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Appointment of sheriff
13/01/2009
Her Majesty the Queen, on the recommendation of the First Minister, has appointed Mr Ian Abercrombie QC as an all-Scotland floating sheriff based in Inverness.
First Minister Alex Salmond nominated Mr Abercrombie for appointment on the basis of a report by the independent Judicial Appointments Board.
Mr Abercrombie will have a commission enabling him to serve where required throughout Scotland's sheriff courts, but in practice he is expected to sit mostly in the Sheriffdom of Grampian Highlands and Islands.
Mr Abercrombie (53) graduated from Edinburgh University in 1978. He was admitted to the Faculty of Advocates in 1981 and took silk in 1994. Since 1994 he has been Senior Counsel and has had extensive practice in the Court of Session. Mr Abercrombie has also been a Reporter to the Scottish Legal Aid Board, nominated by the Faculty of Advocates, assessing Legal Aid applications. He was appointed by the Court of Session to investigate and report on a variety of matters, including arrangements for the dependants of victims of the Cormorant Alpha Disaster.
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 roll 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.