Westwater Advocates has been awarded some 37 individual recommendations in 10 categories in the newly-published 2016 edition of The Legal 500 Directory.
Stable Director Calum MacNeill QC said “I am delighted to see that the stable’s quality has again been recognised in the latest rankings from The Legal 500. The performance of our members across the categories cements our reputation as a stable of multi-disciplinary excellence, and the recognition of our expertise and dominance in the family and employment categories in particular is very pleasing indeed.”
The full results are as follows:
Civil liberties, human rights, public inquiries, and public and administrative law (including local government)
- Janys Scott QC “She gets to the key issues quickly.”
- Lynda Brabender “She imbues clients with a sense of great confidence.”
Commercial litigation
- Nick Ellis QC “His varied workload includes contractual disputes.”
- Calum MacNeill QC “He has a great manner with clients.”
- Greg Sanders “Knowledgeable about a broad cross-section of commercial contractual issues.”
Crime
- Gavin Anderson “He communicates advice in a clear, reasonable and unequivocal way to the client.”
Employment
- Calum MacNeill QC “A very safe pair of hands.”
- James Peoples QC “He has extensive appellate experience.”
- Donald Cameron “Particularly good at identifying a style that suits the client.”
- Laurence (known as Greg) Cunningham “Meticulous in his preparation and very tenacious in court.”
- David Hay “Represents employers and employees in a wide gamut of employment matters.”
- Ken McGuire “Working with him feels very much like a team effort.”
- Alice Stobart “She appears at employment tribunals, the EAT, the Sheriff Court and Court of Session.”
Family and childcare
- Janys Scott QC “Undoubtedly the pre-eminent family law silk in Scotland.”
- Lynda Brabender “Supremely persuasive on her feet and she has a lovely manner with clients.”
- Julianna Cartwright “Experienced in petitions for permanence orders and financial remedy matters.”
- Robert Hayhow “Able to present a concise and forceful case, and deal with clients thoughtfully.”
- Maggie Hughes “Her diverse practice includes both financial provision and child-related cases.”
- Ruth Innes “Extremely thorough, cautious and considered in her approach.”
- Scott McAlpine “Gives clear and realistic advice to clients about possible outcomes.”
- Kirsty Malcolm “She is polished in court.”
- John Speir “Puts clients at ease whatever their walk of life.”
- Alison Wild “A very steady hand on the tiller.”
Health and safety, and regulatory
- Gavin Anderson “Presents cases in a manner that is effective, sympathetic and persuasive.”
Personal injury, medical negligence and professional negligence
- Andrew Hajducki QC “An experienced, helpful and approachable counsel.”
- Andrew MacMillan “He is resilient and resolute in negotiations, and presents a case well.”
- Laura Wray “She handles a wide range of complex personal injury cases, with an interest in product liability.”
Planning, environmental and licensing
- Sir Crispin Agnew of Lochnaw Bt QC “Particularly known for his expertise in wind farm matters.”
- Andrew Hajducki QC “An acknowledged expert in licensing.”
- Gavin Anderson “Experienced in handling environmental crimes, such as pollution and waste management matters.”
Property, construction and agriculture
- Sir Crispin Agnew of Lochnaw Bt QC “Among the leading – if not the leading – expert on agricultural law.”
- Nick Ellis QC “Excellent on his feet, and gives the client confidence.”
- Calum MacNeill QC “His practice includes construction cases.”
- Donald Cameron “Recommended for crofting disputes and other agricultural law matters.”
- Greg Sanders “His contentious property work includes property damage claims.”
- Adrian Stalker “A leading expert in the field of housing law in Scotland.”
Tax, trusts and pensions
- Laurence (known as Greg) Cunningham “Experienced in pensions, trusts and tax litigation.”