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Ampersand Advocates Celebrates Outstanding 2026 Chambers & Partners Rankings

Ampersand Advocates is proud to celebrate another outstanding year in the Chambers and Partners UK Bar 2026 rankings published date, confirming its position as one of the most highly regarded and comprehensive sets at the Scottish Bar.

This year, Ampersand and its members secures 12 set rankings and an impressive 99 individual rankings across 25 practice areas, including recognition across the London Bar and All Circuits. The stable is further honoured with five Star Individuals, underscoring its depth and quality.

Set Rankings
Ampersand Advocates is ranked as a set in the following areas:

Band 1:

Band 2:

Practice Areas and Ranked Members

Administrative & Public Law – Band 2
Ranked Members:
Aidan O’Neill KC, Douglas Ross KC, Ian S. Forrester KC, Laura-Anne van der Westhuizen KC, Michael Way, Paul Reid KC, Timothy Young, Usman Tariq KC

Star Individual: Aidan O’Neill KC

Highlight: Appearing in landmark constitutional and equality law cases before the Supreme Court and Court of Session.

Civil Liberties & Human Rights – Band 2
Ranked Members:
Aidan O’Neill KC, Douglas Ross KC, Usman Tariq KC

Highlight: Leading advocates in major human rights and discrimination cases, including Billy Graham Evangelistic Association v SMG (UK) Ltd.

Clinical Negligence – Band 1
Ranked Members:
Euan Mackenzie KC, Fiona Drysdale KC, Geoffrey Mitchell KC, Graham Primrose KC, Isla Davie KC, James McConnell KC, Jamie Dawson KC, Jennifer Nicholson-White, Lauren Sutherland KC, Lisa Henderson KC, Maria Maguire KC, Mark Fitzpatrick, Shane Dundas, Simon Bowie KC, Una Doherty KC, Vinit Khurana KC

Star Individual: Maria Maguire KC

Highlight: Described as “the premier stable for clinical negligence in Scotland”, with members leading in complex medical and catastrophic injury cases.

Commercial Dispute Resolution – Band 2
Ranked Members:
Eoghainn MacLean, Giles Reid, Laura-Anne van der Westhuizen KC, Mark Boni, Michael Way, Nicholas McAndrew, Robert Howie KC, Ross G. Anderson, Timothy Young, Usman Tariq KC

Highlight: Recognised for “depth and breadth across civil litigation”, with expertise in commercial, contract, and intellectual property disputes.

Company

Ranked Members:
Ross G. Anderson, Timothy Young

Highlight: Expertise in shareholder and director disputes, representing corporate entities and institutions.

Construction – Band 2
Ranked Members:
Nicholas McAndrew, Robert Howie KC, Timothy Young

Highlight: Trusted for handling large-scale building and delay disputes, including Greater Glasgow Health Board v Multiplex.

Employment

Ranked Members:
Aidan O’Neill KC

Highlight: Leading counsel in discrimination and constitutional employment cases.

Immigration

Ranked Members:
Michael Way

Highlight: Recognised for expertise in judicial reviews and appeals involving immigration and asylum.

Information Technology

Ranked Members:
Usman Tariq KC

Highlight: Specialist in software, data, and technology-related litigation.

Intellectual Property

Ranked Members:
Usman Tariq KC

Highlight: Recognised for IP and tech sector disputes and advisory work.

Media Law

Ranked Members:
Usman Tariq KC

Highlight: Acts in defamation, reputation, and privacy cases.

Personal Injury – Band 1
Ranked Members:
Alan Cowan, Christian Marney, Douglas Ross KC, Euan Mackenzie KC, Usman Tariq KC, Isla Davie KC, Jennifer Nicholson-White, Lisa Henderson KC, Maria Maguire KC, Shane Dundas, Simon Di Rollo KC

Star Individuals: Graham Primrose KC, Maria Maguire KC

Highlight: Described as “a formidable team of injury specialists”, acting in high-value, complex personal injury claims across Scotland.

Planning & Environment – Band 1
Ranked Members:
Ailsa Wilson KC, Laura-Anne van der Westhuizen KC, Marcus McKay KC, Nicholas McAndrew

Highlight: Commended for expertise in renewable energy, development planning, and environmental judicial review.

Product Liability

Ranked Members:
Paul Reid KC

Highlight: Recognised for handling complex product and regulatory disputes.

Professional Discipline

Ranked Members:
Paul Reid KC, Scott Clair

Highlight: Act for regulators and professionals in high-stakes disciplinary proceedings.

