At Ampersand Advocates, multiple members of the stable have been kept especially busy representing various parties in the high-profile UK and Scottish COVID-19 inquiries, as well as acting for core participants in the Scottish Hospitals inquiry; in the case of the latter, Una Doherty KC is advising NHS National Services Scotland, while Susanne Tanner KC is representing Scottish Futures Trust in the ongoing proceedings. Simon Bowie KC ‘gets to the nub of the issue‘ in complex, prominent inquiries. Paul Reid KC has a solid track record in advising on prison-related litigation, and is often instructed in Fatal Accident Inquiries arising from deaths in custody. At the junior end of the stable, Ayla Iridag is well known for appearing for participants in Fatal Accident Inquiries, and acted as sole counsel to NHS Grampian in the fatal accident inquiry into the death of an 83-year old man, who died as a result of injuries inflicted by a person who had been referred for psychiatric treatment but had not attended the appointments; it was found that no health care precautions could reasonably have been taken that could have avoided the man’s death. In a boost to the stable, James McConnell KC and Usman Tariq KC were appointed to silk in September 2024.

Compass Chambers is ‘the go-to stable for health and safety in Scotland‘, according to clients, and attracts praise as ‘one of the first choice stables for inquiry and reparation work‘. The ‘superb‘ Barry Smith KC’s ‘performance in court is first-rate‘ and he is highly regarded for his expertise in advising on high-profile health and safety cases, often for maritime sector clients, as well as acting in Fatal Accident Inquiries. Peter Gray KC is ‘unflappable on his feet‘ and ‘highly effective and eloquent‘, with an excellent track record in handling complex regulatory criminal work and health and safety instructions. In a high-profile case, Murdo MacLeod KC and the ‘assured and concise‘ Emma Toner acted in the M9 fatal accident inquiry into the deaths of a couple in a car accident in 2015, after a 999 call reporting the accident was missed leading to their crashed car not being found for three days. MacLeod KC, Gray KC, Toner, and Barney Ross are also appearing for various parties in the Scottish Hospitals inquiry and the ongoing Scottish and UK COVID-19 public inquiries. Gavin Anderson KC is currently serving as an Advocate Depute.

At Terra Firma Chambers, Fred Mackintosh KC has ‘strength and depth of knowledge‘ in human rights matters, and is very well known for his expertise in handling cases involving secure environments. Alasdair Burnet KC has a solid track record in acting in high-profile public inquiries and for the NHS in Fatal Accident Inquiries, and is currently representing NHS Lothian in the ongoing Scottish Hospitals inquiry. At the junior end of the stable, Scott Blair is appearing as junior counsel in the ongoing Scottish Child Abuse inquiry, and Graham Dunlop and Kenneth Young are involved in the Scottish COVID-19 inquiry.