Partner

Colin Hutton

Languages

English

Social media

Colin has 30 years' experience in dispute avoidance and resolution. He is dual qualified and advises on both English and Scots law matters. He has significant experience working with financial services sector clients and corporates. Colin specialises in the project management of the dispute resolution process. He is a keen advocate of alternative dispute resolution and regularly uses mediation to effectively resolve disputes.

Colin regularly advises on shareholder disputes and disputes relating to corporate transactions, including misrepresentation, fraud and bribery issues. He also has a specific interest in the increase in class actions, and its significance in relation to data protection and ESG issues.

Awards & Recognitions

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"Colin is a very professional, no-nonsense and very honest individual who is confident, very hard-working and above all listens to the client's needs."

Chambers UK, 2025
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"He is excellent: strategic, tactical and responsive."

Chambers UK, 2025
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"Colin Hutton is a very experienced and very measured, thoughtful lawyer. He'll explain things as they are, giving us the ramifications, and will establish what was a good result. He's very impressive."

Chambers UK, 2025
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"Colin Hutton is a market leader in his field. He's innovative, strategic and personable. Clients love him too."

Chambers UK, 2025
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"He is a strong and innovative practitioner."

Chambers & Partners, 2021
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"He is very good - very easy to communicate with and very sensible even when he has a difficult message to impart."

Chambers & Partners, 2021
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"One of the leading banking litigators in Scotland."

Chambers & Partners, 2021
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"Colin Hutton is one of the finest strategic litigators of his generation: he leads a strong team of highly motivated, technically brilliant associates, all committed to delivering their client's objectives."

Legal 500, 2025
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"He is an excellent lawyer who is focused on practical solutions."

Chambers & Partners, 2021
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"Colin Hutton combines commercial nous, legal ability and skilful management of the litigation team."

Legal 500, 2025

Relevant experience

Shareholders in Braid Logistics Limited, in unfair prejudice proceedings in the Court of Session involving allegations of bribery.
Shareholders in R2 Limited, in High Court unfair prejudice proceedings defending the attempted use of bad leaver provisions to remover founder shareholders.
Shareholders in ACE Winches Limited, in unfair prejudice proceedings in the Court of Session involving the successful operation of a call option to remove the controlling shareholder.
Shareholders in United Holdings Limited, defending an unfair prejudice petition in the Court of Session and associated satellite litigations relating to inheritance issues.
Successfully for the Invenio Business Solutions Limited, defending GBP 40m High Court damages claims raised by founder shareholders and pursuing High Court proceedings regarding the enforcement of bad leaver provisions against founder shareholders.
James Finlay Kenya Limited in the successful defence of group proceedings commenced on behalf of over 3000 Kenyan tea pickers seeking redress in respect of alleged personal injuries, which included securing an anti-suit injunction in Kenya (2023csih39.pdf).
Currently defending Jaguar Land Rover Limited in the diesel emissions class action litigation in Scotland, and acting as part of the wider team defending similar proceedings in England. This case involved procuring the intervention of Fair Civil Justice at the permission stage of an application to appeal the initial authorisation decisions to the UK Supreme Court.
A major energy client in relation to a dispute regarding its continuing involvement in a significant offshore wind joint venture.
nChain, a blockchain company, in a series of related litigations regarding a former CEO who claimed to be a whistleblower. This included successfully obtaining interim injunctions, summary judgement, committal (10 months) for contempt of court - nChain Holding AG -v- Christen Ager-Hanssen - Courts and Tribunals Judiciary – and bankruptcy orders, and subsequently securing similar court/bankruptcy orders in Norway and Sweden.
The Common Services Agency for the Scottish Health Service (more commonly known as National Services Scotland (“NSS”)) in the defence of a procurement challenge raised by Capita Business Services Limited (“Capita”).
Heriot-Watt University in its dispute with its former academic services provider for its Dubai campus (Study World), with whom it previously had a successful business relationship for fifteen years.
Scottish Power Renewables in the successful defence of a challenge, by judicial review, of a decision of the respondent, Crown Estate Scotland to refuse Mainstream Renewable Power Limited’s application for a first batch agreement in the ScotWind offshore wind leasing round.
SSE in relation to the Glendoe tunnel collapse and securing an award of GBP +100m following an unsuccessful trial (SSE Generation Ltd v Hochtief Solutions AG and another [2018] CSIH 26).

Education

1995 - Dip LP, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh
1994 - LLB (Hons), University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh

Practice Areas

Technology Disputes Energy Disputes Financial Regulatory Disputes Banking & Finance Dispute Resolution Commercial Disputes Alternative Dispute Resolution Cyber Corporate Crime, Compliance and Forensics Class Actions

sectors

Energy & Climate Change Defendant Personal Injury

Insights

Global Reach

UK Pay Gap Report 2024