Year of Call: 2000

Year of Silk: 2015

Throughout her career at the Bar, Shelagh has been instructed in some of the most complex and high profile cases in Scotland. As a junior, she acted in many such trials and appeals including the “Worlds End” murders, the “Ice Cream Wars” appeal, Galbraith v HMA, and the first SCCRC reference of Abdel Baset Al-Megrahi’s conviction for the Lockerbie bombing.

As senior counsel Shelagh has developed extensive experience in public inquiries and FAIs, including the Sheku Bayoh Inquiry, the Scottish Covid Inquiry, the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry, the “M9” FAI, and the “Clutha” FAI.

In the criminal courts, her practice covers a wide range of offences but focusses on homicide, serious and organised crime, human trafficking and exploitation, and bribery.

Shelagh has significant experience in professional disciplinary proceedings, including the Judicial Fitness Tribunal, Police Conduct hearings, ICAS, GTC and others. She is a member of the Faculty of Advocates’ Disciplinary Rules Panel of Prosecuting Counsel.

She maintains an extensive chambers (opinion) practice, providing strategic or specific advice to NGOs, public authorities and to individuals.

Shelagh is one of the few practising senior counsel in Scotland with litigation experience in international criminal law and international humanitarian law, having worked as prosecution appeals counsel at senior level at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in the Hague.

She has a recognised specialism in human rights, having conducted many cases involving ECHR issues in both criminal and civil courts. She was a founding commissioner at the Scottish Human Rights Commission and has extensive experience of policy work around human rights and criminal justice.

Shelagh graduated from the University of Edinburgh with LLB (Hons) and Dip LP. She has an LLM (research) from Strathclyde University Law School.

Before coming to the Bar, she practised for a number of years as a criminal defence solicitor.