This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Appointment of Queen's Counsel
16/06/2005
Her Majesty The Queen has been pleased to approve the
appointment of 14 new Queen's Counsel, on the
recommendation of First Minister Jack McConnell.
The new appointees are:
- Donald Roderick Macleod
- Peter William Ferguson
- Alastair James Kinroy
- Mark Lumsden Stewart
- Lesley Munro Shand
- Robert Douglas Armstrong
- David Eric Lothian Johnston
- Morag Barbara Wise
- John William Probert Beckett
- Brian McConnachie
- Sheriff Paul Andrew Arthurson
- Sheriff Ian Christopher Simpson
(all of whom are members of the Faculty of
Advocates)
- Patrick Wheatley
- Francis Mulholland
(who are Solicitor Advocates)
There are now 158 QCs including the latest addition of
14. The previous round of appointments was in 2003.
Those appointed were nominated by the Rt Hon Lord Cullen
of Whitekirk, the Lord Justice General. With the agreement
of Lord Cullen, Sir Roy Cameron QPM was appointed by the
First Minister to act as an observer of the process and to
provide the First Minister with a separate report on his
findings.
Ministers are committed to greater openness in the
process of appointment of Queen's Counsel. Before any
future round of appointments, there will be further
discussions with the Lord Justice General about the means
of achieving this.
The rank of Queen's Counsel is generally reserved for
those who have distinguished themselves in practice in the
Supreme Courts. Advocates and Solicitors with Rights of
Audience in the Supreme Courts are eligible to apply to the
Lord Justice General, Scotland's senior judge. Before
making recommendations, the Lord Justice General consults
other judges, the Dean of the Faculty of Advocates, the
Lord Advocate and the President of the Law Society of
Scotland.
Scottish Ministers are committed to making the process
of appointment of Queen's Counsel more open and introducing
an independent element into selection. For this year only,
the Lord President agreed to the appointment of an
independent observer, Sir Roy Cameron, to overlook the
process and provide the First Minister with a separate
report on his findings.