Leading Silks

James Findlay KC – Terra Firma Chambers 'James is a sharp-witted, understated advocate.'
Ailsa Wilson KCAmpersand Advocates 'Ailsa is able to deal with challenging issues, quickly gets to the heart of a problem and provides sound practical advice.'
Douglas Armstrong KCTerra Firma Chambers 'A very impressive advocate at the planning Bar. He is a delight to work with and provides clear, insightful, and strategic advice on the most complex matters. He clearly has the ear of the court.'
Alasdair Burnet KC – Terra Firma Chambers 'Alasdair is a stand-out planning KC, who balances commercial awareness and pragmatism with compelling advocacy and detailed advice.'
James Mure KC – Axiom Advocates 'A luminary of the planning Bar.'
Laura-Anne Van Der Westhuizen KCAmpersand Advocates 'Laura-Anne combines strategic, commercial thinking with excellent legal knowledge and the ability to present complex arguments in a clear and concise manner.'

Leading Juniors

Graham Dunlop – Terra Firma Chambers 'A very safe pair of hands.'
Nicholas McAndrew – Ampersand Advocates 'He is very responsive and user friendly with a real talent for putting clients at ease. An impressive advocate.'
Maurice O’Carroll – Terra Firma Chambers 'Maurice has a very engaging manner which instantly puts witnesses at their ease.'
Timothy YoungAmpersand Advocates 'He is a fierce litigator who puts forward the best case on behalf of clients at all times.'
Ewen Brown  – Terra Firma Chambers 'He has a very fine mind, and is able to understand and distil complicated legal issues into practical language that a client can understand.'
Brian CrookTerra Firma Chambers 'Brian is a formidable yet approachable advocate. His calm, measured approach - likely a result of his preparedness and solid grasp of the law - means he is a reassuring presence in the courtroom for both the client and instructing solicitor.'
Charles Oliver – Arnot Manderson Advocates 'Charles has a strong legal mind and a compelling manner in court.'
Giles Reid – Ampersand Advocates 'Giles has an encyclopedic knowledge of property law, and his advice is pragmatic, commercially aware and tactically sound.'

Rising Stars

Kenneth Young – Terra Firma Chambers 'A rising star of the property and planning Bar. He is clever and hard-working, with a 'can do' attitude to legal problems.'

Property, planning and construction in Scottish Bar

Ampersand Advocates


Ampersand Advocates is ‘a very well regarded stable in the planning law area‘, and has a solid track record in advising on high-profile real estate disputes and development and infrastructure projects in Scotland. Marcus McKay KC is well-known for assisting energy companies with the planning aspects of prominent energy infrastructure projects. Ailsa Wilson KC is ‘one of the most experienced and sought after planning advocates in Scotland‘. Timothy Young acted as junior counsel for the pursuers in Wilson & Anor v McAteer, concerning a challenge to an asserted servitude right over an access road in the pursuers’ land; the court found in favour of the pursuers. Ross Anderson is well-versed in advising on property law matters, and has been kept busy handling contentious real estate issues. Malcolm Thomson KC retired in April 2024.

Les références

Alan Moffat is excellent.’

Alan Moffat is a stand-out clerk.’

Alan Moffat goes out of his way to assist. Shawn McArthur is great to deal with and takes a proactive approach when it comes to finding suitable dates and assisting with availability of counsel.’





Terra Firma Chambers


Terra Firma Chambers is home to ‘a good range of experienced planning counsel’. James Findlay KC, who shares dual tenancy with English set Cornerstone Barristers, is ‘well respected‘ in the planning law space, and Alasdair Burnet KC is ‘attuned to the challenges that developers and local authorities face and gives measured, realistic advice‘. At the junior end of the stable, Graham Dunlop has solid experience in advising on construction disputes and a broad range of property law issues. Brian Crook has an established track record in handling contested property rights, real burdens, landlord and tenant issues and liferents, among other areas. In recent instructions for the team, Kenneth Young appeared before the Upper Tribunal in a successful appeal against a decision that a heritable creditor was responsible for the landlord’s repairing obligations in a tenanted flat after taking a decree of possession.

Les références

Emma Caskie-Potter is a dynamic practice leader who knows her stable’s strengths well.’

The clerks at Terra Firma are brilliant. They will always go above and beyond to identify the appropriate counsel for the case, provide accurate fee quotes and provide useful updates on timescales and other matters.’

The clerks are always attentive.’