Stable congratulate Duncan Hamilton QC on taking Silk

Arnot Manderson Advocates welcomes the news that stable member Duncan Hamilton has been appointed Queen’s Counsel.  This brings the number of Senior Counsel in Scotland’s full service stable to nine.

Duncan has become a leading member of the Scottish Bar in media law and reputation management. Both the Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners rank Duncan as a leading specialist in those areas. He is frequently instructed in defamation, privacy and contempt proceedings by a range of media interests, including the BBC.  He has also acted for many high profile private individuals.

Duncan also specialises in high value personal injury actions and clinical negligence which both form a core part of his practice. He appears regularly at Fatal Accident Inquiries, often for health boards.

Duncan has an expertise in the area of Public Inquiries; he recently appeared at the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry and is currently instructed in the Public Inquiry into the death of Sheku Bayoh.

In public law, Duncan has acted on behalf of the Scottish Government since 2013, and regularly appears on behalf of both the Government and other public bodies in judicial review and personal injury cases, including for public sector clients such as Police Scotland, Transport Scotland, the Scottish Prison Service and the Forestry Commission.

He also successfully represented Alex Salmond in the former First Minister’s successful judicial review of the Scottish Ministers.

He was appointed an Ad Hoc Advocate Depute in 2018 and has served as a Legal Convener of the Mental Health Tribunal for Scotland also since 2018.

Practice Manager Andrew Sutherland commented “We are delighted to see Duncan recognised in this way.  This is a well-deserved accolade and everyone at the stable is extremely proud.  Duncan has an enviable practice and he exemplifies the commitment of the Stable to excellence in his areas of specialism.  I know he will continue to offer the highest standard of advice and representation to solicitors and clients across Scotland”.

The rank of Queen’s Counsel is generally reserved for those who have distinguished themselves in practice in the Supreme Courts.  The recommendation is made by the Lord Justice General, Scotland’s senior judge.