Health & Safety

Compass Chambers houses a strong bench of advocates who are highly regarded for their expert handling of complex health and safety cases arising across the engineering, oil and gas, rail and construction sectors, among others. The stable is regularly instructed in the most high-profile health and safety cases in the market, including acting for Edinburgh Trams in a prosecution arising from the death of a pedestrian struck at a crossing. Sources report that it offers "a unique understanding of the subject matter, an ability to understand and digest complicated technical information and a commercial awareness that allows advice to be effectively tendered in a commercial environment."

"The clerks are incredibly helpful."

"The clerks are extremely responsive. Gavin Herd, practice manager, and Lesley Hogg, deputy clerk, go above and beyond to help."

"The clerking team is incredibly efficient and very proactive."

Murdo Macleod KC is an expert criminal silk with extensive experience of health and safety proceedings. He is regularly instructed to defend major corporate entities in high-profile health and safety prosecutions and fatal accident inquiries. He is also sought out for non-contentious health and safety matters. "Murdo is a fierce defence advocate with a crucial eye for detail in complex, information-heavy cases." "He is particularly good on his feet and has a very clever style in court." "Murdo is the premier choice. He has great gravitas, both in meetings with opponents and in court. You can easily see that he is one of the most sought-after and highly regarded silks of his time." "Murdo is pre-eminent in Scotland. He is capable of assimilating vast quantities of information, which only the top people can do. He is terrific with clients. He's calming and authoritative."

Peter Gray KC is an esteemed practitioner who demonstrates considerable expertise in regulatory crime and specifically in health and safety law. He represents prominent clients from various industries, including the construction and hospitality sectors. His capabilities include workplace accidents and fatal accident inquiries. "Peter is excellent in client care, communicating highly complex legal matters to clients in an easy-to-understand manner." "He is eloquent, hard-working and extremely easy to work with. Clients respect him and he has gravitas in the health and safety sphere. He is persuasive in negotiations and excellent in court." "Peter is a leading health and safety KC. He has this incredible manner with clients, even in the most stressful of circumstances." "Few lawyers prepare as well as Peter does. It is an absolute joy to work with him. Clients are delighted to work with him as he always comes well prepared." "Peter is very experienced, approachable and a good team player. He is collaborative in how he conducts cases."

Barney Ross has considerable experience representing clients in cases arising from fatal incidents. He has notable strength acting on behalf of clients facing allegations of gross negligence manslaughter and violations of the Health and Safety at Work Act. "Barney Ross is very thorough and diligent in his case preparation. He is all over the details." "He is a very good junior who is exceptionally busy with inquiry work; that speaks for itself in terms of his pedigree." "Barney has good judgement about tactics and is a good lawyer."

Barry Smith KC is a regulatory crime specialist with a particular focus on defending clients facing charges under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. His clientele includes large corporations and individuals from a wide range of industries including oil and gas, transportation and engineering. He has acted in numerous cases relating to fatalities at sea and road traffic accidents. "He can quickly grasp the most intricate and complex cases with ease, and is always correct in his assessment of matters." "Barry is an outstanding advocate and one of the most experienced and reliable counsel in the field of health and safety." "Barry's manner with clients and his calm demeanour are reassuring in times that are often traumatic for those involved. He is well liked by all." "He is incredibly bright. He obviously thinks very carefully and he's very prepared, methodical and deliberate."

Emma Toner is regularly instructed in health and safety matters. She is adept at handling cases brought under the Road Traffic Act 1988 and the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. Her clients include individuals, companies and public bodies. "Her meticulous preparation can often unearth novel legal points that others would not have noticed." "Emma is a very safe pair of hands for heath and safety and road traffic matters." "Emma is very impressive and comes across very well to clients. She is down to earth and good at explaining the work to clients."

Gavin Anderson has an impressive portfolio of health and safety defence work. He is especially adept at proceedings arising out of serious injuries or fatalities in the workplace. Other notable mandates include deaths arising from carbon monoxide poisoning and accidents at sea. "Gavin provides excellent client care. His written work and advocacy is a key strength to any instructing agent." "Gavin is one of the leading silks in Scotland." "He is a young silk, but he is about to enter his prime. He is forensic in his attention to detail and court advocacy."

Mark Stewart KC is a well-regarded barrister with considerable experience in regulatory crime. He regularly defends prosecutions brought under the Road Traffic Act 1988 and the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. "Mark is an exceptional trial advocate and a master of his trade. He's excellent at dealing with clients. He is always on hand to provide technical advice in an easy-to-understand, communicable manner." "Mark is astute, commercially aware and builds a strong rapport with clients. He has an excellent ability to articulate the weaknesses in opponents' cases. His advocacy skills are highly sought after." "Mark has a breadth of knowledge across health and safety matters. He is an excellent advocate."