Dana Forbes
Dana called to the bar in 2015 after 13 years with the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service. Her caseload often involved difficult issues such as human rights, administrative law, novel legal argument and areas of potential legal reform. She has extensive experience in court practice as well as legal research, analysis and opinion writing. During her career, Dana has provided legal advice to the Law Officers, Crown Counsel and the Scottish Government Legal Directorate.
Since calling she has gained considerable experience in personal injury (acting for both pursuers and defenders), clinical negligence, judicial review and Fatal Accident Inquiries. Her other interests include health and safety prosecutions, succession, property rights and criminal appeals.
Dana has conducted proofs in the Court of Session and the All Scotland Personal Injury Court. She has presented cases before the Sheriff Appeal Court and the Court of Criminal Appeal. Dana has also represented clients before the Scottish Social Services Council and on referral to the Sheriff Court from the Children’s Hearing system.
Dana has assisted the Judicial Institute with their training programme. She has also given presentations to new lawyers on behalf of the Law Society of Scotland on subjects such as advocacy, personal injury and specialist procedure in the Court of Session.
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Douglas Ross KC
Douglas Ross is a graduate of the universities of Glasgow and Cambridge. Prior to calling to the Bar in 1998, he spent three years as a lecturer in law and eight years as a legal adviser at the United Nations, serving in Gaza, Vienna, Zagreb and Sarajevo. In addition to appearing in many important cases in the Court of Session, he has appeared in the Supreme Court, House of Lords, High Court of Justiciary, Sheriff Court, Scottish Land Court, Lands Tribunal for Scotland, Employment Tribunal, Employment Appeal Tribunal, Mental Health Tribunal and the Health Professions Council.
Douglas was appointed as a Standing Junior Counsel to the then Scottish Executive in 2000, becoming Second Standing Junior in 2010 and First Standing Junior in 2012. From 2014 to 2016, he was the only Scottish lawyer appointed to the A List of the Attorney General’s Panel of Public International Law Counsel for the UK Government. He has been instructed in cases in a wide range of areas, notably administrative law, judicial review and human rights. Other areas in which he has substantial experience include medical negligence and personal injuries cases in which he has been regularly instructed for both pursuers and defenders. He was instructed as Crown Counsel in the second and third Lockerbie appeals in, respectively, 2008-9 and 2020.
Douglas has appeared at numerous Fatal Accident Inquiries. He represented the Scottish Government at the lengthy inquiry into multiple fatalities in the fire at Rosepark Care Home and has appeared for health boards at inquiries in relation to deaths in hospital. He is instructed by NSS Scotland in the Scottish Hospitals Inquiry. Since being appointed Queen’s Counsel in 2016, Douglas’s principal areas of practice have continued to be in judicial review, human rights, medical negligence and personal injuries.
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Fiona Drysdale KC
Fiona Drysdale specialises in clinical negligence, reparation and public inquiries. She has considerable experience in catastrophic injury, fatal cases and those concerning children. She served as a Standing Junior to the Scottish Government and is an Ad Hoc Advocate Depute. She is a member of the Scottish Civil Justice Council, an instructor of instructors for Advocacy Skills and a Quality Assurance Assessor. Her regulatory work includes acting as a Legal Assessor for the General Teaching Council for Scotland and as clerk to the Disciplinary Tribunal of the Faculty of Advocates. Fiona was instructed as a standing junior counsel on behalf of the Scottish Government in Module 1 of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry on the Resilience and Preparedness of the United Kingdom for which The Inquiry Report was published on 18 July 2024.
She is ranked in Chambers UK Bar 2025 for clinical negligence and public and fatal accident inquiries. Chambers states “Fiona Drysdale KC has hit the ground sprinting since taking silk in 2023. She has been instructed on several high-profile mandates for core participants. She is widely recognised for her prowess in the clinical negligence field” and “Fiona Drysdale KC represents clients on both the pursuer and defender sides of clinical negligence cases. She is noted for her strength in claims resulting from maximum-severity birth injuries. She is also experienced in fatal claims and delayed diagnosis cases”.
She is also ranked in Legal 500 UK Bar 2025 for clinical negligence and personal injury and crime and regulatory which states “She is extremely capable, hard-working and reliable”.
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Geoffrey D. Mitchell KC
Geoffrey Mitchell KC is an experienced litigator, with a wide ranging practice across a number of practice areas, with considerable experience in oral advocacy (at first instance and appellate level), in public and local inquiries and regulatory work.
Geoff’s inquiries experience includes fatal accident inquiries, the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry and the long running inquiry under the Merchant Shipping Act 1995 into the sinking of the trawler MFV ‘Trident’.
His regulatory experience includes a period as the Legal Assessor to the General Teaching Council for Scotland (2006 to 2012), and a panel member of the Faculty of Advocates’ Disciplinary Tribunal (2018 to present).
He has developed particular knowledge in clinical and professional negligence, acting for claimants and defenders.
Between 2001 and 2005, as an Advocate Depute and senior Advocate Depute (High Court prosecutor), he prosecuted serious and complex criminal cases.
In 2011 he was appointed Special Counsel to the Lord Justice General.
Between 2013 and 2015 he was the Director of Ampersand Advocates. He is currently appointed as Senior Counsel for the Scottish Ministers for the Covid-19 Public Inquiry and related inquiries.
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Isla Davie KC
Isla Davie’s practice covers a range of medical negligence, professional negligence, commercial law, property and personal injury disputes, in particular catastrophic injury. She is regularly instructed on behalf of insurers, public bodies, professional bodies and individuals. She is often asked to speak on medical negligence and property law.
Isla studied law at Edinburgh and Paris-Sud. She joined the Bar in 2004 after seven years’ experience as a solicitor with commercial firms and took silk in 2019. She practices in civil law, being regularly instructed in interdicts, debates, proofs, civil jury trials and Fatal Accident Inquiries.
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James McConnell KC
James McConnell KC has a practice that mainly focusses on clinical negligence. He is also frequently instructed in inquiries with a medical element. He acts for pursuers and defenders in roughly equal proportions. He is Band 1 ranked by Chambers and Partners in Clinical Negligence and by the Legal 500 in Personal Injury and Medical Negligence.
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