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Areas of expertise

Professional information

  • 2025: admitted to the Faculty of Advocates
  • 2024 – 2025: devilling to Lesley Irvine, Elisabeth Roxburgh, Barney Ross and Euan Dow
  • 2021 – 2024: Law Clerk to the Lord President, Lord Carloway
  • 2017 – 2021: Solicitor in private practice, specialising in all aspects of civil litigation, including public and commercial law (Anderson Strathern LLP)
  • 2016 – 2017: Diploma in Professional Legal Practice at the University of Edinburgh
  • 2012 – 2016: LLB (Hons) in Scots Law at the University of Dundee
Professional experience

Since calling to the Bar, Ysabeau has been instructed by a number of public bodies and public authorities on a range of public law issues, and has particular experience of advising on points of statutory interpretation and human rights. She has appeared in the sheriff court and in the Outer House and Inner House of the Court of Session (with and without senior). She has also represented a variety of commercial and private clients in actions for breach of contract, professional negligence, consumer rights and construction disputes.

Before calling to the Bar, Ysabeau spent three years as Law Clerk to the Lord President between 2021 and 2024. In that role, she carried out research for the Lord President and other members of the First Division, and assisted them in their preparations for oral hearings and in the preparation of their written judgments. She also prepared a number of written contributions to ECHR Comparative Studies for the European Court of Human Rights’ Superior Courts Network on behalf of the Court of Session and the High Court of Justiciary.

Prior to her time as a Law Clerk, Ysabeau was a solicitor in private practice, and provided advice and representation to clients in relation to commercial and construction disputes, public law, personal injury cases and fatal accident inquiries.

Ysabeau tutors agency, partnership and company law at the University of Edinburgh.

Notable cases

Ysabeau has worked on a number of notable cases both prior to and since calling to the Bar, including the following:

Public law

  • AEV and LE v Locality Reporter Manager [2026] CSIH 18 (as counsel for the Principal Reporter – concerned the correct approach to be taken to the grant and extension of Interim Compulsory Supervision Orders and to appeals by stated case against such orders under s.163 of the Children’s Hearing (Scotland) Act 2011) 
  • A Reference by the Attorney General for Northern Ireland of a devolution issue under paragraph 34 of Schedule 10 to the Northern Ireland Act 1998 (as junior counsel, led by Ruth Crawford KC and Lesley Irvine – instructed by the Lord Advocate to undertake research to assist with the preparation of the written case – whether proposed revisions to the Northern Irish Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards Code of Practice are compatible with Article 5 of the ECHR – whether P v Cheshire West and Chester Council and another [2014] UKSC 19 was correctly decided)
  • In re Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) (Northern Ireland) Bill [2023] AC 505 (as Law Clerk to the Lord President – whether provisions within a Bill referred to the Supreme Court by the Attorney General for Northern Ireland would be within the legislative competence of the Northern Ireland Assembly)
  • ABC v Principal Reporter 2020 SC (UKSC) 47 (as instructing solicitor for the Principal Reporter – challenges to the legislative competence of the Scottish Parliament in enacting the certain provisions of the Childrens’ Hearings (Scotland) Act 2011)

Commercial and company law

  • The Ford NOx Emissions Group Proceedings (as junior counsel for the Ford companies, led by David Thomson KC and Elisabeth Roxburgh – claims for compensation by a group of consumers arising from alleged issues with the Emissions Control Systems in certain Ford vehicles)
  • Arnold Clark Data Breach Group Proceedings (as junior counsel for Arnold Clark, led by Roddy Dunlop KC – claims for compensation for distress under the Data Protection Act and the GDPR)
  • Leonardo Hotel Management UK Ltd v Galliford Try & Othrs (as junior counsel for the third party, led by Roddy Dunlop – concerning prescription of the claims made by the pursuer and by the second defender including the application of Tilbury Douglas Construction Ltd v Ove Arup and Partners Scotland Ltd 2024 SC 383)
  • McPolin v UK Insurance Limited, Unreported, Hamilton Sheriff Court (4 November 2025) (as counsel for Accident Credit Group Limited – whether two separate corporate bodies were domini litis – whether motion was competent in circumstances where the court had already made an order of no expenses due to or by as between the parties to the action)
  • Forthwell Ltd v Pontegadea Ltd 2024 SLT 1245 (as Law Clerk to the Lord President – considered the law on transferred loss/legal black holes)
  • Tilbury Douglas Construction Ltd v Ove Arup and Partners Scotland Ltd 2024 SC 383 (as Law Clerk to the Lord President – concerned the interpretation and application of sections 6(4) and 11(3) of the Prescription and Limitation (Scotland) Act 1973)

Planning, environmental and energy

  • Helensburgh Community Council, Petitioner [2025] CSOH 25 (as junior counsel for the petitioner, led by Roddy Dunlop KC – whether a local authority had carried out a public consultation unfairly and not in accordance with the Gunning principles such as to vitiate the authority’s subsequent planning decision)
  • Wildcat Haven Community Interest Co v Scottish Ministers 2024 SLT 1296 (as Law Clerk to the Lord President – whether in deciding to grant consent for a windfarm development under the Electicity Act 1989, the Scottish Ministers had failed to apply properly the mitigation hierarchy contained in policy 3(b) of National Planning Framework 4)
  • Open Seas Trust v Scottish Ministers 2024 SC 338 (as Law Clerk to the Lord President – whether in issuing a notice varying the conditions applicable to certain Scottish sea, the Scottish Ministers had failed to act in accordance with their duty under section 15(1) of the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010)

Professional negligence

  • Various pursuers v Optical Express, Edinburgh Sheriff Court (as counsel for various ophthalmological surgeons – claims for compensation by various customers of Optical Express for losses allegedly arising from refractive lens exchange surgery)
  • Centenary 6 v TLT LLP 2024 SLT 681 (as Law Clerk to the Lord President – concerned a claim for solicitors’ negligence and the proper assessment of the client’s consequential loss of a chance)

Selected advisory work

  • Opinion on the lawfulness of proposed update to a local authority policy in statutory and human rights terms
  • Opinion on the lawfulness and proportionality of retrospective legislation
  • Opinions on various issues relating to the application and scope of sections 140A and 140B of the Consumer Credit Act 1974
  • Opinions on the application of Rome II
  • Opinions on prescription

Directories

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