Terra Firma Chambers is delighted to announce that Roddy McIlvride and Philip Simpson have been appointed Queen’s Counsel.  There were four new appointments made by Her Majesty the Queen on the recommendation of the First Minister following nominations by the Lord Justice General, the Rt Hon. Lord Gill.  This brings the number of silks at Terra Firma to 15 and increases the strength and depth of senior Counsel available within the stable.

Roddy called to the Bar in 2005 having previously been head of litigation at a large Glasgow firm of solicitors.  Between 1986 and 2004 he was a Licensed Insolvency Practitioner and a solicitor advocate between 1997 and 2004. Roddy has been instructed in a wide range of commercial and commercial property matters and intellectual property cases including for the successful defenders in the recent SPL v Lisini Inner House case.

Philip Simpson called to the Bar in 2001 and is a CTA-qualified tax advocate and barrister, specialising in all areas of tax law. He is ranked Band 1 for tax in the latest edition of Chambers UK. Philip Simpson provides advice on and conducts cases relating to all aspects of tax including SDLT and inheritance tax, VAT, income tax, capital gains tax, corporation tax, the taxation of trusts and offshore arrangements, as well as customs and excise duties.  He appears regularly in the Tax Tribunals.

Both Roddy and Philip were standing Juniors to the Office of the Advocate General.

Chairman of Terra Firma Chambers, J. Gordon Reid QC said: "To have two out of the four new silk appointments from within Terra Firma is testament to the quality of our members and the high standards we set ourselves.  Roddy and Philip richly deserve this recognition and we at Terra Firma wish them, and the other newly appointed silks, every success in their roles as Queen’s Counsel.”

The new Queen’s Counsel will be introduced to the Court today.