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Scottish Civil Justice Council publishes protective expenses order report

The Scottish Civil Justice Council has published a report on the consultation on the draft rules for Protective Expenses Orders. The report summarises the proposals and provides an analysis of the key issues arising from the responses. The SCJC has established a working group to consider the policy issues emerging from the consultation and to make recommendations to the council for revised procedural rules. The working group is made up of:

The report can be viewed here.

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“Ampersand houses ‘an excellent group’ of advocates” – Strong showing for Ampersand in latest Legal 500 listings

Ampersand is delighted to be once again be recommended as a top-tier set by The Legal 500 UK Bar Directory.

The guide says “Ampersand houses ‘an excellent group’ of advocates, who handle a broad spectrum of practice areas, including commercial, planning, property and public law. The stable is particularly noted, however, for its very strong personal injury and clinical negligence team.”

32 Ampersand advocate’s are listed in The Legal 500 UK 2017 guide to outstanding counsel published on 11 October 2017.

Civil liberties, human rights, public inquiries, and public and administrative law (including local government) – Civil liberties, human rights, public inquiries, and public and administrative law (including local government) – Leading silks
– Aidan O’Neill QC A natural orator.
– Dorothy Bain QC Hardworking, determined and confident in court
– Douglas Ross QC Very intelligent and personable.
– Laura-Anne van der Westhuizen Very bright and a pleasure to work with.

Commercial litigation

– Alan Dewar QC A formidable practitioner.
– Craig Sandison QC A standout silk.
– Robert Howie QC An incredibly bright and extremely talented silk.
– Ronald Clancy QC Highly recommended for a broad spectrum of commercial cases.
– Eoghainn MacLean Determined in court.

Company and insolvency

– David Sellar QC A first-choice silk for complex company and insolvency matters.

Employment – Employment

– Russell Bradley Very experienced in TUPE, restrictive covenants and whistleblowing cases.

 Intellectual property, information technology and media

– Craig Sandison QC Brilliantly clever and tenacious in court.
– Usman Tariq He has considerable experience on his feet.

Personal injury and medical negligence

– David Stephenson QC He is great to work with due to his unflappable demeanour.
– Euan Mackenzie QC A meticulous silk with a first-class intellect.
– Graham Primrose QC He has impressive technical knowledge.
– Hugh Campbell QC Very experienced across the spectrum of disease and injury cases.
– Lauren Sutherland QC A highly dedicated silk.
– Lisa Henderson QC She has fantastic attention to detail and notable client empathy.
– Maria Maguire QC Her remarkable grasp of the facts enhances her focus on a case.
– Simon Di Rollo QC A very effective court performer.
– Archie MacSporran Very experienced in complex and high-value clinical negligence cases.
– Christian Marney Well known for acting in personal injury matters.
– Fiona Drysdale Hardworking with a very detailed approach.
– James Dawson He has a sound understanding of complex scientific material.
– Una Doherty Reliable and well organised

Planning, environmental and licensing

– Ailsa Wilson QC Highly experienced in regulatory environmental disputes.
– Malcolm Thomson QC A patrician of planning law.
– Marcus McKay QC Recommended for cases involving renewable energy.
– Laura-Anne van der Westhuizen Painstaking and great with clients.

Property, construction and agriculture

– Christopher Haddow QC Recommended for a broad range of property matters.
– Robert Howie QC A go-to silk for construction law matters.
– Eoghainn MacLean Willing to explore every possibility to assist his clients.

Full listings can be viewed here.

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Robert Howie KC

Robert Howie KC was admitted as an advocate in 1986. He took silk in 2000. He has been involved in a large number of adjudications as Counsel, legal adviser or adjudicator. He has also acted as the Court’s reporter in several petition cases including Earl of Balfour, Petitioner 2003 SC (HL) 1 and Chisholm, Petitioner 2006 SLT 394. He regularly appears in the Inner and Outer Houses of the Court of Session. He has appeared in the Sheriff Court, the Lands Tribunal and in several Arbitrations. Robert Howie has also led in the House of Lords and the UK Supreme Court.

Robert Howie KC is ranked in the current edition of Chambers and Partners under 4 areas of practice. In Construction Law he is described as “A really great lawyer who is deserving of his great reputation and an opponent to be reckoned with… He is very good at marshalling and dealing with legal arguments.” He is also ranked in Chambers and Partners for Insolvency described as being “very commercially and tactically minded… His advice is always first-class, clear, well thought out and supported by detailed knowledge of case law.” Under Commercial Dispute Resolution “His thoroughness and knowledge are second to none… He is one of the cleverest advocates at the Scottish Bar. He’s near the top of the pile in terms of quality commercial work.” And under Professional Negligence “He has an amazing ability to come up with a left-field argument… He is very bright, very able and an inventive thinker.”

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Laura-Anne van der Westhuizen KC

Laura-Anne van der Westhuizen KC has a civil practice with particular emphasis on commercial law, planning and environmental law and public law. She is currently ranked in five separate practice areas by Chambers UK and is Legal 500 Scotland Awards 2023 Silk of the Year. She was the Legal 500 Scottish Bar Junior of the Year in 2020.

Since calling to the bar in 2009 Laura-Anne has been instructed in a variety of commercial matters including company and insolvency matters, contractual disputes, shipping matters and tax appeals. She has represented both developers and planning authorities in planning matters, petitioners and respondents in a range of judicial review proceedings, and interested parties and core participants in fatal accident and public inquiries.

Laura-Anne has extensive advocacy experience. Before calling to the Scottish Bar she practised as an Advocate in South Africa and she called to the Bar of England and Wales in 2008. She has appeared in the UK Supreme Court, the Court of Session (Inner and Outer House), the Scottish Land Court, the Sheriff Court and various tribunals and inquiries.

She was on the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s panel of counsel from 2015 to 2023 and was a Standing Junior Counsel to the Scottish Government from 2015 to 2021.

In March 2022 Laura-Anne was appointed as Co-Lead Counsel to the Scottish COVID-19 Inquiry.

Selected Cases

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Sheena Hume

Sheena joined Ampersand in 2015. Prior to joining us, Sheena worked at a top Edinburgh Law firm, initially as a trainee then as a Solicitor in their Employment Department. Sheena holds a LL.B and Legal Practice Diploma from the University of Edinburgh.

Sheena’s legal experience provides her with ideal insight to assist with all inquires in relation to instructing counsel. Sheena brings a friendly and professional service to the Clerking team and is always ready to assist.

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Shawn McArthur

Shawn McArthur joined Ampersand in 2018. Prior to joining Ampersand Shawn was a Legal Secretary at a global law firm, based in Edinburgh, working Dispute Resolution and prior to that worked in Property and Insolvency teams.

Shawn brings a friendly outlook and efficient work ethic to the team.

 

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