Professional Negligence – Band 2
Ranked Members:
Paul Reid KC, Scott Clair, Usman Tariq KC

Highlight: Expertise across financial, legal, and technical negligence claims.

Public & Fatal Accident Inquiries – Band 1
Ranked Members:
Ayla Iridag, Fiona Drysdale KC, Geoffrey Mitchell KC, Isla Davie KC, James McConnell KC, Jamie Dawson KC, Jennifer Nicholson-White, Lisa Henderson KC, Michael Way, Paul Reid KC, Shane Dundas, Simon Bowie KC, Susanne Tanner KC, Una Doherty KC

Highlight: Market leader in public inquiries including the UK and Scottish COVID-19 Inquiries, and the Infected Blood Inquiry.

Real Estate Litigation – Band 2
Ranked Members:
Giles Reid, Mark Boni, Michael Way, Robert Howie KC, Ross G. Anderson, Timothy Young

Highlight: Leading expertise in commercial property and access rights disputes.

Restructuring/Insolvency – Band 2
Ranked Members:
Robert Howie KC, Ross G. Anderson, Sheana Campbell, Usman Tariq KC

Highlight: Praised for “excellent knowledge and expertise” in insolvency, breach of duty, and cross-border matters.

Tax – Band 1
Ranked Members:
Julian Ghosh KC, Ross G. Anderson

Star Individual: Julian Ghosh KC

Highlight: Recognised as a Star Individual for Tax (London Bar), handling major tax appeals and IR35 cases such as McCann Media Ltd v HMRC.

Independent Investigations – All Circuits (Band 2)
Ranked Member:
Susanne Tanner KC

Highlight: Recognised across the UK for her leadership in independent investigations and inquiries.

European Law – London Bar (Band 2)
Ranked Member:
Aidan O’Neill KC

Highlight: Noted for constitutional and EU law expertise bridging the Scottish and London Bars.

Tax – London Bar & Private Client
Ranked Member:
Julian Ghosh KC

Highlight: Acknowledged as one of the UK’s foremost tax specialists.

Star Individuals

Ampersand Advocates proudly celebrates its five Star Individuals recognised for exceptional excellence and leadership:

Clerking Excellence

Ampersand’s clerking team, led by Alan Moffat, is again commended for professionalism, responsiveness, and efficiency.

“Second to none.”
“Depth and breadth across all disciplines.”
“Incredibly responsive and professional.”

The clerks’ deep understanding of clients’ needs continues to be a cornerstone of Ampersand’s success.

Overall Recognition

With 99 individual rankings, five Star Individuals, and 12 ranked practice areas, Ampersand Advocates cements its reputation as one of Scotland’s leading stable for excellence across the civil Bar. Ampersand stands out for its depth, versatility, and advocacy excellence.

You can view the full rankings and detailed individual feedback here.

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Ampersand Advocates Celebrates Top-Tier Recognition in 2026 Legal 500 Rankings

Ampersand Advocates has once again secured its position among Scotland’s leading sets of counsel in the newly released 2026 edition of The Legal 500 United Kingdom Bar Guide.  The rankings, published today, reaffirm Ampersand’s reputation for excellence across a broad spectrum of legal disciplines. 

In the 2026 guide, Ampersand Advocates has been ranked in Tier 1 for Administrative and Public Law, Personal Injury and Medical Negligence and Property, Planning and Construction. The set also achieved a Tier 2 ranking in Commercial Disputes, reflecting its growing influence and expertise in high-value and complex litigation. 

Administrative and Public Law (Tier 1) Ampersand’s offering is praised for handling high-stakes judicial reviews and public inquiries, with commentators highlighting our members ability to command respect at the highest levels of the judiciary. Ampersand’s expertise in this area is highlighted by the rankings of Aidan O’Neill KC,  Douglas Ross KC, Susanne Tanner KC, Paul Reid KC and Usman Tariq KC (2024 silk).  The stable’s juniors Timothy Young and Ross Anderson are also recognised, with Michael Way and Scott Clair noted as rising stars.   

Personal Injury and Medical Negligence (Tier 1) An impressive roster of silks includes Simon Bowie KC, Una Doherty KC, Lisa Henderson KC, Euan Mackenzie KC, Maria Maguire KC, Geoffrey Mitchell KC, Graham Primrose KC, Lauren Sutherland KC, Alan Dewar KC, Vinit Khurana KC, Douglas Ross KC and James McConnell KC. Jennifer Nicholson-White, Ayla Iridag, and Shane Dundas are recognised as leading juniors.   

