Dispute resolution for the public sector
Litigation specialists on your side
We have one of the largest teams of dispute resolution solicitors in Scotland. More than half of our solicitors are involved regularly in contentious work, giving us a breadth of litigation expertise which sets us apart.
Our team is renowned for the range and quality of its dispute resolution expertise and includes some of the country’s most talented disputes practitioners.
We represent clients in every sector, including having one of the leading Administrative and Public law practices in Scotland. We are known for our high-profile client base, including many of Scotland’s local authorities and many of the country’s major public sector bodies. We regularly advise clients in relation to statutory appeals and judicial reviews. We also provide regular advice to our public sector client base about how best to minimise the risk of judicial review at the decision-making stage.
We have one of the most prominent teams in the Commercial Court of the Court of Session and Sheriff Courts and have been involved in some of the most complex litigations in the Scottish Courts in recent years.
Our team has also represented our public sector clients at public inquiries and handled numerous cases that have seen appeals taken to the UK Supreme Court amid significant political, media and public interest. We have also successfully protected client confidentiality, political and reputational interests, through use of alternative dispute resolution processes, including adjudication, arbitration and mediation.
Our team of partners includes 15 partners ranked as leading lawyers by the UK's leading legal directories Chambers UK and The Legal 500. We also have eight partners accredited as specialists in their disciplines by the Law Society of Scotland.
Key contacts - get in touch
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Partner
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Partner
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Partner
Our approach & key services
When it comes to resolving disputes, we work in close partnership with you to understand what matters to you and how you would define success. Then we fight hard to help you achieve it.
Our team has a track record of out-thinking, out-manoeuvring and out-performing our opponents. We’re tenacious and our clients can trust that their lawyers are driven to deliver on their behalf. Astute strategic thinking, forensic attention to detail and real commercial insight are the cornerstones of our approach.
Our Partner-led team, headed by some of Scotland’s leading litigators, has strength in depth, providing commercially focused, pragmatic solutions, while our model ensures clients deal directly with a partner throughout, as a matter of course.
Our dispute resolution services recognise that our public sector clients are both decision-making bodies, which may be subject to statutory and public law challenges, and commercial entities, whose operations and contractual arrangements can become the subject of dispute.
Our experience spans both:
Statutory and Public Law Challenges:
- Competition
- Education
- EU law and State Aid compliance
- Judicial Review
- Housing
- Licensing
- Planning and environmental
- Procurement
- Public inquiries
- Regulatory issues
- Social work
Commercial and civil disputes:
- Contentious construction
- Commercial litigation
- Debt recovery
- Insolvency
- Intellectual property
- Public liability & reparation
- Property litigation
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Chambers UK 2021Active on a range of disputes including property, insolvency and sports-related litigation. Experienced in handling breach of contract, breach of duties, negligence claims and post-M&A litigation. Adept group of litigators able to represent clients at all levels of court in Scotland and around the UK.
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"They are brilliant," says a source, praising the team for its "good communication, quick responses and very user-friendly approach."
Sandy Hastie heads the dispute resolution team and is an experienced commercial litigator. He has notable expertise in contractual and shareholder disputes, as well as professional negligence claims.
Chambers UK 2021
The "super" Jennifer Jack is known for her strength in judicial review challenges against the decisions of public authorities, regulators and the courts. A source observes: "She is really thorough, thinks outside of the box and is accessible."
Chambers UK 2021
Contact us
Call us for free on 0330 159 5555 or complete our online form below for legal advice or to arrange a call back.
Meet the team
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