Practice

Gordon Reid graduated from Edinburgh University, became a solicitor in 1976, advocate in 1980 and QC in 1993. He is also a member of the English Bar. He has experience in many areas of civil and commercial litigation including disputes about neurosurgery, pipelines, software, mill lades and leisure centres and much in between. He has specialised in agricultural law and construction law.

Holding part time appointments as a Chairman of VAT Tribunals, Special Commissioner for Income Tax, Temporary Judge of the Court of Session and Arbitrator under the Motor Insurers Bureau Scheme, Gordon now concentrates on commercial work. His judicial work gives him an insight into how best to present complex factual and legal issues to give his clients a premium service.

Since his early years at the Bar, Gordon has been engaged in a wide range of civil litigation, which has included, in particular, Building and Engineering law, Agricultural and land law including commercial leases, and professional negligence, principally professional negligence in the construction industry, surveyors' negligence, solicitors' negligence and medical negligence. He also has some experience of Planning Law.
His experience in construction law includes the conducting of complex arbitrations on behalf of both employers and contractors. More recently, he has also been involved in various Adjudications and computer and software contract disputes.

He was called to the English Bar in 1991 and has a Door Tenancy with Atkin Chambers. Gordon has provided advice on Scots Law, through Atkin Chambers, to London solicitors from time to time on Scottish aspects of multi-million pound disputes.

In recent years Gordon has tended to work mainly, but not exclusively, in the field of construction law, and land law including some planning appeal work. The proportion of time spent in and out of court varies from month to month and year to year depending on the nature of the cases currently being undertaken.

Appointments

Gordon was a standing Junior to the Scottish Development Department for many years. He was called to the English Bar in 1991, and took Silk in 1993. He was made a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators in 1994. In 1997, he was appointed a Part Time Chairman of the VAT and Duties Tribunal in Edinburgh and a Deputy Special Commissioner for Income Tax. He continues to hold these appointments. These have given him substantial experience of presiding over technically complex issues both factual and legal, and writing decisions in these difficult areas of law. They have given him valuable insight into the techniques of advocacy and persuasion. In 2002 Gordon was appointed a Temporary Judge of the Court of Session (equivalent to a Deputy High Court Judge in England. He sits in the Court of Session on an occasional basis and has issued a number of Opinions on a variety of topics. His judicial opinions have been well received within the profession and more than a few have been reported in the Scottish Law Reports, namely the Scots Law Times and Session Cases. He is also one of two Scottish Arbitrators appointed (in 2003) by the Department of Transport under the Motor Insurers Bureau Agreements for the compensation of victims of untraced drivers. These part time appointments do not interfere with his own practice as a Silk.

Reported cases

Scrabster Harbour Trust v Mowlem 2005 SLT 499 2006 SLT 250 (adjudication, Outer House and Inner House- dispute about harbour facility ICE 5th)
Emcor Drake & Scull v Edinburgh Joint Venture 2005 SLT 1233 (electrical work at New Royal Infirmary Edinburgh)
Hojgaard AS v Forth Estuary Transport Authority 2005 SLT 187 (construction industry tax issues)
Logan v Scottish Water 2005 SLT 1183 (statutory pipeline claim)
Inverclyde Council v Mowlem 2003, unreported (arbitrations over Leisure Centre and appeal to Inner House on nominated- sub contractor issues)
Blyth & Blyth Ltd v Carillion Construction Ltd 2002 SLT 961 (novation)
Scottish Equitable plc v Miller Construction Ltd 2002 SCLR 10, 83 Con. LR 183
East of Scotland Water Authority v Logan 2000 SLT 28 (statutory pipeline claim)
Moray Estates Dev. Co v Butler 1999 SLT 1338 (agricultural)
MacFarlane v Falfield Investments Ltd 1998 SLT 145 (agricultural)
MT Construction Ltd v William Reid Engineering Ltd 1998 SLT 211 (buildings/insurance/fire)
Style Financial Services Ltd v Bank of Scotland (No 2) 1998 SLT 851 (banking)
Norwest Holst v East of Scotland Water Authority 1997/8 pipeline arbitration)
Earldom of Annandale and Hartfell 1986 1 AC 319

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