Property, Planning and Construction (Tier 1) Robert Howie KC, Ailsa Wilson KC, Marcus McKay KC, and Laura-Anne Van Der Westhuizen KC are all ranked as leading silks. Eoghainn MacLean, Nicholas McAndrew, Ross Anderson, Timothy Young, Giles Reid and Louise Cockburn are recognised as leading juniors. 

Commercial Disputes (Tier 2) The stable’s commercial disputes team is led by silks Robert Howie KC, Laura-Anne Van Der Westhuizen KC, Paul Reid KC  and Usman Tariq KC (2024 silk).  Ross Anderson, Eoghainn MacLean, Mark Boni, Timothy Young, Giles Reid and Nicholas McAndrew are ranked as leading juniors, with Michael Way noted as a rising star.  

Crime and Regulatory (leading set) The stable has achieved acknowledgement in this category for 2026 as a leading set with a number of members ranked as leading silks including Isla Davie KC, Jamie Dawson KC, Lisa Henderson KC, Geoffrey Mitchell KC, Paul Reid KC, Simon Bowie KC, Una Doherty KC, Fiona Drysdale KC, Susanne Tanner KC, James McConnell KC (2024 silk) and Usman Tariq (2024 silk).  Jenny Nicholson-White, Shane Dundas and Ayla Iridag are ranked as leading juniors, with Michael Way noted as a rising star.  

Ampersand Advocates is also recommended in the Employment and Private Client and Family categories, with Aidan O’Neill KC ranked as a leading silk in Employment and Mark Boni  recognised as a leading junior in Private Client and Family. 

Under Alan Moffat’s leadership, the clerking team was commended for its exceptional efficiency, prompt communication, and forward-thinking approach. 

These rankings highlight Ampersand’s continued commitment to delivering outstanding advocacy and legal insight across Scotland’s distinct legal landscape. 

Full listings, for all of Ampersand’s rankings can be viewed on the Legal 500 website  here. 

 

 

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Tony Convery

Tony Convery specialises in commercial litigation and public law. He called to the Bar in 2025 as the Lord Reid Scholar. That Scholarship is awarded annually to the outstanding candidate. He previously worked at a leading commercial law firm.

Tony has considerable commercial litigation experience, including in professional negligence, company and property law disputes. He also has experience of group proceedings, procurement litigation and proceedings before the Competition Appeal Tribunal.

Tony has a broad public law practice. As well as core constitutional and administrative law, Tony has experience in: (i) equality and human rights, (ii) planning and (iii) information law (including data protection and freedom of information). He has a wealth of experience in advising on legislative competence challenges.

Tony also has experience of acting in environmental, regulatory, education and media law disputes, as well as inquiries. He provides advice on trade/financial sanctions and related regulatory schemes.

Tony was a research assistant to Professor Jim Murdoch CBE in relation to the fourth edition of the leading textbook, Human Rights Law in Scotland. He has also published in his own right. He is a tutor at the University of Glasgow.

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Ampersand Advocates excels in Chambers and Partners UK Bar Guide 2025

Ampersand Advocates has once again demonstrated its exceptional standing in the Scottish legal landscape, securing top-tier rankings across multiple practice areas in the newly published Chambers and Partners UK Bar Guide 2025. The stable has been recognised as a Band 1 set in Clinical Negligence, Personal Injury, Planning & Environment, and Public and Fatal Accident Inquiries, while achieving Band 2 rankings in Administrative & Public Law, Civil Liberties & Human Rights, Commercial Dispute Resolution, Construction, Professional Negligence, Real Estate Litigation, and Restructuring/Insolvency.

This performance underscores Ampersand’s breadth and depth of expertise, with the stable boasting a total of 11 set rankings and an impressive 101 individual rankings across 18 areas of practice for 41 members, which includes 6 “star individual” rankings.

Key highlights from the guide include:

In additional to these Scottish bar listings, Ampersand has members recognised in the London Bar where Julian Ghosh KC is Band 1 ranked in 3 tax areas, Aidan O’Neill KC is Band 2 listed for European Law, and Susanne Tanner KC has a spotlight listing for Independent Investigations in the All Circuits region.

The Ampersand clerks have again garnered widespread praise for their exceptional clerking services, with numerous sources highlighting the team’s efficiency, responsiveness, and proactive approach. The clerks are described as friendly, helpful, and pragmatic, offering first-class service that aligns with the commercial realities of litigation. Overall, Ampersand’s clerking team is recognised for delivering a consistently high standard of service.

