Susanne is an experienced Scottish silk with a wide practice encompassing civil and criminal work. She is a highly skilled litigator both at first instance and in appellate matters. She called to the Scottish Bar in 2000 and took silk in 2016. She was called to the English Bar in 2019.
She is the Stable Director (Head of Chambers) of her Scottish set, Ampersand Advocates, a common law set of 57 Counsel (28 King’s Counsel and 29 junior Counsel), a leading top-ranked set in Chambers and Partners and The Legal 500.
She has a wide civil practice focussed on personal injury and clinical negligence work, for both claimants and defendants, with a specialism in claims for health and safety matters, sexual abuse, occupational stress and fatal claims. She is instructed in civil appellate work in the Inner House of the Court of Session.
She holds a public appointment as an Advocate Depute (High Court prosecutor) to the Lord Advocate, Scotland’s senior law officer and has conducted numerous high profile and complex criminal jury trials in the High Court of Justiciary. She specialises in the prosecution of serious sexual offences. She has been instructed in criminal appellate work in the Supreme Court and in the High Court of Justiciary Appeal Court in Scotland.
She appears in fatal accident inquiries (inquests) for the Crown and individuals and was appointed as a junior Counsel on the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry.
She sits as a part-time tribunal judge in the First-tier Tribunal, Housing and Property, and Health and Education, chambers.
She is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and accepts instructions to act as arbitrator or as Counsel in domestic and international arbitrations.
She holds an academic appointment with the University of Edinburgh where she lectures on the LLM on Sexual Offending and the Law, and in Criminal Law, Delict (Tort) and Evidence on the LLB.
She is focussed on increasing diversity and inclusion at the Bar and the wider legal profession and is involved in a number of networks providing support and promoting the sharing of good practice.
View full profile »News
- Susanne Tanner KC has been appointed as arbitrator for Motor Insurers’ Bureau cases for untraced and uninsured drivers
- Susanne Tanner KC of Crown Office Chambers appointed by SSSC as a Legally Qualified Chair
Qualifications
- LLB (Hons) First Class Hons, University of Edinburgh (1996)
- Dip LP, University of Edinburgh (1997)
- Lord Reid Scholarship, Faculty of Advocates (2000)
- Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (2019)
- Diploma in Advanced Trial Skills, National Institute of Trial Advocacy, 2011
- Advocate Depute (High Court Prosecutor), Crown Office, Scotland – 2011-ongoing
- First-tier Tribunal chair (legal member) – Housing and Property Chamber (2016-)
- First-tier Tribunal chair (legal member) – Health and Education Chamber (2018-)
- Lecturer, LLM in Sexual Offending and the Law, University of Edinburgh
- Lecturer, Criminal Law, Delict (Tort) and the Law of Evidence, LLB, University of Edinburgh
- Stable Director (Head of Chambers), Ampersand Advocates, Scotland, 2019-
- Board Member, Faculty Services Limited, 2019-
- Executive Editor of Green’s Scottish Education Manual, Thomson Reuters, 2014-
Memberships
- Fellow of Chartered Institute of Arbitrators
- Global Ambassador for the Scottish Arbitration Centre
- Member of the Faculty of Advocates’ Dispute Resolution Service (Arbitration)
- Association of Regulatory and Disciplinary Lawyers
- Member of Women in Law Scotland
- Member of Women in the Law UK
- Member of ‘Spaces for Voices’ (a network for gender equality in law)
Recommendations
“Susanne is a great advocate who doesn’t miss a trick.”
Chambers & Partners, 2024
