Current Personal Injury Committee Members
Chair
The Hon. Lord Weir
Lord Weir was appointed as a judge of the Supreme Courts in April 2020, having sat as a temporary judge of the High Court from 2017.
Further information about Lord Weir can be found here.
Members
Sheriff Principal Nigel Ross
Sheriff Ross qualified as a solicitor in 1988 and called to the Bar in December 1991. His practice was mainly in the newly-established Commercial Court in the Court of Session.
He was appointed Standing Junior to the Department of Trade and Industry in 1999.
In 2003 he was appointed a part-time sheriff and in 2006 a full-time sheriff, initially at Glasgow Sheriff Court and from 2013 at Edinburgh Sheriff Court.
He is a designated commercial, extradition and personal injury sheriff and since 2017 has sat in the Sheriff Appeal Court.
Sheriff Robert DM Fife
Sheriff Fife was a part-time sheriff for 15 years before taking up his current full-time role as sheriff at Paisley.
Amber Galbraith
Amber Galbraith specialises in personal injury, professional negligence, health and safety litigation and media law. She acts for both pursuers and defenders, and has wide experience in conducting cases in the Outer House and Inner House of the Court of Session, the High Court of Justiciary, Court of Appeal and many Sheriff Courts throughout Scotland. She has considerable experience in large-scale litigation, including public and fatal inquiries and catastrophic injury cases.
Amber was admitted to the Faculty of Advocates in July 2005. She trained with Dundas and Wilson CS from 1996 to 1998, then became prosecutor with COPFS. She was part of the Lockerbie trial team, and lead the operational policy team in the Crown Office. She holds a Diploma in Forensic Medicine from Glasgow University.
Amber is a representative of the Junior Bar on the Court of Session Personal Injuries User Group, and is a Member of the Faculty of Advocates Professional Negligence Law Group.
Amber is a trainer in legal courses for the Health and Safety Executive, run by Warwick University, and has spoken at seminars organised by APIL and Compass Chambers.
Maria Maguire KC
Maria Maguire KC is a member of the Faculty of Advocates. She called in 1987 and took silk in 2002. She practices mainly in the fields of Personal Injury, Medical Negligence and Judicial Review. She is regularly instructed in high-value complex cases and cases which have significant legal or policy considerations. Maria acts on behalf of defenders, insurers, local authorities, professional bodies and individual pursuers. Her full profile can be found here.
Vikki Melville
Vikki is currently Managing Partner for Clyde & Co Scotland. She is a highly experienced litigator acting on behalf of insurance and commercial companies, dealing with a wide range of disputes throughout the Scottish Courts but particularly in the Court of Session, Edinburgh. Vikki's practice covers catastrophic and large loss RTA claims, indemnity and coverage issues, high value EL and PL claims, and general insurance liability disputes. Vikki is also one of the few lawyers in Scotland who is ranked no 1 in Chambers for the personal injury defender category.
Within Clyde & Co Vikki sits on the firm's Senior Leadership Executive Board for the UK casualty division and on the global Partnership Selection Committee.
Vikki also takes a keen interest in Scottish Government reforms, legislative and lobbying processes, and has contributed to several working party consultation responses. She was elected a Council member of the Law Society of Scotland in 2014, serving a three year term which concluded in May 2017. She currently sits on the UK FOIL Special Focus Team for Motor.
Campbell Normand
Campbell is a partner in DAC Beachcroft's Edinburgh office. He is experienced in a wide range of litigation, predominantly in the Court of Session, acting for companies both large and small, institutions and individuals, and as Edinburgh agent for firms throughout Scotland.
A solicitor advocate, Campbell acts primarily in commercial and general civil litigation and personal injury claims in the Court of Session.
Campbell was appointed to the Personal Injury Committee in November 2017.
Fraser Simpson
Fraser Simpson qualified as a solicitor in 1991, joined Digby Brown LLP in 2000 and from 2008, he has been head of Digby Brown's Union department, working for, amongst others, GMB (Scotland), servicing the legal needs of over 70,000 Scottish Union members. In February 2013, Fraser also became head of Digby Brown's Industrial Disease department, providing specialist advice and representation to workers affected by occupational disease, and their families.
Since 2007 Fraser has been accredited by the Law Society of Scotland as a specialist in personal injury. He is accredited as Senior Litigator by the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers.
He was a Solicitor member of the Sheriff Court Rules Council from 2008.
Alan Rogerson
Alan Rogerson is a Claims Manager with Aviva Insurance specialising in high value and complex Personal Injury, Products and Third Party Property damage claims. He is also the Chairman of the Forum of Scottish Claims Managers.
Ronnie Conway
Ronnie Conway is an active civil practitioner in the sheriff courts and the Court of Session and qualified as a solicitor advocate in 2008.
Ronnie was a member of the Sheriff Court Rules Council between 1997 - 2009, and is a current member of the Law Society of Scotland's Civil Justice Committee, having joined in 1997.
He is the author of Personal Injury Practice in the Sheriff Court (Third Edition, 2011), writes the Personal Injury Chapter of Green's Lawyers Factbook 2013, and is a member of the Editorial Panel of Green's Litigation Styles. Ronnie is also the current Scottish Co-ordinator of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL),
Marie-Louise Fox
The Scottish Legal Aid Board holds a standing appointment on each Council committee. Marie-Louise is the Director of Operations at the Scottish Legal Aid Board. She joined the Board in 2001 has was previously responsible for the Board's planning, assurance, communications and corporate affairs functions. Before joining the Board, Marie-Louise worked in a civil and criminal private practice and community law centres. Her responsibilities as Director are for the Board's civil, criminal and children's legal assistance applications processes and decision making and the operation of the Court & Policy Station Duty Schemes.
Walter Drummond-Murray
The Scottish Government holds a standing appointment on each Council committee. Walter Drummond-Murray is a Scottish Government representative from the Justice Directorate, where he is a member of the Courts Team.
Observers
The Council has nominated a number of observers to attend Council and committee meetings in order to assist in carrying out its functions. In addition to Personal Injury Committee members, the following observers attend Committee meetings:
Mark Kubeczka, Legislation Implementation Manager, Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service
Craig Anderson, Depute in Charge of Offices of Court, Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service
Chris Fyffe, Deputy Principal Clerk of Session, Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service