Administrative & Public Law

Ampersand has a strong reputation in public law litigation. We are home to some of the leading practitioners at the Scottish Bar in bringing and defending challenges to the decisions of public bodies including cases raising human rights issues.

The Legal 500 and Chambers say: “Ampersand offers expertise across a diverse range of public and administrative law cases, notably in the areas of commercial, planning, EU and human rights law. Within the public sector, the stable receives instructions from local authorities as well as the Scottish and UK governments. Advocates also represent corporations, charities and individual petitioners seeking to challenge legislation and public body decision-making.”

Our members regularly appear in the leading public law cases in the UK Supreme Court and the Court of Session. Notable recent cases members have been involved include the Brexit Supreme Court case R (Miller & Anor) v Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, and high-profile judicial reviews concerning the ‘Named Person’ provisions in the Children and Young Persons (Scotland) Act 2014 and another landmark decision involving the rights of abuse victims to access legal aid to fight attempts to obtain medical records.

Members are also instructed to appear in specialist tribunals including the First-Tier and Upper Tribunals as well as public inquiries.

What the Legal Directories say about Ampersand in Administrative & Public Law

Chambers & Partners UK Bar 2025

Administrative and Public Law (Band 2)

Ampersand Advocates houses highly praised practitioners who are skilled at acting in public law cases involving significant constitutional and human rights issues. The stale is praised for its impressive number of highly rated junior and senior counsel, and members frequently appear before the highest courts in Scotland and the UK. In recent months. Members acted on behalf of the Scottish Ministers in a challenge over the lawfulness of the Secretary of State’s decision to prevent Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill being submitted for royal assent.

Rankings include Aidan O’Neill KC as “Star Individual” with 5 others also ranked – Douglas Ross KC, Ian S Forrester KC, Laura-Anne van der Westhuizen KC, Paul Reid KC, Usman Tariq KC

See full table here.

Legal 500 UK Bar 2025

Administrative and Public Law

TIER 1

Ampersand Advocates’ members have been kept especially busy handling high-profile judicial reviews, and the stable is widely recognised for its expertise in advising on cases involving human rights and civil liberties issues. Douglas Ross KC’s ‘analysis of a case is exceptional’. Paul Reid KC is ‘intellectually very able’ and has extensive experience in advising the Scottish Government on a broad range of constitutional issues. In recent work for the group, Ross Anderson successfully acted as junior counsel for the petitioners in Averbuch v City of Edinburgh Council, a judicial review of the council’s short-term lets licensing policy, and Timothy Young is acting as junior counsel for the Scottish Association of Landlords in a high-profile judicial review of the rent control provisions in the Cost of Living (Tenant Protection) (Scotland) Act 2022. Bolstering the team at the senior end of the stable, Usman Tariq KC took silk in September 2024.

An impressive roster of silks includes Aidan O’Neill KC, Douglas Ross KC, Susanne Tanner KC, Laura-Anne Van Der Westhuizen KC. Ross Anderson, Timothy Young and Michael Way are recognized as leading juniors.

See full table here.

Stable Testimonials

“Extremely helpful. Always engaged and engaging”
“Excellent – all clerks are very good”
“The clerks at Ampersand are always eager to assist and responsive to emails”