This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Legal aid appointments
28/03/2002
Two new appointments to the Scottish Legal Aid Board
were announced today by the Minister for Justice, Jim
Wallace
Mr Graeme McKinstry and Mr David Nicol have been
appointed from 1 April 2002. Their appointments will be for
four years to 31 March 2006.
The Minister for Justice has also re-appointed Mrs
Margaret Scanlan and Mr Malcolm Thomson as members of the
Scottish Legal Aid Board for a further period of four years
from 1 April 2004 until 31 March 2006. In addition, Mr
Alexander Wylie, who was first appointed in 1994, has had
his appointment extended for a 6-month period.
The Scottish Legal Aid Board is an independent
statutory body established under the Legal Aid Act
1986. Its main functions are:
· To assess and, where appropriate, grant legal aid
applications
· To scrutinise and settle accounts submitted by
solicitors and counsel
· To collect applicants' contributions or awards of
expenses against the other side, in the case of civil legal
aid
· To provide advice to Scottish Ministers on legal
aid matters
The Board spends about £135m each year, which includes
the Legal Aid Fund and running costs.
Members of the Board receive remuneration of £7,600 for
a commitment of 3 ½ days per month.
Further information can be obtained from the Board's
website (
www.slab.org.uk) or by writing to the Scottish Legal Aid Board, 44
Drumsheugh Gardens, Edinburgh, EH3 7SW.
Mr McKinstry is a solicitor and runs his
own practice. Previously, he was a non-Executive Director
of the South Ayrshire Hospitals NHS Trust and a
non-Executive Director of Ayrshire & Arran Acute
Hospitals NHS Trust. He was formerly a Professional
Development Officer at the centre for Professional and
Legal Studies at Strathclyde University and holds an MBA in
Legal Practice. He is also a senior member of The Law
Society of Scotland's Practice Advisory Service. Mr
McKinstry holds no other public appointments. He has not
undertaken any significant party political activity over
the last five years.
Mr. Nicol is a solicitor and partner in
the firm Allan McDougal & Co. He has been a legal
advisor to a voluntary legal clinic in Edinburgh for over
10 years. He is presently an external reporter in civil
cases to the Board and a co-opted member of the Legal
Services Sub-Committee of the Board. Mr Nicol holds no
other public appointments. He has not undertaken any
significant party political activity over the last five
years.
Mrs Scanlan has been a consultant with
Russells, Gibson and McCaffrey, Solicitors since 1992. She
was first appointed to the Board in 1997. Mrs Scanlan has
undertaken no significant political activity over the last
five years and holds no other public appointments.
Mr Thomson, QC has been a member of the
Scottish Bar since 1974 and a Queen's Counsel since 1987.
He is also a member of the English Bar. He was first
appointed to the Board in 1998. He has not undertaken any
significant party political activity over the last five
years.
Mr Alexander Wylie, QC has been a member
of the Scottish Bar since 1978 and a Queen's Counsel since
1991. He is a part-time Sheriff. He is also a part-time
Chairman for the Discipline Committee of the Institute of
Chartered Accountants of Scotland and The Police Appeals
Tribunals. He has undertaken no significant political
activity over the last five years and holds no other public
appointments.