Adam Black

Year of Call 2020

Adam has a mixed civil and criminal practice across diverse practice areas. 

Adam has been instructed for pursuers and defenders in a range of personal injury litigation involving public liability, occupiers liability, employer's liability, road traffic accidents, industrial disease, historic abuse, catastrophic injury, and fatal cases. He is currently instructed in several complex medical negligence and product liability claims, including group proceedings. 

Adam has extensive experience in the preparation and presentation of criminal cases. Adam has defended cases alone and with a senior counsel in the High Court involving violent and sexual offending. He has also defended cases concerning proceeds of crime, fraud, health and safety, and environmental crime. He has been instructed in appeals against conviction and sentence. 

Adam has experience of professional discipline, having served as an ad-hoc reporter to the Law Society of Scotland’s Professional Conduct Sub-Committee. He has since been regularly instructed for professionals in connection with disciplinary proceedings.

Adam has extensive knowledge and interest in cases involving issues of mental health law and capacity. He has been instructed to appear before the Mental Health Tribunal for Scotland and has regularly been appointed as a curator ad litem.  He has acted in several appeals relating to decisions of the Mental Health Tribunal for Scotland, in proceedings under the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000, and in related judicial reviews. 

Representative Cases

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 compatibility 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 before the application.

HMA v Campbell Gray - 2021 (Livingston High Court) 
Acquittal in an attempted murder trial involving the use of a knife. 

AB, Petitioner v Principal Reporter 2021 P1053/20 (unreported)
This petition for judicial review concerned a recognition by the Children's Reporter that KA was a relevant person in relation to AB by virtue of an agreement regarding paternity between KA and AB's mother, in circumstances where AB did not accept KA was their parent.

Nursing and Midwifery Council v SA & SB 2021
In this case Adam was instructed to defend SB, a nurse accused of professional misconduct by allegedly failing to follow controlled drugs procedure in a hospice. The proceedings were brought to an end with no finding of misconduct after 16 days.

Procurator Fiscal v Healthcare Environmental Services Limited and Garry Pettigrew
In this environmental case, Adam was instructed with Mark Stewart QC to defend Mr Pettigrew, a former director of HES in two summary complaints concerning offences contrary to the Envornment Act 1995, The Pollution Prevention and Control (Scotland) Regulations 2012, and the Pulltion Prevention and Control Act 1999.

CD & Others v A Local Authority
In this case Adam was instructed with Richard Pugh to defend a local authority in connection with 4 linked actions of historical abuse by foster carers.

Grier v The Chief Constable & The Lord Advocate
Adam acted as junior counsel to Andrew Smith QC for the pursuer in this commercial action alleging malicious prosecution of Mr Grier by The Chief Constable and The Lord Advocate in the Outer and Inner House. 

Pelvic Mesh Group Litigation
Adam acted as part of the team of counsel for the pursuers in the pelvic mesh group litigation, achieving settlement in advance of proof in 2022. 

HMA v LB, JI & JT 2022 HCJAC 48
Adam acted for LB as junior counsel to Donald Findlay KC in this crown appeal against sentence in which the crown invited the court to provide a guideline judgment on sentencing in rape cases. 

Contact Us

  • Compass Chambers
    Parliament House
    Edinburgh
    EH1 1RF