Catherine Smith | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Advocate General for Scotland | |
| Assumed office 29 August 2024 | |
| Prime Minister | Keir Starmer |
| Preceded by | The Lord Stewart of Dirleton |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 4 May 1973 |
| Political party | Labour |
| Alma mater | University of Glasgow |
Catherine Anne Smith KC (born 4 May 1973 [1] ) is a Scottish lawyer who was appointed Advocate General for Scotland on 29 August 2024 [2] and will be created a life peer. She is the youngest daughter of former Labour Party leader John Smith.
Smith completed an MA degree in history and an LLB degree at the University of Glasgow. [3] She was called to the bar in 2007 and became a King's Counsel in 2021.
Smith is a founding member and former deputy chair of JUSTICE Scotland. Prior to her appointment as Advocate General she worked as an advocate for Edinburgh-based law firm Compass Chambers. [4] She has also served as counsel to the Investigatory Powers Tribunal. [5] Between 2012 and 2021 she served as Standing Junior Counsel to the Advocate General under Jim Wallace,Richard Keen and Keith Stewart. [4]
Smith's principal areas of judicial work are reparation and public law,specialising in personal injury,clinical negligence and judicial review cases. [6]
Smith is the daughter of John Smith,late leader of the Labour Party,and of Elizabeth Smith,Baroness Smith of Gilmorehill. Her elder sister is the BBC North America editor Sarah Smith.
Smith is a trustee of the John Smith Trust and co-founder and chair of the John Smith Centre for Public Service at the University of Glasgow. [6] In the former capacity she visited Kyiv and Warsaw in October 2023 to support rule of law and human rights projects. [4]
A King's Counsel is a senior lawyer appointed by the monarch of some Commonwealth realms as a "Counsel learned in the law". When the reigning monarch is a woman,the title is Queen's Counsel (QC).
Alexander Andrew Mackay Irvine,Baron Irvine of Lairg,,known as Derry Irvine,is a Scottish lawyer and politician who served as Lord Chancellor from 1997 to 2003.
His Majesty's Advocate General for Scotland is one of the Law Officers of the Crown,whose duty it is to advise the Crown and His Majesty's Government on Scots law. The Office of the Advocate General for Scotland is a ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom. The position is currently occupied by Catherine Smith KC.
Edinburgh Law School,founded in 1707,is a school within the University of Edinburgh,Scotland,United Kingdom dedicated to research and teaching in law. It is located in the historic Old College,the original site of the University. Two of the twelve currently sitting Supreme Court of the United Kingdom justices are graduates of Edinburgh,including the current President and Deputy President.
Brian Gill,Lord Gill,KSG FRSE FRSAMD FRSCM is a retired Scottish judge and legal academic. He served as Lord President and Lord Justice General from June 2012 until May 2015. Lord Gill previously served as Lord Justice Clerk from 2001 to 2012,and as Chairman of the Scottish Law Commission from 1996 to 2001. As an advocate,he practised principally in agricultural law. He is the author of several works including Agricultural Tenancies, and is general editor of The Scottish Planning Encyclopedia. In 2007–2009,Lord Gill undertook a far-reaching review of the civil courts system in Scotland,recommending a shift of much of the workload of the Court of Session to Scotland's local sheriff courts.
Neil Forbes Davidson,Baron Davidson of Glen Clova is a Scottish lawyer and former Advocate General for Scotland.
John Thomas Wheatley,Baron Wheatley,was a Scottish Labour politician and judge.
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Richard Sanderson Keen,Baron Keen of Elie is a British lawyer and Conservative Party politician. He was Advocate General for Scotland from May 2015 until his resignation on 16 September 2020.
Anne Smith,Lady Smith,is a Scottish lawyer,and a retired judge. Smith is currently the chair of the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry.
Elizabeth Margaret Smith,Baroness Smith of Gilmorehill,,is a British peer and patron of the arts. She is the widow of John Smith,who led the Labour Party from 1992 to 1994.
John Beckett,Lord Beckett is a Scottish lawyer who was appointed in 2016 as a Senator of the College of Justice,a judge of the Court of Session.
Francis Mulholland,Lord Mulholland,is a Scottish judge who has been a Senator of the College of Justice since 2016. He previously served from 2011 to 2016 as Lord Advocate,one of the Great Officers of State of Scotland and the country's chief Law Officer,and as Solicitor General,the junior Law Officer.
Paul Benedict Cullen,Lord Pentland,is a former Solicitor General for Scotland,a Senator of the College of Justice and former chairman of the Scottish Law Commission.
The School of Law at the University of Glasgow provides undergraduate and postgraduate courses in Law,and awards the degrees of Bachelor of Laws,Master of Laws,LLM by Research,Master of Research (MRes) and Doctor of Philosophy,the degree of Doctor of Laws being awarded generally only as an honorary degree.
Adam Tomkins is a British academic and politician who is the John Millar Professor of Public Law at the University of Glasgow School of Law. A member of the Scottish Conservatives,he was a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Glasgow region from 2016 to 2021,when he stood down for that year's elections.
John Herbert McCluskey,Baron McCluskey was a Scottish lawyer,judge and politician,who served as Solicitor General for Scotland,the country's junior Law Officer from 1974 to 1979,and as a Senator of the College of Justice,a judge of Scotland's Supreme Courts,from 1984 to 2004. He was also member of the House of Lords from 1976 until his retirement in 2017.
Sir John Charles Watson,was an advocate and sheriff from Scotland. He served from 1929 to 1931 as Solicitor General for Scotland in Ramsay MacDonald's second Labour Government.
QEB Hollis Whiteman is a leading set of barristers' chambers specialising in criminal,financial,and regulatory law,located in the City of London. Established in the 1980s,it employs 70 barristers,including 21 King's Counsel,four Treasury Counsel and one Standing Counsel to the RCPO. The current Heads of Chambers are Selva Ramasamy KC and Adrian Darbishire KC and the Chief Clerk is Chris Emmings.
Ruth Barbara CharterisKC is a Scottish advocate who has served as Solicitor General for Scotland since 2021. In addition to being the Solicitor General for Scotland,she has been a legally qualified chair of the Scottish Social Services Council since 2017,and has served as Chair of the Fitness to Practice Panel of the SSSC since 2017.
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