Chambers Review
Provided by Chambers
Clinical Negligence - Scotland (Bar)
What the Team is Known For
Ampersand Advocates has the "strength and depth of specialised advocates" and retains its reputation as "the premier stable for clinical negligence in Scotland". Its advocates continue to provide expert legal advice and representation to both pursuers and defenders in a wide range of disputes, including claims relating to birth and catastrophic brain and spinal injuries. Its members are well versed in cases arising from alleged failures in diagnosis and surgical errors, and regularly appear at fatal accident inquiries. The stable also houses considerable expertise in obstetric negligence cases.
Strengths
The clerks are all very helpful, responsive and supportive.
They are incredibly user-friendly, with a clerking team and head clerk, Alan Moffat, who are second to none.
The clerks are always responsive on time-sensitive matters and always provide a response within more than reasonable timeframes.
They're an excellent stable with extremely helpful clerks.
The clerks are really good. They are extremely helpful, efficient and quick at getting back to you. It's their efficiency and proactive nature that really assists the solicitors.
Notable practitioners
Maria Maguire KC is the leading silk in the field of Scottish clinical negligence litigation. She acts on behalf of both defenders and pursuers in a diverse array of cases and has a particular knack for high-value birth injury claims. Her extensive advocacy experience enables her to get to the heart of the thorniest medical causation issues.
She has absolute laser-like focus; she sees everything little thing that needs to get done. She is formidable and top drawer.
She is a good all-round advocate. Maria is very good with clients and discussions with opposing counsel. She is all round really strong, which is really impressive.
Euan Mackenzie KC acts for both pursuers and defenders in a range of complex medical negligence claims. His caseload includes delayed diagnosis, surgical negligence resulting in significant disability, and obstetric claims resulting in birth injury.
I can't speak highly enough about him. He is unflappable and is able to find practical solutions if a problem is encountered. He is clear, decisive and focused but also very empathetic.
Euan Mackenzie is a very safe pair of hands.
Euan has a keen eye for detail and is particularly excellent in technical cases.
Jennifer Nicholson-White is a highly regarded clinical negligence junior who has a burgeoning reputation within this area. She acts for both pursuers and defenders on a range of complex medical negligence matters. Her work covers incorrect and failure to diagnose claims, birth injury claims and negligence resulting in amputation.
She was really excellent with the clients. She put them at ease the whole time.
I love Jenny's style in court. She is true to her own style - it is more like a discussion. It is hugely effective.
Jenny is excellent at getting back to me promptly and is very knowledgeable. She has strong empathy and understanding for my clients, and incredible attention to detail.
I have a lot of time for her and she has always been great to work with.
She is both friendly and professional and has a strong ability to deal with complex matters. Jennifer is fantastic with instructing agents, clients and experts at consultation.
Lauren Sutherland KC is a strong silk who brings her skills to bear in the full array of clinical negligence and personal injury cases. She is adept at navigating complex causation and quantum issues, and is especially knowledgeable about claims relating to cerebral palsy, brain injuries and fatal incidents. Instructing solicitors frequently praise her for her medical knowledge.
She is tireless once she gets the bit between her teeth, and there is no one who knows their medicine better.
She is very personable and sympathetic to clients, especially in relation to sensitive matters of clinical negligence.
Lauren is dogged in her pursuit of justice for pursuers. She will give a case her detailed attention and pursue it as far as it possibly can be, and she never shies away from a difficult issue.
Lauren is always willing to fight hard for her client. She is my go-to counsel where a novel argument needs to be fought. She is an impressive force and well liked by clients.
Lisa Henderson KC is a highly impressive silk with a fantastic track record of taking on clinical negligence instructions of the utmost severity. She represents both pursuer and defender clients, and has an aptitude for handling cases with complex quantum and causation issues arising from brain and birth injuries.
She has a good, solid knowledge of clinical negligence and is good with clients.
She is very enthusiastic, she is very thorough in her approach and she really does do all that she can to make the cases successful.
She is extremely knowledgeable.
Mark Fitzpatrick manages a busy defence-side clinical negligence practice and often undertakes advocacy on behalf of health boards. His cases touch on such issues as medical consent, failures to diagnose and delays in diagnosis, and typically involve difficult causation elements.
Mark is an excellent advocate and good to work with.
Mark is an experienced advocate who brings his intellect and skill to every case. He quickly grasps the issues and provides clear advice to clients.
Simon Bowie KC is a highly regarded silk who is regularly retained to defend institutions and individuals implicated in alleged medical negligence. His instructions concern a variety of matters, from catastrophic injuries to fatalities. He is widely recognised for his thoughtful approach and his involvement in large group actions.
His attention to detail is second to none.
He is a very safe pair of hands, has excellent attention to detail and is very user-friendly.
Simon is highly experienced and really gets to grip with the issues. He is a very trusted adviser.
