Listen
Appointment of sheriff
29/08/2008
Her Majesty the Queen, on the recommendation of the First Minister, has appointed Marysia Lewis as an All Scotland Floating Sheriff.
Mrs Lewis will be assigned to the Sheriffdom for Grampian, Highlands and Islands based in Peterhead.
First Minister Alex Salmond nominated Marysia Lewis for appointment on the basis of a report by the independent Judicial Appointments Board.
Mrs Lewis (49) is a graduate of the University of Strathclyde. From 1987 she has practised as a solicitor with Ledingham Chalmers LLP in Aberdeen, rising from a solicitor, to an Associate of the firm in 1990, to the Head of the Planning and Environmental Law specialist unit in 2004.
Mrs Lewis was appointed as a part-time sheriff in 2006 and is a Member of the Board of governors of the Robert Gordon University.
This appointment fills the vacancy that arose on Sheriff Malcolm Garden transferring from Peterhead to Aberdeen.
The salary of a sheriff is £126,400 per annum.
The Judicial Appointments Board for Scotland was established by Ministers in 2002. The Board is an independent advisory body whose role is to recommend for appointment to the office of judge, sheriff principal, sheriff and part-time sheriff. The First Minister retains the statutory responsibility for making nominations to Her Majesty the Queen. The First Minister is required by statute to consult the Lord President of the Court of Session before making his nomination to Her Majesty.