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Areas of expertise

Professional information

  • 2024: Appointed Standing Junior to the Scottish Government
  • 2023-2024: Junior Counsel to the UK Covid Inquiry (Module 2A)
  • 2023: Appointed to Law Society of Scotland Intellectual Property Sub-Committee
  • 2020-2021: Devil (Faculty Scholar), Devilmasters: Usman Tariq, Jonathan Broome, Tony Lenehan KC
  • 2018-2020: Associate, Brodies LLP
  • 2014-2018: Solicitor, Shepherd and Wedderburn LLP
  • 2019 – present: Course Organiser, lecturer and tutor on the Commercial Litigation and Intellectual Property in Business courses, University of Edinburgh
  • LLB (Hons), First Class, University of Edinburgh (2011) and Diploma in Professional Legal Practice, University of Edinburgh (2012)
Professional experience

Andrew’s practice focuses on commercial disputes including contractual, intellectual property, and professional negligence disputes. He is frequently involved in high-value cases with complex legal, scientific and technical subject matter. He is particularly adept at handling large scale, complex, and document heavy litigations. Andrew is currently advising on a number of multimillion pound commercial cases which raise complex and novel issues of fact and law.

Andrew was appointed as Standing Junior to the Scottish Government in 2024.

Andrew has particular expertise in intellectual property, technology, data protection and media law. He has built up a substantial knowledge of the law in relation to intellectual property rights and has advised many well-known brands on infringement, validity and ownership of intellectual property. He accepts instructions to act in the Scottish Courts and in the UK Intellectual Property Office.

Andrew was called to the Bar in 2021 as Faculty Scholar. Prior to joining the Bar, Andrew was a commercial litigation solicitor at leading commercial law firms. He was qualified as a solicitor in both Scotland and in England & Wales.

Notable cases

Andrew is best known for his work in commercial matters, with a particular interest in intellectual property, technology, and media.

  • Moray Offshore Renewable Power Limited v Bluefloat Energy UK Holdings Limited [2023] CSOH 29. Acting as junior counsel for the successful defender in a claim for alleged unlawful means and unlawful means conspiracy. The sum sued for was £400 million.
  • Riley v Student Housing Co (Ops) Ltd 2023 S.L.T. (Sh Ct) 15. Acting for the successful defender in the first case in the United Kingdom to consider the litigation exemption to the data protection principles in the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
  • D&M Winchester Limited v Coleburn Distillery Limited [2023] CSOH 66. Counsel for the appellant in an appeal to the Court of Session from the UK Intellectual Property Office. This is the second ever appeal to the Court of Session from the UKIPO.
  • Reliance AB Limited v Quantum Claims Compensation Specialists Limited [2024] SAC Civ 9. Acting for defender in an appeal to the Sheriff Appeal Court relating to the interpretation of a lease.
  • Sapphire 16 SARL v Marks and Spencer PLC [2021] CSOH 13. Junior counsel (to the Dean of Faculty) acting for the defender, Marks and Spencer PLC, in an action raised by their landlord alleging breach of a “keep open” clause in the lease. The action concerns the interpretation of the lease provisions, enforceability of the clause and whether the trading position complies with the terms of the lease.
  • Incremental Group Ltd v. HiETA Technologies Ltd [2021] CSOH 13. Instructing solicitor in a claim for payment by an IT developer in connection with the installation of a business management solution (ERP system) for a customer and counterclaim by the customer for breach of contract due to alleged implementation failures. The claim involved evidence from IT experts in relation to the degree of skill and care expected of an IT contractor.
  • RSPB v Scottish Ministers and others [2017] CSIH 31. Instructing solicitor for the second interested party in a judicial review brought by the RSPB arising from the granting of consent to develop large offshore windfarms in the Firth of Forth. The case involved consideration and analysis of complex scientific, technical, and mathematical evidence.
  • Heather Capital Limited (in Liquidation) v Levy & McRae and Burness Paull LLP [2017] CSIH 19.Solicitor acting in complex professional negligence claims against firms of solicitors arising from the collapse of an investment company with investments exceeding $400 million. The case raised issues of prescription in connection with breach of trust and sections 6(4) and 11(3) of the Prescription and Limitation (Scotland) Act 1973
Directories
  • World Trademark Review 1000 (2021 & 2020) – recommended for enforcement and litigation – 
  • IP Stars “Rising Star” 2020/2021

Quotes

“[He] has a flair for resolving spats both in and out of court for players in the food and drink, technology, oil and gas and luxury industries.”

“He has an excellent technical knowledge of trade mark law, which he is able to explain well to non-lawyers. Deadline-oriented and quick to grasp issues, he is also very personable.”

Select publications
  • Communication to the public online: protecting copyright or breaking the Internet? 2020 Journal of Intellectual Property Law and Practice Vol. 15, No.5, 390-398
  • Arbitration section in Enforcement of judgments and arbitral awards in Scotland Practical Law, Thomson Reuters
  • Protecting your brand: The Scottish Option In-House Lawyer, Spring 2019
  • Data breaches and the damages test JLSS Dec 2018
  • Changing Sides JLSS June 2017