Fiona Drysdale KC
Fiona’s practice spans personal injury, clinical negligence, fatal accident inquiries, and public inquiries, with particular expertise in catastrophic injury, fatal cases, and matters involving children. She brings extensive courtroom and advisory experience, regularly prosecuting in the High Court as an Ad Hoc Advocate Depute, and previously serving as a Standing Junior to the Scottish Government. Fiona is also a member of the Scottish Civil Justice Council and has significant experience in regulatory and disciplinary work, chairing judicial panels and acting as a legal assessor across a range of professions.
Fiona is ranked in Chambers UK Bar 2025 for Clinical Negligence and Public and Fatal Accident Inquiries. Chambers notes that: “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 and is widely recognised for her prowess in the clinical negligence field.” “Fiona Drysdale KC represents clients on both the pursuer and defender sides of clinical negligence cases. She is noted for her strength in claims arising from maximum-severity birth injuries and has extensive experience in fatal claims and delayed diagnosis cases.” Fiona is also ranked in The Legal 500 UK Bar 2025 for Clinical Negligence, Personal Injury, Crime and Regulatory, which describes her as: “Extremely capable, hard-working and reliable.”
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Geoffrey D. Mitchell KC
Geoffrey Mitchell KC is an experienced litigator, with considerable experience in oral advocacy (first instance and appellate), public and local inquiries, and public and administrative law.
He was lead Counsel for the Scottish Government in the Covid-19 Public Inquiries.
He has ‘Leading Silk’ and ‘Band 1’ rankings in the Legal 500 and Chambers UK Bar Guide (2026 editions).
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.
“Geoff is able to lead the team in a way where everyone wants to be there, even in a high-pressure, difficult environment. He is a calming influence.”
(Chambers UK Bar Guide, 2026 ed.)
“He has very strong written and oral advocacy skills and is a sophisticated, strategic leader.”
(Chambers UK Bar Guide, 2026 ed.)
“An excellent communicator with strong analytical skills. He has great insight, and an ability to simplify even the most complex issues.”
(The Legal 500, 2025 ed.)
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Graham Maciver
Graham Maciver works primarily throughout the fields of public and administrative law, including principally judicial review, human rights and immigration law. Graham’s other areas of practice include commercial and regulatory law (directors disqualification and tax), personal injury and international law.
Graham has been a Standing Junior to the Advocate General for Scotland since 2012 and was appointed to the newly created post of Second Standing Junior to the Advocate General for Scotland in 2021, and now First Standing Junior in 2024.He has been on the Public International Law Panel to the Attorney General since 2014 and Equality and Human Rights Commission Panel of Counsel since 2019. Junior Counsel to Scottish Hospitals Inquiry since 2023.
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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. As a junior he was Band 1 ranked by Chambers and Partners in Clinical Negligence and by the Legal 500 in Personal Injury and Medical Negligence.
Cases:
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Jamie Dawson KC
Jamie Dawson KC called to the Bar in 2004 and took silk in 2020. He has a wide ranging civil practice involving both appearance and advisory work. He has experience of appearing in both the Inner and Outer House of the Court of Session, the High Court of Justiciary and sheriff courts as well as tribunals and public inquiries. The mainstay of his practice is medical and dental negligence cases (pursuer and defender) and public inquiries. He also works in the field of personal injury (pursuer and defender) and defamation and handles insurance and commercial disputes, trust and property cases.
Jamie was instructed as lead Counsel on behalf of the Scottish infected and affected core participants in the UK’s largest ever public inquiry at that time, the Infected Blood Inquiry. The final report was published in May 2024.
Jamie was appointed to the UK Covid-19 Inquiry legal team. He, along with 10 other KC’s, support Hugo Keith KC, Lead Counsel to the Inquiry, and Martin Smith, Solicitor to the Inquiry, with the preparation and delivery of the Inquiry’s investigative work. He lead Module 2A, Core UK decision-making and political governance – Scotland.
As a junior Counsel, he was recommended in legal directories for his expertise in clinical negligence and personal injury work for several years. Amongst the comments on his practice were the following:
• “Fantastic at dealing with complex medical evidence and technical details.” (Legal 500 (2020), personal injury and clinical negligence work, Band 1)
• “A committed advocate who has vast experience defending clinical negligence cases. His wide-ranging caseload spans such circumstances as birth injuries, dental malpractice and fatal accidents. He also has experience in mental health and cancer diagnosis cases.
Strengths: “He is very good at getting into the details in clinical negligence cases.”(Chambers & Partners (2020), clinical negligence work)
• Strengths: “He is very good at picking up on things and running with them.” “I would describe him as very proactive. He was very good in the case I was on and made a very positive contribution to its conclusion.” (Chambers & Partners (2017), personal injury work)
• “He’s good, thorough and professional.” (Chambers & Partners (2016), clinical negligence work)
• “He is extremely impressive and very helpful too.” (Chambers & Partners (2016), personal injury work)
• Expertise: “He’s very thorough and goes into a lot of depth; his advocacy skills are very good.” (Chambers & Partners (2014), personal injury work)
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