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The Court of Session is the supreme civil court of Scotland and constitutes part of the College of Justice;the supreme criminal court of Scotland is the High Court of Justiciary. The Court of Session sits in Parliament House in Edinburgh and is both a trial court and a court of appeal. Decisions of the court can be appealed to the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom,with the permission of either the Inner House or the Supreme Court. The Court of Session and the local sheriff courts of Scotland have concurrent jurisdiction for all cases with a monetary value in excess of £100,000;the plaintiff is given first choice of court. However,the majority of complex,important,or high value cases are brought in the Court of Session. Cases can be remitted to the Court of Session from the sheriff courts,including the Sheriff Personal Injury Court,at the request of the presiding sheriff. Legal aid,administered by the Scottish Legal Aid Board,is available to persons with little disposable income for cases in the Court of Session.
The High Court of Justiciary is the supreme criminal court in Scotland. The High Court is both a trial court and a court of appeal. As a trial court,the High Court sits on circuit at Parliament House or in the adjacent former Sheriff Court building in the Old Town in Edinburgh,or in dedicated buildings in Glasgow and Aberdeen. The High Court sometimes sits in various smaller towns in Scotland,where it uses the local sheriff court building. As an appeal court,the High Court sits only in Edinburgh. On one occasion the High Court of Justiciary sat outside Scotland,at Zeist in the Netherlands during the Pan Am Flight 103 bombing trial,as the Scottish Court in the Netherlands. At Zeist the High Court sat both as a trial court,and an appeal court for the initial appeal by Abdelbaset al-Megrahi.
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,is a retired Scottish judge and legal academic. He served as Lord President and Lord Justice General from June 2012 until May 2015. 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 and is the author of The Law of Agricultural Holdings in Scotland. In 2007–2009,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.
The Senators of the College of Justice in Scotland are judges of the College of Justice,a set of legal institutions involved in the administration of justice in Scotland. There are three types of senator:Lords of Session;Lords Commissioners of Justiciary;and the Chairman of the Scottish Land Court. Whilst the High Court and Court of Session historically maintained separate judiciary,these are now identical,and the term Senator is almost exclusively used in referring to the judges of these courts.
The College of Justice includes the Supreme Courts of Scotland,and its associated bodies.
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.
Leeona June Dorrian,Lady DorrianPC,KC is a Scottish advocate and judge who has served as the Lord Justice Clerk since 2016. She is the first woman to hold the position. She has been a Senator of the College of Justice since 2005,having served as a temporary judge for three years prior.
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.
The University of Aberdeen School of Law is the law school of University of Aberdeen,located in Aberdeen,Scotland. Established in 1495,it is consistently ranked among the top 10 law schools in the United Kingdom.
Colin Jack Tyre,Lord Tyre,is a Scottish lawyer,former President of the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe,and a Senator of the College of Justice,a judge of the Supreme Courts of Scotland.
Kezia Alexandra Ross Dugdale is a Scottish former politician who served as Leader of the Scottish Labour Party from 2015 to 2017. A former member of the Scottish Labour Party and Co-operative Party,she was a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Lothian region from 2011 to 2019.
The judiciary of Scotland are the judicial office holders who sit in the courts of Scotland and make decisions in both civil and criminal cases. Judges make sure that cases and verdicts are within the parameters set by Scots law,and they must hand down appropriate judgments and sentences. Judicial independence is guaranteed in law,with a legal duty on Scottish Ministers,the Lord Advocate and the Members of the Scottish Parliament to uphold judicial independence,and barring them from influencing the judges through any form of special access.
Walter James WolffeFSAScotFRIAS is a Scottish advocate who served as Lord Advocate from 2016 to 2021. He previously served as Dean of the Faculty of Advocates from 2014 to 2016,and Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Advocates from 2013 to 2014.
Jennifer Madeleine Gilruth is a Scottish politician who is serving as the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills since 2023. A member of the Scottish National Party (SNP),she has been the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Mid Fife and Glenrothes since 2016.
Andrew Fleming Stewart,Lord Ericht is a Scottish lawyer who was appointed in 2016 as a Senator of the College of Justice,a judge of the Court of Session.
John Douglas Fairley,Lord Fairley is a Senator of the College of Justice. He was appointed as a Senator in November 2019.
Anna Isabel Poole,Lady Poole is a Senator of the College of Justice in Scotland. Prior to her appointment as Senator,she was a Judge of the UK Upper Tribunal,Administrative Appeals Chamber. Lady Poole was educated at Madras College,St Andrews,and at Somerville and Magdalen Colleges,Oxford.
References
- ↑ "Three new senators appointed", Law Society of Scotland, 4 February 2021 2021
- ↑ "New senators installed at Parliament House ceremony", Scottish Legal News, 23 February 2021
- ↑ Paterson, Laura (25 March 2019). "Pro-independence blogger 'horrified' by homophobia accusation from Kezia Dugdale". Daily Record.
- ↑ "Virtual court hears Kezia Dugdale defamation appeal", BBC News, 21 April 2020
