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The Specialist Litigation Team was instructed by the Scottish National Party (‘SNP’) to seek permission to make written submissions as a third party intervener in the Lord Advocate’s Reference to the UK Supreme Court under the Scotland Act 1998 [2022] UKSC 31, concerning the Scottish Parliament’s legislative competence to hold an independence referendum.
Permission to intervene was granted by the UK Supreme Court, and thereafter the team, comprising of Claire Mitchell KC, David Welsh Advocate and solicitors, Stuart Munro and Sarah Cunningham Munro, prepared submissions on behalf of the SNP which focused on the right to self-determination under international law. It argued that the Scotland Act 1998 should be interpreted in a way that respects this right, and that the Scottish Parliament has the necessary devolved power to hold a second referendum on the issue of Scottish independence.
The case was heard in October 2022, and, although ultimately unsuccessful, the team’s instruction by the SNP on such a critical issue for Scottish politics highlights its reputation as a trusted legal advisor.
The Specialist Litigation Team was instructed by a police officer accused of criminal conduct. Police Scotland, though misconduct and regulatory proceedings, was contemplating dismissing the individual on grounds of gross misconduct.
The team provided legal assistance to the client by preparing detailed written responses to the allegations, and by appearing on the client’s behalf to present oral submissions at a misconduct hearing. Ultimately, the team was successful in ensuring his job was retained.
The Specialist Litigation Team was instructed on behalf of a medical practitioner’s firm upon receipt of a notice of proposal to cancel its medical registration. As a result of detailed written representations presented by the team on the client’s behalf, such proposal did not come to fruition and the medical firm was able to retain its registration.
The Specialist Litigation Team was instructed to represent two individual trustees and members of a Board of Governors who were facing accusations to their professional body, ICAS, in relation to alleged breaches of their regulatory duties.
The team, through detailed legal correspondence, was successful in ensuring ICAS dismissed the complaints, these being entirely without justification.
The Specialist Litigation Team, having successfully acted for one of the first subpostmasters in Scotland to have her wrongful conviction quashed in the Criminal Appeal Court (pre-mass exoneration legislation), represented Susan Sinclair as a core participant in the Post Office Horizon IT Public Inquiry: Horizon Post Office cases - STATEMENT Friday, 29 September 2023
The team’s submissions presented at the closing phases of the Inquiry ensured that Scotland’s distinct prosecutorial framework was examined within the context of, arguably, the UK’s most notorious miscarriage of justice. Inquiry Chair Sir Wyn Williams, praised Stuart Munro’s contributions for highlighting features which were ‘very important’ to understanding the Scottish lived experience of the Post Office scandal. Furthermore, Christie Allan’s incisive questioning of former Post Office CEO Paula Vennells was nationally reported by the BBC, further highlighting the team’s profile in this area of work.
Livingstone Brown is a leading firm of Scottish solicitors. Based in Glasgow, but dealing with cases around the country, the firm has been at the forefront of legal service provision for over thirty years.
If you have a legal problem, getting good quality legal information at the earliest stage can be invaluable. The firm offers a free initial enquiry service; all you have to do is call in, telephone, or e-mail. You won't be charged for your enquiry; we'll let you know by return whether we can help, what we can do, and how much it's likely to cost. We can also offer legal aid where available.
Led by former senior partner Gerard Brown CBE, who continues as a consultant, the firm has built up an enviable reputation for quality of service and client care.
The firm has won various awards over the years. In the 2019 edition of the prestigious Legal 500 rankings Livingstone Brown was ranked as a 'top-tier' firm for general criminal work, and is also recommended for fraud cases. Stuart Munro and Gerard Brown were named as 'Recommended Lawyers'. In the Chambers directory the firm has a Band 1 ranking for criminal work, and Stuart Munro is a ranked financial crime lawyer. The firm was named Criminal Defence Firm of the Year and Family Law Team of the Year at the Scottish Legal Awards 2019.
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