Health & Safety: Scotland

Jamie Gilchrist QC of Compass Chambers is noted by sources for his client-handling skills, and his excellent abilities as an advocate. He was a solicitor in private practice for ten years, which instructing solicitors cite as a reason for his commercial, client-friendly attitude and his ability to see a situation from more than one angle. He has been involved with health and safety cases stemming from the energy, health, construction, manufacturing and catering sectors to name but a few. He acts for corporate clients, individuals and local authorities.        

At the same set, Peter Gray QC is a respected criminal advocate, who further applies his courtroom skills to serious health and safety cases. He represented Maersk in a case which arose out of injuries sustained to two contractors engaged in maintenance of an offshore platform. He was also instructed by ThyssenKrupp Palmers in a fatal accident inquiry following a death on the Forth Rail Bridge. Sources say that he is "effective and calm, even under pressure." He "works well with clients and always communicates with them at a level they understand."

Barry Smith, also of Compass Chambers, has a regulatory crime practice that encompasses a number of areas, but his real specialism lies in defending clients charged under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 (HSWA) and related legislation. Sources comment on his past experience as a procurator fiscal and describe him as a "junior but very able" advocate, who is "well liked by courts and client alike." He is retained by Robertson Construction Group to act for it in the central regions, and in 2011 represented the company in a three-week trial based on alleged breaches of Section 3 of the HSWA.

Gavin Anderson of Westwater Advocates has a practice that is devoted to regulatory crime, a large proportion of which involves defending serious health and safety prosecutions. He is an extremely capable advocate with genuine expertise in criminal health and safety prosecutions. His focus lies with the more serious cases, as evidenced by his involvement in the case of the 'Flying Phantom', a tug which sank in the River Clyde with the loss of three lives.