Education & Professional Qualifications
Edinburgh University, Old College, Edinburgh
Diploma in Legal Practice
Edinburgh University, Old College, Edinburgh
LLB (Distinction)
Thow Scholar of Jurisprudence, Edinburgh University
Christ Church, Oxford University, Oxford
BA (Hons) in Classics (Double First)
Open Scholar, Christ Church, Oxford University
Professional Career to date
Devil Masters: Eric Robertson, Chris Shead.
2003 to date: Practising Advocate, Advocates' Library, Parliament House, Edinburgh
2002 - 2003: Devil (trainee advocate) training with Eric Robertson, Advocate (civil law) and Chris Shead, Advocate (criminal law)
2000 - 2002: Shepherd + Wedderburn, Castle Terrace, Edinburgh
Trainee with six-month seats in following departments: (one) commercial litigation, (two) commercial property, (three) energy and intellectual property, and (four) construction
1999 - 2003: Faculty of Law, Edinburgh University, Edinburgh
Tutor (part-time) in Public and Administrative Law
Tutor (part-time) in Scottish Legal Studies
1994 - 1997: Sotheby's, New Bond Street, London
Expert and cataloguer in the Chinese Art and Works of Art Department
1993: The Baltic Independent Newspaper, Pärnu mnt., Tallinn, Estonia
Journalist
Professional Experience
Since calling to the Bar in 2003, Jonathan has been involved in wide range of commercial and public law litigation. His experience includes construction disputes, claims by commercial agents, the enforcement of high-value property purchases and the bringing of the first derivative action under the Companies Act 2006. He has also been involved in a number of professional negligence cases relating to the administration of pensions. . He has recently appeared as junior counsel in a successful appeal to the Supreme Court.
In public law, Jonathan has been regularly instructed in judicial reviews both against and on behalf of the Scottish Government. He was instructed by the successful appellants in the important freedom of information case, Glasgow City Council v The Scottish Information Commissioner. He has also been instructed on behalf of the Security Industry Authority in relation to regulatory matters.
Courts & Tribunal Experience
Supreme Court, Court of Session (Inner and Outer House); Sheriff Court; Scottish Land Court; Lands Tribunal for Scotland; Arbitration; Adjudication; Fatal Accident Inquiry; Public Inquiry (into the proposed pylon line between Beauly and Denny).
Appointments & Memberships
2008 (to date): Standing Junior to the Scottish Government
Cases
Morrison Sports Ltd v Scottish Power Ltd 2010 SLT 1103 (IH), [2010] 1 WLR 1934 (SC); Times, August 31, 2010 (whether or not a breach of the Electricity Supply Regulations 1988 gave rise to private law rights.)
Glasgow City Council v The Scottish Information Commissioner 2010 SC 125, 2010 SLT 9 (about the definition of “information” under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.)
Wishart, Petitioner 2010 SC 16, 2009 SLT 812, [2010] BCC 161 (the first derivative action in Scotland brought under the Companies Act 2006 and in which the first “wallersteiner Order” relating to expenses was granted.)
Bibi, Petitioner 2007 SLT 173 (a judicial review relating to whether or not a statutory body had unreasonably delayed in issuing a decision in breach of the petitioner’s Convention rights.)
Advice Centre for Mortgages v McNicoll 2006 SLT 591, 2006 SCLR 602, [2006] Hous. LR 22 (whether an option to purchase in a lease was binding on a successor landlord.)