These outstanding rankings reaffirm Ampersand Advocates’ position as a leading stable in Scotland, offering exceptional expertise across a wide range of practice areas. The stable’s commitment to excellence and depth of talent backed by exceptional clerking, continues to give instructing agents confidence when instructing an Ampersand advocate.

All of the Ampersand rankings can be viewed on the Chambers and Partners website here.

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Ampersand Advocates Welcomes Joanna Cherry KC

Ampersand Advocates is thrilled to announce the return of Joanna Cherry KC to practice at the Scottish bar. Joanna, a distinguished advocate with a remarkable career spanning law and politics, is joining Ampersand Advocates. She brings with her a wealth of experience in human rights, public law, criminal law, constitutional matters, medical-legal matters and in fatal accident inquiries.

Called to the bar in 1995 and taking silk in 2009, Ms. Cherry has established herself as a formidable presence in the legal world. Her extensive experience includes serving as a standing Junior to the Scottish Government and as an advocate depute. Prior to her political career, she built a successful appellate practice, regularly appearing before the UK Supreme Court as well as handling complex medical-legal cases and fatal accident inquiries.

Joanna served as the Member of Parliament for Edinburgh South West from 2015 to 2024. During that time, she was the front bench spokesperson for her party on justice and home affairs from 2015 to 2021. Thereafter she chaired parliament’s influential Joint Committee on Human Rights .

Her parliamentary tenure was marked by significant legal achievements, including her involvement in high-profile constitutional litigation that took her to both the European Court of Justice and the UK Supreme Court. Notably, she led the Scottish litigation that resulted in Boris Johnson’s prorogation of Parliament being ruled unlawful.

Joanna’s exceptional work has been widely recognised. She was awarded the Herald’s “Best Scot at Westminster” in 2019 and Holyrood magazine’s equivalent award in 2021. She is also an Honorary Bencher of the Middle Temple. The Legal 500 have recognised her as a leading silk in the criminal field and in personal injury, medical negligence and professional negligence where she was described as ‘Fearless in her pursuit of a satisfactory outcome for the client.’

Ampersand’s Practice Manager, Alan Moffat, expressed enthusiasm about Joanna joining the Stable: “We are delighted to welcome Joanna to Ampersand. Her expertise in human rights and public law, combined with her recent experience in high-level constitutional matters, along with her medical and FAI experience, will be an invaluable asset to our stable. Joanna’s addition reinforces our commitment to providing the highest caliber of legal representation to those instructing counsel.”

Ampersand is a leading Scottish Stable with recognised experience across Clinical Negligence and Personal Injury, Public and Planning law, and Commercial and Alternative Dispute resolution. Joanna Cherry’s inclusion in its ranks with 27 other senior counsel and 34 junior counsel further enhances Ampersand’s reputation as a leading force for those looking in instruct Scottish Counsel.

Ampersand is a tier 1 set with the leading legal directories across multiple practice areas and is the Scottish “Stable of the year” at the Legal 500 Scottish Awards 2023.

You can view Joanna Cherry KC’s profile here.

For any enquiries about instruction Counsel, please contact the Ampersand Clerking Team: ampersandclerks@advocates.org.uk.

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Joanna Cherry KC

Joanna Cherry KC called to the bar in 1995 and took silk in 2009. Joanna has established herself as a formidable presence in the legal world and has experience in human rights, public law, constitutional matters, criminal, medical-legal matters and in fatal accident inquiries. Her extensive experience includes serving as a standing Junior to the Scottish Government and as an advocate depute. Prior to her political career, she built a successful appellate practice, regularly appearing before the UK Supreme Court and handling complex medical-legal cases and fatal accident inquiries.

Joanna served as the Member of Parliament for Edinburgh South-West from 2015 to 2024. During that time, she was the front bench spokesperson for her party on justice and home affairs from 2015 to 2021. Thereafter she chaired parliament’s Joint Committee on Human Rights.

Her parliamentary tenure was marked by significant legal achievements, including her involvement in high-profile constitutional litigation that took her to both the European Court of Justice and the UK Supreme Court. She led the Scottish litigation that resulted in Boris Johnson’s prorogation of Parliament being ruled unlawful.

Joanna’s work has been widely recognised. She was awarded the Herald’s “Best Scot at Westminster” in 2019 and Holyrood magazine’s equivalent award in 2021. She is also an Honorary Bencher of the Middle Temple.

Prior to entering politics, the Legal 500 had recognised Joanna as a leading silk in the criminal field, and in personal injury, medical negligence and professional negligence, where she was described as “fearless in her pursuit of a satisfactory outcome for the client.”

Joanna has returned to full-time practice and is available for instruction.

Selected cases:

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