This follows directly on from the recent success of two well attended Better the Devil You Know Seminars where the quintet impressed delegates with talks on a wide range of legal subjects.

Mr Cadden calls to the bar with nine years’ experience in private practice undertaking criminal court work and family law work. He has considerable experience conducting Sheriff and Jury trials, permanence and adoption proofs and many family law proofs including those involving financial provision on divorce and matters relative to children.

He also has experience of conducting juvenile referral proofs, appeals arising out of the children’s hearing system and appeals to the Sheriff Appeal Court for both criminal and civil matters.

Mr McPhail brings over a decade of civil litigation experience to the bar, with a practice focused on personal injury, clinical and professional negligence, and insurance law. He intends to practice across the full breadth of these areas, including catastrophic and fatal injury claims, complex cases involving allegations of historic childhood abuse and industrial disease claims.

Prior to devilling, he practised at an international firm, where he was responsible for the management of high-value catastrophic and fatal injury claims on behalf of insurer clients, as well as being involved in group action proceedings

Ms Merchant calls to the bar, as a Lord Hope scholar. Prior to calling, she spent 14 years in private practice, latterly as a partner and solicitor advocate in one of Scotland’s leading litigation firms. Her practice encompasses employment and discrimination, public law, professional regulation, fatal accident inquiries and reparation. Her work has regularly involved statutory interpretation, human rights, equality law, the public sector equality duty and judicial review.

Immediately prior to devilling, she practised as a solicitor advocate specialising in personal injury litigation, which included fatal and serious injury claims, historical abuse litigation and claims arising from major incidents.

Mr Calderwood is an experienced civil litigator who specialises in personal injury litigation. Prior to calling to the bar, he was a partner and solicitor advocate at a large personal injury firm. He has over a decade of experience handling all aspects of personal injury cases and has a particular interest in workplace accidents, workplace assault cases and road traffic accidents.

He has extensive experience in dealing with fatal claims for bereaved families, and catastrophic injury cases. Alan has experience handling Fatal Accident Inquiries and has recently been involved in complex clinical negligence and disease claims. Alan also has an interest in professional negligence and public law.

Mr Ferguson is a specialist in personal injury and negligence litigation. Prior to calling, he was a partner in a leading personal injury firm of solicitors and has over 25 years’ experience. 

He is a former chair of FOIL in Scotland and also sat as the Scottish representative on the FOIL UK National Committee. He has experience of the whole range of personal injury litigation including workplace accidents, RTAs, catastrophic injuries, fatalities and sporting injuries. Mr Ferguson is an accredited civil and commercial mediator. 

Andrew Sutherland, practice manager at Arnot Manderson Advocates, said: “We are delighted to welcome Ed, Gregor, Jillian, Alan and Garry to the Stable today. With these new Counsel in our ranks, we continue to boast an enviably strong and vibrant presence at the junior end of the bar.

“Our new members each have invaluable experience in Scotland’s highest courts and beyond and the complete range of work they undertake makes them a perfect fit for our stable.

“A wide range of solicitors and their clients stand to benefit from their availability, and all these additions further enhance our reputation as the largest full-service stable at the Scottish bar.”

For further information about their practices please view their profiles on the Arnot Manderson website. For any enquiries regarding instructing counsel, please contact the AM Clerking Team: clerks@amadvocates.co.uk.