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. The court was established in 1532 by an Act of the Parliament of Scotland,and was initially presided over by the Lord Chancellor of Scotland and had equal numbers of clergy and laity. The judges were all appointed from the King's Council. As of May 2017,the Lord President was Lord Carloway,who was appointed on 19 December 2015,and the Lord Justice Clerk was Lady Dorrian,who was appointed on 13 April 2016.
Kenneth John Cameron,Baron Cameron of Lochbroom PC FRSE is a Scottish retired judge who served as Lord Advocate from 1984 to 1989.
John Alastair Cameron,Lord Abernethy,PC is a Scottish lawyer,and a former Senator of the College of Justice,a judge of the country's Supreme Courts,serving from 1992 to 2007,when he retired. He was a member of the English Bar before moving to the Scottish Faculty of Advocates,where he served as vice-dean from 1983 to 1992.
Ian Hamilton Shearer,Lord Avonside,was a Scottish lawyer and judge.
Philip Hope Brodie,Lord Brodie,is a Scottish lawyer and one of the Senators of the College of Justice,a Judge of Scotland's Supreme Courts.
The Scottish Land Court is a Scottish court of law based in Edinburgh with subject-matter jurisdiction covering disputes between landlords and tenants relating to agricultural tenancies,and matters related to crofts and crofters. The Scottish Land Court is both a trial court and an appeal court;hearings at first-instance are often heard by a Divisional Court of one of the Agricultural Members advised by the Principal Clerk. Decisions of the Divisional Court can be appealed to the Full Court,which will consist of at least one legally qualified judicial member and the remaining Agricultural Member. Some cases are heard at first-instance by the Full Court,and these cases may be appealed to the Inner House of the Court of Session.
The Lands Tribunal for Scotland is a tribunal with jurisdiction over land and property in Scotland,relating to title obligations,compulsory purchase and other private rights. The Tribunal was established under the Lands Tribunal Act 1949,which also created the separate Lands Tribunal in England and Wales and Northern Ireland.
Alexander Featherstonhaugh Wylie,Lord Kinclaven was a Senator of the College of Justice,a judge of the Supreme Courts of Scotland.
Kenneth Hilton Osborne,Lord Osborne PC was a Senator of the College of Justice,a judge of the Supreme Courts of Scotland,sitting in the High Court of Justiciary and the Inner House of the Court of Session. Appointed in 1990,he was Scotland's longest-serving judge.
Stephen Errol Woolman,Lord Woolman,,is a Scottish legal academic,and a retired Senator of the College of Justice.
William Austin Nimmo Smith is a former Senator of the College of Justice,a judge of the Supreme Courts of Scotland,sitting in the High Court of Justiciary and the Inner House of the Court of Session. He retired from this position on 30 September 2009.
Matthew Gerard Clarke,Lord Clarke,PC was a Senator of the College of Justice,a judge of the Supreme Courts of Scotland,sitting in the High Court of Justiciary and the Inner House of the Court of Session.
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.
Iain Bonomy,Lord Bonomy,is a former Senator of the College of Justice,a judge of the Supreme Courts of Scotland,sitting in the High Court of Justiciary and the Inner House of the Court of Session from 2010 to 2012. From 2004 to 2009,he was a Judge of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.
Alexander Morrison Philip,Lord Philip,is a Scottish lawyer and former Senator of the College of Justice.
Duncan Adam Young Menzies,Lord Menzies,is a judge of the Supreme Courts of Scotland. He was appointed to the Outer House of the Court of Session in 2001,and the Inner House in 2012.
Patrick Stewart Hodge,Lord Hodge,PC is a British lawyer,currently serving as Deputy President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom.
Walter Archibald Elliott,Lord Elliott,MC was a Scottish lawyer and judge. In 1971,he became the first president of the newly established Lands Tribunal for Scotland,and in 1978 took on the additional office of chairman of the Scottish Land Court. Since then,both offices have been held concurrently.
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.
Roderick John MacLeod,Lord Minginish,also known as Roddy John,is a Scottish advocate. From 2014 until his retirement in December 2022,he was Chairman of the Scottish Land Court and President of the Lands Tribunal for Scotland. He was the first Gaelic-speaking chair of the court.
