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Chris Stephen

Chris Stephen called to the Bar in Scotland in 2022 as a Lord Hope scholar. He is also qualified as a barrister in England & Wales. He primarily specialises in administrative & public law (including public inquiries), international law and alternative/commercial dispute resolution.

Shortly after calling, he was appointed as a Standing Junior to the Advocate General for Scotland (UK Government) in December 2022 and re-appointed in September 2024. In that capacity, he has advised and represented the UK Government in a number of matters, ranging from judicial review in the immigration context to a peerage case before the Lord Lyon.  He has also acted as junior Counsel to the Lord Advocate in extradition cases.

Since calling, Chris has assisted with several public inquiries, including the Scottish Hospitals Inquiry and the Sheku Bayou Inquiry. He is currently junior Counsel to the Scottish COVID-19 Inquiry.

Chris also has particular interest and experience in international law.  He was formerly an Assistant Legal Adviser at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) for over five years, during which time he represented the UK at the United Nations in Geneva and New York and before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in contentious proceedings.  He also worked as a dual-qualified solicitor for law firms in London representing private clients and States on a wide range of contentious and non-contentious issues, including arbitration proceedings brought under bilateral investment treaties (BITs).

Chris also spent three years as Legal Secretary (Deputy Director) to the Advocate General for Scotland, one of the UK Government’s Law Officers. In doing so, Chris worked on public law litigation of national significance, including the prorogation case (R (Miller) v The Prime Minister and Cherry v Advocate General for Scotland [2019] UKSC 41), the UK Withdrawal from the EU (Legal Continuity) (Scotland) Bill reference [2018] UKSC 64 and the Article 50 (Wightman) case before the Inner House of the Court of Session [2018] CSIH 62 and the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU C-621/18).

Chris also worked previously as a Judicial Assistant to the Law Lords (Lords Hope of Craighead and Mance) in the House of Lords (now the UK Supreme Court).

Selected cases:

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Scott Clair

Since calling to the Bar as a Lord Hope Scholar in 2022, Scott Clair has built a strong practice anchored around professional liability, commercial litigation and public law. In 2024, he was appointed as Standing Junior Counsel to the Advocate General for Scotland (UK Government). In that capacity, he has advised and represented the UK Government in respect of a broad range of matters, ranging from a judicial review in relation to immigration law, to director’s disqualification proceedings.

Scott also has particular interest and experience in professional liability and regulation (especially claims against solicitors, advocates and healthcare professionals). As well as conducting litigation on behalf of professionals, he has appeared before fitness to practice panels. Scott is regularly instructed by the NHS in Scotland to advise on a wide range of matters, including clinical negligence claims, fatal accident inquiries and advice in relation to statutory and regulatory compliance. He has also carried out work as an ad hoc junior counsel to the Scottish Hospitals Inquiry. Although predominantly instructed on behalf of defenders, Scott also has experience of pursuing claims on behalf of pursuers (professional liability, commercial and property litigation). He regularly appears in the Court of Session and other courts and tribunals. He has appeared in several appeals and has appeared a number of times as sole counsel before the Inner House of the Court of Session.

Scott has tutored in a range of subjects, including public law, delict, commercial law, and evidence at the University of Edinburgh. He continues to retain an interest in legal education, as an accredited instructor for the Faculty of Advocates’ training for devils programme.

Scott is also a reporter for Session Cases, the most authoritative law reports in Scotland. He is also a member of the Faculty of Advocates’ Law Reform Committee and in that capacity has assisted with the preparation of consultation responses to the Scottish Government on behalf of the Faculty.

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Ayla Iridag

Ayla Iridag called to the bar after working as a solicitor for an International Law Firm, predominately in the fields of insurance and public law. Ayla specialises in actions arising from Health and Safety and Administrative Law matters. This includes personal injury and clinical negligence actions in both the Sheriff Court and Court of Session, as well as Fatal Accident Inquiries and Judicial Reviews.

Ayla’s public and administrative law practice is broad and examples of recent work include firearms licensing disputes, malicious prosecution and unlawful detention cases and orders under the Sexual Offences Act 2003. Ayla has appeared in the Mental Health Tribunal. Ayla was appointed Standing Junior to the Office of the Advocate General in 2022 and in this role has been instructed by various government departments in actions under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, petitions for Judicial Review and appeals against Health and Safety Prohibition Notices.

Ayla’s Health and Safety practice includes acting for insurers and commercial organisations in defending actions arising from workplace accidents; occupiers’ liability claims and road traffic accidents.  Ayla is regularly instructed on behalf of health boards and medical organisations in respect of clinical negligence matters, often with a particular interest in mental health, as well as in Fatal Accident Inquiries across Scotland. Prior to calling to the bar, as a Solicitor and Devil, Ayla gained experience in health and safety prosecutions, including at trial. She has experience appearing in the criminal courts, including conducting commissions.

Ayla also has experience of regulatory proceedings, having conducted substantive hearings for the Nursing and Midwifery Council and Scottish Social Services Council.

Selected cases

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Mary Ellen Stewart

Mary Ellen Stewart called to the Bar in 2021, after training and qualifying with Brodies LLP, and latterly working there as a senior solicitor.

As a solicitor, Mary Ellen had a busy practice dealing with a broad range of commercial disputes. Her practice had a particular focus on commercial contracts, banking and finance, insolvency and professional liability litigation. When in private practice, Mary Ellen appeared in the Sheriff Courts and instructed Counsel in Court of Session cases.

Mary Ellen has a particular interest in professional liability and regulation. She also has an interest in maritime and shipping law, and is the Advocate member of the Law Society of Scotland’s Marine Law Sub-Committee. Mary Ellen is also a part-time tutor of Contract Law and Unjustified Enrichment at Edinburgh University.

Mary Ellen was appointed  to the Advocate General’s panel of Nominated Presenting Officers to the Home Office in 2021.

Mary Ellen is fluent and fully literate in Scottish Gaelic and is well placed to undertake work involving consideration of documents in Gaelic.

 

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Euan Scott

Euan Scott called to the Bar in 2020 having worked in one of Scotland’s leading litigation firms.

He has a broad civil practice with a particular focus on medical and professional negligence, and commercial dispute resolution (with his experience concentrating on commercial contract disputes, property disputes, contentious construction and insurance).

He also has an interest in media law and insolvency issues and has extensive experience of public inquiries.

Euan was appointed as Standing Junior Counsel to the Scottish Government in 2022

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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:

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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