Roddy McIlvride KC is ranked Tier 1 for Commercial Litigation in the latest edition of the Legal 500 (2025).
Chambers and Partners UK (2024) describes him as "a respected silk with a broad commercial practice. He is regularly instructed in insolvency and banking disputes, and also offers expertise in matters involving tax and company law."
Biography
Roddy McIlvride KC called to the Bar in 2005, talking silk in 2014.
Prior to calling to the Bar, Roddy was head of litigation at a large firm of commercial solicitors in Glasgow, where he had also been a solicitor advocate and licensed insolvency practitioner. He was admitted to temporary membership of the California Bar when conducting litigation on behalf of corporate clients before the Federal Insolvency court.
Roddy has appeared in the Supreme Court (including an appearance as leader when he was still junior counsel), the Inner and Outer Houses of the Court of Session, the Sheriff Court, the Lands Tribunal, and the First-tier and Upper Tribunals. He has also represented clients before various professional disciplinary bodies.
Roddy appears on a regular basis in commercial actions in the Court of Session in a broad range of litigation which includes commercial contract, company, commercial property, intellectual property, professional negligence, insurance, construction (particularly multi-million motorway disputes) and insolvency matters. He was appointed a standing junior to the Advocate General for Scotland (Home Office) in 2009. He has continued to be instructed by the Advocate General and by the Scottish Government since taking silk in 2014. He has considerable experience of appearing for the UK and Scottish Governments in proceedings before the courts.
In addition to having been co-author of the Scottish section of a textbook on insolvency he has lectured on insolvency matters for the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland/Law Society of Scotland, and has conducted training seminars for the staff of the Accountant in Bankruptcy.
Roddy has been featured in the Times as their Lawyer of the Week.
Appointments
- Standing Junior to Home Office (2009 to 2015)
- Vice-Chairman, Terra Firma Chambers (2023 to 2025)
Recent Cases
Notable Cases
- Thorntons Investment Holdings v Matheson 2024 SC 36
- Scottish Ministers v Scotland Gas Networks PLC [2023] CSOH 77
- Halley v Scottish Ministers 2023 SLT 229
- Ali v Serco Ltd and Secretary of State for the Home Department 2020 SC 182
- ZG (China) v Secretary of State for the Home Department 2022 SLT 466
- N v Advocate General for Scotland 2014 SC (UKSC) 183
- Scottish Professional Football League Ltd v Lisini Pub Management Co Ltd 2014 SC 300
- Royal Bank of Scotland plc v Wilson 2011 SC (UKSC) 183
