New panel of Standing Junior Counsel to the Advocate General for Scotland announced
Following the recent appointment process, the Advocate General for Scotland has announced his new panel of Standing Junior Counsel which will deal with UK Government work arising in Scotland. He welcomes those re-appointed and those newly appointed. The appointments which have been approved by him include several Ampersand Advocates.
Graham Maciver has been appointed to the new role of Second Standing Junior.
Ross Anderson and Usman Tariq have been re-appointed along side a new appointments for Giles Reid. Mary Ellen Stewart has been appointed the junior Junior Panel.
Full details of all appointments can be found on the UK Government’s website here.
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Court rules that definition of Woman in the GRPB Act should include transwomen
In the Petition for Judicial Review of For Women Scotland of the definition of “Woman” contained in the Gender Representation on Public Boards (Scotland) Act 2018 ‘GRPB Act’, Lady Wise has found that the Scottish Government acted lawfully in including transwomen in the GRPB Act. For Women Scotland challenged the legality of the GRPB Act amid concerns that the Scottish Government had “redefined” the word woman, and acted beyond its competence encroaching on reserved powers over equality legislation. In a highly significant ruling Lady Wise held the Sottish Ministers had acted lawfully under a “specific power” that enabled it to take equal opportunities measures and had not breached the UK Equality Act. Lady Wise stated that GRPB Act did not offend against the fundamental principle of equality of treatment explaining that, “EU law confirms that discrimination against transwomen is sex discrimination about which member states can legislate”.
Lady Wise’s full judgment can be read here.
Aidan O’Neill QC of Ampersand represented the petitioners For Women Scotland and Dorothy Bain QC of Ampersand also represented Scottish Trans Alliance a Charity which is part of the Equality Network in their Public Interest Intervention.
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Ampersand’s Aidan O’Neill QC calls to Irish Bar
Aidan O’Neill QC was called to the Bar of Ireland this morning, 17 December 2020, by the Chief Justice of Ireland, Chief Justice Frank Clarke. Aidan’s legal practice now covers three jurisdictions across these islands; Scotland, England & Wales, and Ireland. As a leading constitutional lawyer in the UK the exposure to, and knowledge gained by him of, Irish constitutional law will be of particular importance and use in time of significant constitutional change in these islands in the wake of Brexit. In qualifying at the Irish Bar at this time, Aidan is also able to maintain his rights of audience in the Court of Justice of the European Union in that he continues to be, even after the end of the Brexit implementation period, “a lawyer authorised to practise before a court of a Member State”.
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New appointments of First Standing Junior and panel of Standing Junior Counsel to Scottish Government for Ampersand
Ampersand is delighted to announce that Paul Reid has been appointed First Standing Junior to the Scottish Government, alongside a new appointment to the Scottish Government’s panel of Standing Junior Counsel for Tim Young.
They join fellow Ampersand member Laura-Anne van der Westhuizen on the panel. The panel of counsel may be instructed on any matter falling within the Scottish Government’s remit.
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Ampersand Advocates Top Rankings success in latest Chambers and Partners UK Bar Guide
Ampersand has again received top tier rankings across a number of areas of practice in the latest published guide to the legal profession, Chambers and Partners UK Bar Guide 2021.
Ampersand received 58 listings across 14 areas of practice, ranking as top tier (band 1) in Clinical Negligence as a Set, and band 2 in Administrative & Public law, Civil Liberties & Human Rights, Commercial Dispute Resolution, Planning & Environment, Personal Injury and Restructuring/Insolvency as a Set. 5 members are noted as “star individuals”.
Noted as a Band 1 set for Clinical Negligence, “Ampersand Advocates retains its reputation as a market-leading stable for clinical negligence matters, garnering praise from instructing solicitors who describe it as “a well-organised stable with a good range of excellent advocates.” 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. 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 multi-party actions stemming from the use of medical equipment, and several of its advocates have recently been involved in the Scottish Mesh Litigation, a class action in which over 500 claims were brought against the NHS in connection with allegedly defective vaginal mesh.”. Our rankings include 2 “Star Individuals”, Maria Maguire QC and David Stephenson QC, with 9 further silks and 6 juniors also ranked – Simon Bowie QC, Jamie Dawson QC, Simon Di Rollo QC, Una Doherty QC, Lisa Henderson QC, Vinit Khurana QC, Geoffrey Mitchell QC, Graham Pimrose QC, Lauren Sutherland QC, Fiona Drysdale, Mark Fitzpatrick, Archie MacSporran, James McConnell, Paul Reid and Phil Stuart.
