Adam Black

Year of Call 2020

Adam called to the Bar in 2020. His main areas of practice are Personal Injury, Product Liability, Clinical Negligence, Professional Discipline, and Crime.

Adam has worked on personal injury and clinical negligence cases for both pursuers and defenders. Since calling he has been instructed for pursuers in cases involving product liability.

As a solicitor, Adam developed a wide range of criminal experience in the sheriff and high courts. He has conducted summary trials, jury trials, and appeals. He has represented clients in regulatory and proceeds of crime cases. At present he has instructions for accused in cases involving allegations of murder, attempted murder, rape, sexual assault, and prosectuions involving the Scottish Environment Proteciton Agency.

Adam frequently represented clients in children’s hearings, children's referral proceedings, permanence proceedings, and related appeals. As counsel, Adam has conducted children's referral proofs and has been instructed in a judicial review against a decision of the Scottish Children's Reporter Administration.

Adam also has experience in professional discipline. Prior to calling he was appointed as an ad-hoc reporter to the Law Society of Scotland’s Professional Conduct Sub-Committee. 

Many of the cases in which Adam has acted have involved representing vulnerable persons. He has regularly appeared before the Mental Health Tribunal for Scotland and has been appointed as a curator ad litem. Adam has a particular interest in cases involving issues of mental health law and capacity. In addition to appearing before the Tribunal, Adam has been instructed in appeals to the Sheriff Principal against decisions of the Mental Health Tribunal for Scotland.  

Representative Cases

Practice Areas

Representative Cases

Scott Henry Sneddon Mackay v HMA [2017] HCJAC 44
As Solicitor in an appeal against conviction in the first case to consider the terms of S51A of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995.

Lilburn v AA, CG and CPLAS Trustees Limited [2018] CSIH 2
As Solicitor in an application to the Court of Session for an order ordaining the Pension Ombudsman to state a case. The applicant sought (unsuccessfully) to persuade the Court of Session to use its discretion for relief from failing to comply with the rules on the basis of his history of mental health illness.

Mason v PF Stornoway (Unreported) 2018
As Solicitor, successful appeal against sentence to Sheriff Appeal Court (Criminal). This case involved a Sheriff’s decision to impose sex offenders registration requirements under the Sexual Offences Act 2003 following the imposition of a Compulsion Order. Succesffully argued that this disposal was incompetent following the breach of a Risk of Sexual Harm Order where the accused was not a 'relevant offender' under the Sexual Offences Act 2003.

HMA v Andrew Ross 2019 (Inverness Sheriff Court)
As Solicitor, acquittal in a case involving an allegation of assault to severe injury and permanent disfigurement with a knife.

Cameron v PF Edinburgh (Unreported) 2020
This successful appeal against sentence to the Sheriff Appeal Court (Criminal) considered the proper approach to discounting a custodial sentence where backdating was not possible.

JM v Mental Health Tribunal for Scotland B1379/20 (Glasgow Sheriff Court)
This successful appeal to the Sheriff Principal against a decision of the Mental Health Tribunal for Scotland considered the fairness and compatability of MHTS being unable to grant an adjournment to an application for a Compulsory Treatment Order, in the case of a patient who had been subject to a Transfer for Treatment Direction prior to the application.

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  • Compass Chambers
    Parliament House
    Edinburgh
    EH1 1RF

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