Specialist Litigation

Livingstone Brown’s Specialist Litigation Team has been instructed to act in a number of significant, complex, and high-profile cases, which is testament to the team’s excellent legal practice and recognised reputation within the wider legal community and within its own client base.

The Specialist Litigation Team provides a bespoke and tailored service for private individuals, and indeed companies, and is regularly instructed in novel and complex criminal and civil matters. The team is particularly highly regarded for its expertise in financial crime, as well as in civil litigation which is primarily connected to criminal matters.

The team regularly undertakes instruction in cases before the Sheriff Courts, the High Court of Justiciary, the Court of Session and the UK Supreme Court. In addition to its criminal practice, over the years the team has represented individuals in civil litigation, public inquiries and in matters involving bodies such as the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission, the Scottish Solicitor’s Discipline Tribunal, the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission, Disclosure Scotland, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, and Scottish universities, particularly where cases have started with an initial criminal complaint.

The dedication and commitment of the Specialist Litigation Team has given rise to several significant achievements and high-profile instructions. The team has built, and continues to cultivate, a stellar reputation within Scotland’s legal community.

The team is led by Managing Director and Solicitor-Advocate, Stuart Munro. Stuart is an award-winning lawyer who is known for finding practical solutions for his clients and for taking a creative approach to achieve results. He is a leading figure in criminal and civil law in Scotland and is perhaps best known for his work in Whitehouse v. Chief Constable of Scotland 2020 SC 133, where he overturned the long-standing precedent relating to the Lord Advocate’s immunity from legal action, paving the way for the subsequent ‘Rangers litigation’. He has built a strong reputation and a high-profile client base mostly through word of mouth, with recommendations coming from counsel, judges, politicians, former clients, and fellow solicitors. This has led to a growing practice, with new client enquiries coming in every day. As a result, Stuart has been able to build the Specialist Litigation Team, which has expanded exponentially in recent years.

The team includes Livingstone Brown’s former senior partner and Solicitor-Advocate, Mr Gerard Brown CBE, who continues to provide valuable consultancy support. Stuart and Gerard are supported by Sarah Cunningham Munro (Senior Associate), Christie Allan (Associate), Laura Millar (Solicitor), Elizabeth McAlpine (Solicitor), Timothy Matthews (Trainee Solicitor), and Olivia McGrory and Kendal Anderson (Legal Interns).

Areas of the team’s expertise include:

• Civil Litigation
• Judicial Review and Statutory Appeals
• Third Party Interventions
• Misconduct and Regulatory Proceedings
• Public Inquiries
• Cases arising from the Post Office Horizon IT Scandal
• Malicious Prosecution and Wrongful Arrest
• Contempt of Court
• Civil Restraint/Confiscation Proceedings
• Defamation