Band 2 listings include Administrative & Public Law where Ampersand is praised “houses highly praised practitioners who are skilled at acting in public law cases involving significant constitutional and human rights issues. They frequently appear before the highest courts in the UK and the EU.” The rankings include “Star Individual” Aidan O’Neill QC, along with Douglas Ross QC, Laura-Anne van der Westhuizen and Paul Reid.
In Civil Liberties & Human Rights Ampersand is noted as 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.” The rankings include Aidan O’Neill QC and Douglas Ross QC.
In Commercial Dispute Resolution Chambers state Ampersand is “well renowned for its consistent involvement in high-profile commercial disputes. The stable offers a large team comprising highly rated advocates at the senior and junior level. The advocates are instructed on behalf of corporations and financial institutions and are involved in a variety of related areas of practice including intellectual property and insolvency.” The rankings include Robert Howie QC, Craig Sandison QC, Ross Anderson, Graeme Hawkes, Giles Reid, Paul Reid, Usman Tariq and Tim Young.
Within Personal Injury Ampersand “houses a number of dedicated senior and junior advocates, and instructing solicitors praise the “strength and depth of counsel available at the stable.” 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 RTAs and workplace accidents. The team is also well regarded for its expertise in complex product liability and occupier’s liability disputes and matters involving accidents abroad. The stable’s tenants are regularly called upon to appear in Fatal Accident Inquiries, where they have experience of acting for government agencies, health boards and local authorities.” Rankings include “Star Individuals” Maria Maguire QC and Graham Primrose QC with other ranked Dorothy Bain QC, Isla Davie QC, Simon Di Rollo QC, Lisa Henderson QC, Douglas Ross QC, Chris Marney and Louise Milligan.
Ampersand’s strong Planning & Environment team was recognised as “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 the public inquires into the development of the former Royal High School in Edinburgh and the proposed Coul Links golf course development. One source says: “The chambers is excellent in terms of the calibre of advocates.””. Rankings include Malcolm Thomson QC as “Star Individual”, Marcus McKay QC, Ailsa Wilson QC and Laura-Anne van der Westhuizen.
Within Restructuring/Insolvency “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 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.” Rankings include Robert Howie QC and Usman Tariq.
There are individual rankings in Real Estate for Robert Howie QC, Craig Sandison QC, Ross Anderson, Giles Reid and Tim Young; Agriculture and Rural Affairs for Laura-Anne van der Westhuizen; Employment for Russell Bradley, Information Technology and Intellectual Property for Usman Tariq; Professional Negligence for Chris Marney and Paul Reid; and Tax for Ross Anderson.
The Ampersand clerks receive wide praise being described as “professional, friendly and accommodating at all times…. very responsive… they make every effort to accommodate almost impossible demands” and that Ampersand “is an extremely well run and efficient stable”.
The full rankings can be viewed on the Chambers and Partners website here.
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Mark Boni
Mark Boni called to the Bar in 2020, having qualified as a solicitor in 2014. Since 2022, Mark has been ranked by Legal 500 as a tier 2 leading junior in commercial disputes and since 2024 has been ranked as a tier 1 leading junior in private client and family disputes. In the UK Bar Guide 2025, Chamber & Partners identified him as an “up and coming” junior counsel in commercial dispute resolution as well as real estate litigation.
Mark has experience in a wide range of commercial and private law litigation, with a particular interest in contractual and property disputes, prescription, personal insolvency and private client litigation.
He regularly appears for pursuers and defenders at proofs, debates, procedural hearings, opposed motions and interim orders hearings.
Mark has experience, both as a solicitor and at the Bar, of litigating in the Sheriff Courts, Sheriff Appeal Court, Lands Tribunal, Court of Session (Outer and Inner Houses) as well as the UK Supreme Court. Mark also has experience in alternative dispute resolution, including arbitration and mediation.
Whilst devilling, Mark was a Lord Hope Scholar and was involved in a variety of complex and high value cases, including professional negligence claims and intellectual property actions.
Since 2012, Mark has tutored part-time at the University of Edinburgh. He presently tutors “Commercial Law” and “Contract and Unjustified Enrichment” and previously tutored “Public Law of the UK and Scotland” and “Public Law and Individual Rights”.
Mark wrote the reissue edition of “Prescription and Limitation” in the Stair Memorial Encyclopaedia (published 2023) and has rewritten the Scottish prescription and limitation online content for Lexis+.
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