Education & Professional Career to Date

Appointments

• Associate Writer to the Signet
• Member of the Stair Society
• Lord Reid Scholar - Faculty of Advocates (2021–2022)
• Tutor - University of Edinburgh Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Mooting Team (2021–2022)

Selected Cases

• Personal Injury

• SG v. [A Local Authority] (August 2023)

  Junior counsel for the pursuer (with senior) in an action for damages arising out of historical sexual and physical abuse while resident in a children's home. The action settled for £500,000 shortly before the diet of proof

• Smith v Aviva Insurance Limited (January 2023)

  Appeared for the pursuer in a successful personal injury proof where causation was disputed following injuries sustained by a low-speed road traffic collision. The defender conceded the action after the conclusion of the pursuer's evidence.

• Eyd v U K Insurance Limited (January 2023)

  Appeared for the pursuer in an expenses hearing. Successfully argued that QOCS protections should not be disapplied on the basis of manifestly unreasonable behaviour or delay in accepting a tender.

• Jamieson v Liverpool Victoria Insurance Company Limited (August 2022)

  Appeared for the pursuer in a successful personal injury proof where causation was disputed following injuries sustained by a low-speed road traffic collision.

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• Consumer Rights

• Herron v Motonovo Finance Limited (January 2023)

  Appeared for the pursuer in a successful proof relating to rejection of a nine-year-old vehicle. The case involved conflicting expert evidence regarding whether a fault with the vehicle was present at the point of sale or developed afterwards.

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• Crime

• Peters v HMA (October 2023)

  Drafted the note of appeal and written submissions in a successful High Court appeal against sentence for attempting to communicate indecently with children and attempting to meet a child with the intention of engaging in sexual behaviour. The appeal was granted on the basis that the Sheriff had failed to consider the appellant's health conditions as a mitigating factor and that there had been no actual child involved.

• Harrison (S201 Bail Appeal) (July 2023)

  Appeared for the respondent in successfully resisting a crown appeal against bail, on the basis that while the Sheriff had failed to adequately consider the risk of further offending, this could be resolved with further special conditions being imposed.

• Bisset (S201 Bail Appeal) (June 2023)

  Appeared for the appellant in a successful bail appeal in the Sheriff Appeal Court, on the grounds that the Sheriff had erred by failing to consider the probable disposal of the alleged offending, notwithstanding that there had been two breaches of bail conditions.

• Maley v. PF, Glasgow (May 2023)

  Appeared for the appellant in a successful Sheriff Appeal Court appeal against sentence on the basis that the sentencing Sheriff had erred by misconstruing a positive blood test for benzoylecgonine as proof that the appellant had been driving under the influence of cocaine. The appellant's custodial sentence was reduced and replaced with a deferred sentence pending a Drug Treatment and Testing Order report.

• McAllister v HMA (April 2023)

  Appeared for the appellant in a successful High Court appeal against sentence on the basis that the sentence imposed for refusing to provide a breath sample was incompetent.

• HMA v Paterson & Sweeney (March 2023)

  Crown Junior in the successful 7-week prosecution of two accused for being concerned in the supply of cocaine and heroin as part of serious organised crime. The first accused was sentenced to 14 years imprisonment. The second accused was sentenced to 5 years imprisonment.

• Weston (S201 Bail Appeal) (October 2022)

  Appeared for the appellant in a successful bail appeal in the Sheriff Appeal Court, on the grounds that the Sheriff had erred by failing to consider bail supervision.

• HMA v Hood (October 2022)

  Crown Junior in a 5-day trial for abduction, assault and rape to injury and danger of life. The accused was sentenced to an extended sentence of 25 years.

• HMA v Braithwaite (October 2022)

  Crown Junior in a 5-day trial for 5 charges of rape and sexual assault against 4 teenage complainers.

• HMA v Addy (October 2022)

  Crown Junior in a 6-day trial for rape, sexual assault, and assault against a partner.

• HMA v Scully (September 2022)

  Crown Junior in a 7-day single complainer rape trial, where corroboration was established by distress.

• HMA v Harley (July 2022)

  Crown Junior in the prosecution of historical sex abuse committed against multiple residents of Merkland Children's Home in the late 1970s to early 1980s.

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• Immigration

• HS v Entry Clearance Officer (January 2023)

  Appeared for the appellant in a successful entry clearance appeal in the First-tier Tribunal. The case involved a dispute over whether a father had 'sole responsibility' for his daughter's upbringing.

• Singh (Immigration Bail Application) (December 2022)

  Appeared for the appellant in a successful immigration bail application, on the grounds that removal could not be described as imminent when judicial review proceedings were underway.

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• Public Law

• Rae, Petitioner (September 2023)

  Junior counsel for the petitioner in the a successful judicial review action relating to a decision by a local authority that an environmental impact assessment was not required for the demolition of a housing estate.