowledgeable and very thorough.”
2018 edition: “She grasps legal concepts very well, is very tenacious in court, gives very clear advice and is hands-on.” “She has a very broad grasp of how things work on both the defendant and claimant side and is very effective in reaching sensible settlements.”
2017 edition: “Very able and efficient. She’s insightful and good at analysing cases.” “She’s always very well prepared.”

Una has also been ranked as a Leading Silk in Crime and Regulatory in the 2025 edition of the Legal 500 UK Bar Directory.

2025 edition: ‘Her advocacy style is understated yet powerful due to her thoroughness and cogent reasoning.’

She has also been ranked as a Leading Silk in Administrative and Public Law in the 2024 edition of the Legal 500 Bar Directory.

Una has a varied civil practice which covers a range of reparation disputes, although her main areas of practice are in personal injury and clinical negligence claims. She is instructed both for pursuers and for defenders and acts for clients ranging from individual litigants to insurers and public bodies. She is regularly instructed by the NHS Central Legal Office. She has extensive experience of high value personal injury claims including those involving catastrophic brain injuries. In the area of clinical negligence, she regularly acts in multi-million pound claims, including cerebral palsy cases. She is currently instructed in the UK and Scottish Covid-19 Inquiries, and the Scottish Hospitals Inquiry, representing NHS National Services Scotland. In 2023, Una was leading counsel for the respondent, and presented the oral submissions in the Supreme Court, in McCulloch and others (Appellants) v Forth Valley Health Board (Respondent) [2023] UKSC 26. During the hearing, the Court described this as the most important clinical negligence appeal in years. The Court refused the appeal.

She was an Ad Hoc Advocate Depute from 2013 to 2023, and in that role prosecuted criminal cases in the High Court.

She was a Legal Assessor to the General Teaching Council of Scotland from 2017 to 2021, advising panels on questions of law and procedure in Fitness to Teach proceedings.

In 2017, she completed an International Arbitration Law course, and was a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators from 2017 to 2021.

Una took silk in 2018.

In 2020, Una qualified as a mediator.

In 2021, Una was appointed as a Legally Qualified Chair by the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC). In that role Una chairs panels with social service and lay members to decide whether workers’ fitness to practise is impaired.

Recent selected cases:

Confidentiality prohibits the details of the numerous claims which have settled without recourse to the courts or in the course of proof.

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Stephen Bell

Stephen Bell called in 1996 after 13 years in practice as a solicitor during which he was a litigation partner in firms in Edinburgh and Aberdeen. He has a wide ranging civil practice, including family law (both financial provision and child law), commercial law and reparation. He is regularly instructed in professional negligence cases, including medical negligence. He acts for and against private individuals and corporations. He also has experience of acting for and against local authorities, particularly in adoption applications. He provides written advice on a wide variety of matters.

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