OUR PEOPLE

Ewan McGillivray

Legal Director
Edinburgh Office
Ewan is a legal director in our Litigation team which is one of the largest and most experienced litigation teams in Scotland. 

Ewan was first accredited as a specialist in personal injury by the Law Society of Scotland in 2010. He has represented clients who are defending compensation claims arising from injury or disease.

In addition to his personal injury practice, he also has a busy public law practice. His sheriff court work, as a litigation solicitor, involves regularly representing Police Scotland in public protection actions raised in terms of the Sexual Offences Act 2003, the Protection of Children and Prevention of Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act 2005 and appeals under the Firearms Act 1968. He also represents local authority clients in licensing appeals under the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982. In addition, he acts for the Security Industry Authority in all the statutory appeals it faces in Scotland. He also often acts for the Police and local authorities as the instructing solicitor in judicial reviews and appeals at the Court of Session. He also acts for local authority clients in education appeals.

Ewan represents businesses and individuals before the Traffic Commissioner and local authority licensing boards and committees. In recent years he has also been advising clients in a range of sectors in connection with the separate Child Abuse Inquiries established by the Scottish Government and the Home Office.

Membership & Awards
Law Society of Scotland
Accredited Specialist

Business Expertise

Ewan has almost 20 years' of experience representing clients who are defending compensation claims arising from injury or disease. He was first accredited as a specialist in this area of litigation law by the Law Society of Scotland in 2010. 

He has appeared for commercial clients at the Sheriff Court, the Traffic Commissioner and local authority licensing boards and committees on numerous occasions. He often gives commercial clients advice relating to licensing and other regulatory matters.

Public Sector Expertise

Ewan first started acting for local authorities in licensing appeals.

Ewan has gained a wealth of experience acting for Police Scotland in Sheriff Court actions seeking Sexual Offences Prevention Orders (SOPOs) and Risk of Sexual Harm Orders (ROSHOs). He has also successfully represented the Police at a number of firearm licensing appeal proofs from 2016 to date.

In 2015, he commenced acting for the Security Industry Authority in all the new Scottish appeals against its decisions.

As a litigation solicitor, Ewan has also dealt with a number of 'one-off' instructions for public sector clients. He has represented a local authority at proofs in an appeal against a refusal to grant approval to produce cheese in terms of the Food Hygiene (Scotland) Regulations 2006. He has also represented a local authority at a Tribunal hearing in respect of a pupil whose musical aptitude had been classified by the department as an additional support need. Since 2014, he has been seconded to a local authority's property repair service on an ad hoc basis to advise on the myriad legal & policy issues relating to the closure of this service and the establishment of its successor.

Finally, Ewan acts for a range of public sector clients who are defending compensation claims arising from injury or disease for almost 20 years to include the MOD and the Police.