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.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • 'Alan Moffat is second to none.'
  • 'Alan Moffat is a great leader of the Ampersand clerking team. Sensible and approachable.'
  • 'The service of the clerks is efficient, friendly and very responsive. Sheena Hume is particularly helpful and responsive.'
  • 'Great range and depth of available counsel with a great clerking team.'
  • 'Great support from the stable.'

Silks

Leading Silks
KCs at the very top of their field, with a long-established record of market-defining cases, and widespread endorsement from clients and peers. All silks appointed in the last two rounds are listed further below.
Simon Bowie KC
Ampersand Advocates
 'Simon is an exceptional KC. His ability to gather together the key information from large quantities of papers is brilliant.'
Lisa Henderson KC
Ampersand Advocates
 'Lisa is able to absorb voluminous material covering a variety of complex issues in tight timescales. She is an expert at analysing the detail and pulling out the key points in a case. This strength together with her legal knowledge, drafting skills and advocacy gives clients confidence that they are in safe hands.'
Una Doherty KC
Ampersand Advocates
 'Her advocacy style is understated yet powerful due to her thoroughness and cogent reasoning.'
2023 Silks
KCs at the very top of their field, with a long-established record of market-defining cases, and widespread endorsement from clients and peers. All silks appointed in the last two rounds are listed further below.
Paul Reid KC
Ampersand Advocates
 'Paul's technical legal skills are excellent and his grasp of the regulatory casework is second to none.'
2024 Silks
KCs at the very top of their field, with a long-established record of market-defining cases, and widespread endorsement from clients and peers. All silks appointed in the last two rounds are listed further below.

Juniors

Leading Juniors
Leading juniors are those with significant experience of key cases, strong market recognition from both peers and clients, and are seen as future candidates for silk.
1
Ayla Iridag
Ampersand Advocates
'Ayla has an impressive ability to astutely appreciate and respond to tactical issues and decisions. Proactive in offering advice and assistance, she is a junior counsel whose ability exceeds her years of experience at the Bar.'
Rising stars
Rising stars at the Bar are defined as barristers between four and eight years’ call who are seen as up-and-coming members of the Bar in their respective practice areas by clients and peers alike. They will already be instructed in high-profile, complex, and high-value contentious and non-contentious matters, working with and opposite more experienced leading counsel.