He leaves no stone unturned and works tirelessly on any matter he is dealing with. Simon is easy to work with and takes on board the opinions of his instructing agents.
Simon is knowledgeable, personable and highly experienced. He is always a joy to work with and can be relied upon to deal with difficult, complex cases that need a strong steady hand.
Una Doherty KC is a former solicitor who concentrates on litigating cases in the connected areas of clinical negligence, personal injury and professional negligence. She focuses her practice on the representation of defenders in connection with the gravest of allegations, including those pertaining to childbirth-related injuries.
She is a very experienced and able senior counsel.
Una is a superb advocate and great to work with.
She gives 100% of her skill and expertise to every case. Her attention to detail is second to none, leaving no stone unturned. She is a skilful written pleader and impressive in court.
Fiona Drysdale KC represents clients on both the pursuer and defender sides of clinical negligence cases. She is noted for her strength in claims resulting from maximum-severity birth injuries. She is also experienced in fatal claims and delayed diagnosis cases.
Fiona is very dedicated and conscientious.
She goes through everything with a fine-tooth comb to get the best results for clients. She is empathetic with clients and always tries to achieve the result that is best for them.
She is highly dedicated and excellent in a team.
Geoffrey Mitchell KC has a wealth of experience in handling complex clinical negligence claims for pursuers and defenders. He demonstrates an impressive proficiency in instructions involving surgical errors, failures to diagnose and serious injuries sustained at birth. His practice also encompasses fatal claims.
He was very pleasant to deal with and was really good at working with me as a team.
Geoffrey is an excellent advocate and a pleasure to work with.
Graham Primrose KC is a notable silk praised for his calm demeanour when dealing with claims of the utmost complexity. He represents both pursuers and defenders in surgical errors, fatal claims and cases concerning failed or delayed diagnosis.
He has the ability to deal with clients from all walks of life, in some of the most tragic of circumstances, in a sensitive manner but also provide them with excellent legal advice.
Graham is very approachable and sensible in his approach. Clients warm to him as he gives advice in a clear and concise way.
Isla Davie KC is a well-regarded advocate whose civil law practice spans personal injury, medical and professional negligence, and commercial and property law. She acts for both defenders and pursuers, and complements her injury practice with her expertise in fatal accident inquiries.
She is personable and professional. She's good with clients, experts and instructing agents. She presents as strong but fair and is able to manage expectations accordingly.
Isla is pragmatic, robust and will think outside of the box to achieve the best outcome for the client. She is the best negotiator I have worked with.
Isla is an excellent advocate and a pleasure to work with.
She's a go-to for high-value and complex clinical negligence matters. Isla delivers a robust, considered approach on these cases while building rapport with clients easily.
She is very approachable and puts clients at ease. She is outstanding in court with well-reasoned and articulate arguments.
Jamie Dawson KC is a committed advocate who has vast experience acting for both pursuers and defenders in complex clinical negligence matters. 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.
Shane Dundas focuses on clinical negligence, industrial disease and personal injury cases. He has significant experience concerning failure to treat and failure to diagnose claims and in matters regarding injury sustained from negligent surgery.
He is brilliant; his attention to detail is exceptional. He is wickedly clever, with a unique ability to provide advice that is extremely straightforward.
His ability to analyse and bring focus to the core issues of a case makes him an exceptionally skilled advocate to have on your side.
He is excellent - very, very thorough.
Shane is a very talented junior advocate who gives comprehensive and sound advice.
Vinit Khurana KC is a former GP who is held in esteem for his command of the medical intricacies behind clinical negligence cases. He is primarily instructed by defenders and has dealt with a vast array of allegations, including delays in diagnosis and birth injuries. He also has notable experience advising clients on complex disputes concerning lack of consent.
Vinit is an outstanding barrister. His knowledge of the law and medical terms is just incredible.
His analysis of the clinical negligence cases we have worked on has given us a clear path to success. He has a great manner both with clients and in court.
His insight and attention to detail have led to excellent results in really difficult and complex matters. He is patient and pleasant with clients and always pushes for the best result in every case.
Vinit is an outstanding senior. He quickly gets to grips with cases. He is a great communicator and very able in court.
James McConnell KC is an experienced advocate who assists both pursuers and defenders with a variety of impressive clinical negligence claims ranging from catastrophic birth injury to brain injury cases. He is also well versed in cases concerning lack of consent and failed diagnosis.
He is very thorough, has good attention to detail and is responsive.
James is hugely experienced in clinical negligence cases and in particular birth injury. He has an in-depth understanding of the law and is able to deal with matters in a practical way.
James is extremely pragmatic and approachable. He is happy to go above and beyond for clients and to help the legal team.
He is excellent on his feet and at explaining complex issues to clients.
James is fearless and not afraid to argue a difficult case.