Our Advocates

Professional Information:

Year of Call: 2011
Devil Masters: William Frain-Bell, Gordon Lindhorst, Niall McCluskey
Qualifications: LLB (Hons), Glasgow University; Diploma in Legal Practice (with Distinction), Glasgow University; LLM (Human Rights), Glasgow Graduate School of Law


Biography:

Prior to coming to the Bar, Stephen was a litigation solicitor for 11 years. He has wide ranging experience in a variety of areas of law. He has experience of appearing in most courts including Sheriff Courts, the Court of Session as a solicitor advocate (both Outer House and Inner House) and the European Court of Human Rights. He has appeared in Tribunals, particularly the Employment Tribunal and the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal. Stephen graduated from Glasgow University which incorporated an exchange scheme to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA. He supplemented his practice by obtaining an LLM (Human Rights) from the then Glasgow Graduate School of Law as well as qualifiying to practice in England and Wales as a solicitor. Stephen qualified as a solicitor advocate in 2007 and gained experience of appearing in the Court of Session both in the Outer House (primarily Judicial Review) and Inner House. As a solicitor Stephen was a member of the Law Reform Committee for the Law Society of Scotland.

Since calling to the bar Stephen has maintained his judicial review practice and has continued to appear in the Inner House mainly in relation to statutory appeals. His practice has also encompassed commercial, property, family and employment disputes, personal injury, mental health and proceeds of crime.


Appointments:

• Special Counsel, 2011 to date
• Curator to the Mental Health Tribunal in Scotland, 2011 to date
• Tutor on Diploma in Legal Practice at Glasgow University
• Ad hoc lecturer in Diploma in Legal Practice at Glasgow University
• Tutor on LLB course at Strathclyde University

Recent Cases:

Outer House (Judicial Review Cases):

• AHC v SSHD [2012] CSOH 147
• Fv SSHD [2012] CSOH 83
• AA v SSHD [2012] CSOH 76
• NFIKN v SSHD [2012] CSOH 91
• IPI v SSHD [2012] CSOH 119
• NAK v SSHD [2009] CSOH 162; 2010 GWD 1-13
• AK v SSHD [2009] CSOH 123; 2009 WL 2614222
• AA v SSHD [2008] CSOH 83
• KO v SSHD [2008] CSOH 126
• TH v SSHD [2006] CSOH 181

Inner House Appeals:

• McEntegart v Fishman [2012] CSIH 72 (statutory interpretation and professional misconduct)
• HA v SSHD [2009] CSIH 55
• MMR v SSHD [2010] CSIH 22; 2010 SLT 1251; 2010 GWD 16-317
• HA and TD v SSHD [2010] CSIH 28; 2010 SC 457; [2010] Imm AR 599; 2010 GWD 14-267

European Court of Human Rights:

• F v United Kingdom 17341/03