Katharine Muir
Katharine Muir called to the Bar in 2022 after 6 years as a solicitor in private practice. She has a varied civil practice which includes professional regulation, clinical negligence, product liability, judicial review, defamation, construction litigation and contractual disputes. She appears regularly in the Sheriff Courts and Court of Session and has been instructed in group proceedings.
Katharine has a particular interest in product liability. She has worked on some of the most high-profile product liability cases in Scotland as solicitor and since coming to the Bar. She has also advised manufacturers on product compliance and safety, labelling and advertising.
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Usman Tariq one of 49 junior counsel appointed to UK Covid-19 Inquiry legal team
Ampersand is pleased to hear that Usman Tariq has been appointed along with 48 other junior counsel to join the UK Covid-19 Inquiry legal team.
The junior counsel will support Hugo Keith QC, Lead Counsel to the Inquiry, Martin Smith, Solicitor to the Inquiry, and the eleven recently appointed Queen’s Counsel with the preparation and delivery of the Inquiry’s investigative work. Usman will undertaken this work alongside has existing practice.
The full news item can be viewed here.
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Scottish Covid-19 Inquiry website goes live
The Scottish Covid-19 Inquiry website is now live. The Inquiry Chair, Lady Poole said the Inquiry will carry out a fair, open and thorough investigation to establish what lessons should be learnt from the strategic response to the pandemic.
The website has details of the Counsel Inquiry team which includes Ampersand’s Douglas Ross QC and Laura-Anne van der Westhuizen QC.
The official website can be viewed here: http://covid19inquiry.scot
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Determination by Sheriff Principal Duncan L Murray WS in the FAI into the death of Fearne Adger [2022] FAI 18
Fatal Accident Inquiry before Sheriff Principal Murray into the death of 8-month old Fearne Adger at Royal Alexandra Hospital, Paisley on 29 April 2017. The inquiry heard evidence over nine days. Fearne had presented to hospital with symptoms diagnosed as gastroenteritis and was only admitted on her third presentation. Several hours after her admission, she suffered a sudden cardiac event and died.
Whilst there were recognised failings in Fearne’s care, the submission on behalf of Greater Glasgow Health Board was that the cause of death was disseminated parechovirus infection which gave rise to myocarditis, which in turn gave rise to a fatal cardiac arrhythmia. There was no other contributing cause of death. This cause of death was not predictable from the clinical information and was not avoidable. Disseminated parechovirus was only identified on post-mortem. Despite contrary submissions by the Crown and the family on the basis of their expert evidence, the Sheriff Principal accepted the submission on behalf of the Board as to the cause of death. He also concluded that there were no reasonable precautions which might have avoided the death, nor were there defects in the system of working which contributed to the death, in terms of sections 26(2)(e) and 26(2)(f) of the Inquiries into Fatal Accidents and Sudden Deaths Etc (Scotland) Act 2016. He made no recommendations in terms of s26(1)(b) of the Act.
The determination can be found here.
Ampersand’s Una Doherty QC acted for Greater Glasgow Health Board.
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Determination by Sheriff Principal Duncan L Murray WS in the FAI into the death of Fearne Adger [2022] FAI 18
Ampersand’s Una Doherty QC acted for Greater Glasgow Health Board at the Fatal Accident Inquiry before Sheriff Principal Murray into the death of 8-month old Fearne Adger at Royal Alexandra Hospital, Paisley on 29 April 2017. The inquiry heard evidence over nine days. Fearne had presented to hospital with symptoms diagnosed as gastroenteritis and was only admitted on her third presentation. Several hours after her admission, she suffered a sudden cardiac event and died.
Whilst there were recognised failings in Fearne’s care, the submission on behalf of Greater Glasgow Health Board was that the cause of death was disseminated parechovirus infection which gave rise to myocarditis, which in turn gave rise to a fatal cardiac arrhythmia. There was no other contributing cause of death. This cause of death was not predictable from the clinical information and was not avoidable. Disseminated parechovirus was only identified on post-mortem. Despite contrary submissions by the Crown and the family on the basis of their expert evidence, the Sheriff Principal accepted the submission on behalf of the Board as to the cause of death. He also concluded that there were no reasonable precautions which might have avoided the death, nor were there defects in the system of working which contributed to the death, in terms of sections 26(2)(e) and 26(2)(f) of the Inquiries into Fatal Accidents and Sudden Deaths Etc (Scotland) Act 2016. He made no recommendations in terms of s26(1)(b) of the Act.
The determination can be found here.
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Jamie Dawson QC one of eleven QCs appointed to UK Covid-19 Inquiry legal team
Ampersand is pleased to hear that Jamie Dawson QC has been appointed along with ten other Queen’s Counsel (QCs) to join the UK Covid-19 Inquiry legal team. The eleven QCs will support Hugo Keith QC, Lead Counsel to the Inquiry, and Martin Smith, Solicitor to the Inquiry, with the preparation and delivery of the Inquiry’s investigative work.
The full news item can be viewed here.
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