Terra Firma Chambers are pleased to announce that Steven Stuart and Roderick Thomson have been appointed as Queen’s Counsel.  Steven is a graduate of Aberdeen University and was formerly a lecturer in Private law at Dundee University. He has substantial experience and expertise in core areas of practice within Terra Firma  Chambers, in particular, in Valuation for Rating, Planning Law, Licensing Law, and Land Law including Agricultural Law. Recently, he has been instructed in valuation appeal hearings in respect of substantial office premises, large retail units and licensed premises as well as advising in relation to the valuation of telecommunications sites. Steven has also recently advised on various legal issues arising out of major development proposals in the Highlands. He is currently instructed in a public inquiry to be held in relation to a wind farm development in Aberdeenshire. Earlier this year, he delivered a case law update on Agricultural law at the joint Agricultural Law Association/WS Society conference on Agriculture and is involved in current appeals to the Court of Session from the Scottish Land Court. Steven is the co-author of Scottish Civic Government Licensing Law ( W Green), the principal textbook on non liquor licensing law in Scotland, a 3rd edition of which is to be published in 2009.       Roddy called to the Bar in 1990 having previously practised as a solicitor in leading Edinburgh firms. Since that time he has engaged in a general civil practice with an emphasis on professional negligence, reparation, and commercial work. Standing junior counsel to the Foreign & Commonwealth Office from 2002, he has also been involved in a wide variety cases involving public and administrative law. He was appointed as a standing junior to HMRC in 2006 and has subsequently appeared in several tax and VAT appeals. In addition to practice in the Court of Session and sheriff courts, Roddy has had substantial involvement in the conduct of various public and disciplinary inquiries. Increasingly, his work involves heritable property disputes and planning.