Scotland has welcomed 16 lawyers as King’s Counsel in the 2026 appointments round, with Scottish stables Axiom, Optimum and 1Six securing three silks each.
The appointments, announced by the Judicial Office for Scotland last week, were made by King Charles on the recommendation of First Minister John Swinney MSP. Of the successful candidates, 14 were advocates and two were solicitor advocates.
Axiom Advocates’ appointments were construction and professional negligence specialist Jonathan Broome KC, public and media law practitioner Ewen Campbell KC and commercial and insolvency advocate Elisabeth Roxburgh KC.
Gavin Walker KC, stable director – equivalent to head of chambers – called the awards “richly deserved”, adding: “While these appointments represent a loss to the junior Bar, I have no doubt that all three will excel as senior counsel.”
Optimum Advocates also gained three silks: Wendy Culross KC, Gregory Farrell KC and Lynsey Rodger KC. Culross has a broad defendant criminal practice, while Farrell and Rodger are also advocate deputes, or senior public lawyers.
Optimum’s practice manager Angela Bath said the trio had “worked extremely hard” and that their elevation was “very well deserved”.
Ampersand Advocates’ appointee was Ross Anderson KC. Anderson practises in commercial disputes, company and insolvency, property, public law, trusts and tax.
Stable director Isla Davie KC said: “I congratulate Ross on this well-deserved appointment as King’s Counsel. He is an excellent advocate held in high regard in the profession, and this appointment further strengthens Ampersand’s offering of first-class senior counsel.”
1Six Chambers – Scotland’s newest set, launched earlier this year – celebrated a trio of new appointments: Paul Harvey KC, Lesley Irvine KC and Tim Young KC.
Harvey, a public and criminal lawyer, was first called to the English Bar in 2013 and transferred to the Scottish Bar in 2017. For 10 years, he worked as a lawyer at the European Court of Human Rights. An associate member of Doughty Street Chambers in London, he practises in criminal, public and human rights law and serves as an advocate depute.
Irvine, a public lawyer, is known for her administrative law practice, while Young’s practice spans commercial litigation and public law, including construction, banking, insolvency and intellectual property disputes.
The remaining advocates are Nicola Gilchrist KC of Arnot Manderson Advocates, while Kenneth McGuire KC of Westwater Advocates, Barney Ross KC of Compass Chambers and Michael Upton KC of Themis Advocates were also promoted.
Gilchrist, Arnot Manderson’s stable director specialises in personal injury and clinical negligence. McGuire is dual-qualified in Scots and English law and specialises in employment and public law, and is an advocate depute. Ross focuses on civil, regulatory and criminal law, while Upton has a commercial, planning, agricultural and tax litigation practice.
The two solicitor advocates appointed were Graeme Brown KC of Glasgow criminal defence firm Bridge Legal and Leanne Cross KC of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service. Cross was admitted as a solicitor in 1997, while Brown was admitted in 2005.
The results show a marked improvement in the success rate from last year. Independent observer Keith Connal’s report said 25 applications were received – 22 from advocates and three from solicitor advocates – compared with 28 in 2025. This year’s success rate was 64%, up from 39% last year.
Of the eight female advocate applicants, five were appointed, alongside nine of 14 male advocate applicants. The sole female solicitor advocate applicant, and one of two male solicitor advocate applicants, were successful. Connal said he was satisfied there was “no obvious bias for or against” applicants of either sex. No solicitors were appointed as King’s Counsel in England and Wales this year.
Faculty figures show 149 practising KCs, of whom 38 – or 25.5% – are women, while women comprise 29.5% of practising advocates. Over the past decade, female applicants had a 56% success rate, compared with 51% for men, with feedback available for unsuccessful applicants.
There were also three honorary KC appointments: Sheriff Douglas Allan Brown; Pamela Ferguson, professor at the University of Dundee; and Fiona Leverick, professor at the University of Glasgow. All of the new silks will be recognised at a ceremony marking the opening of the Scottish legal year.
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