Top judicial post of Lord President taken by Lord Carloway. SCOTLAND’S Lord Justice Clerk - Lord Carloway - has been confirmed as the new Lord President & Lord Justice General of the Court of Session.
The post of Lord President – with a salary of £220,655 per year - became vacant after Lord Brian Gill unexpectedly walked out of the top judicial post in May of this year – giving only 30 days notice he intended to quit.
The move, elevating the Lord Justice Clerk to the top job of Lord President comes after a secretive panel constituted by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon under the Judiciary and Courts (Scotland) Act 2008.
The behind-closed-doors panel, comprising Sir Muir Russell & Mrs Deirdre Fulton from the Judicial Appointments Board for Scotland, Lord Reed of the UK Supreme Court and Court of Session judge Lady Dorrian - began a search in July for a new top judge - with orders to recommend a name to the First Minister by 30 October 2015.
The secretive recruitment process for a Lord President is reported in further detail here: To play the President - Hunt begins for Scotland’s next top judge
Lord Carloway – real name Colin Sutherland - is known for his backing for the Scottish Government’s failed plan to remove corroboration from Scots law.
While in the role of Lord Justice Clerk, Lord Carloway authored the Carloway Review Report & Recommendations 2011 – which backed a joint effort by Scottish Ministers and the Crown Office to remove the centuries old safeguard against wrongful convictions requiring evidence in criminal trials to be corroborated from two independent sources.
The Carloway Review and it’s recommendation to abolish corroboration - was opposed by members of the judiciary in their Response by the Senators of the College of Justice to SG consultation : Reforming Scots Criminal Law & Practice.
The campaign to retain corroboration was backed by Lord Gill - the then Lord President - who spoke out at the Scottish Parliament’s Justice Committee - defining the injustice safeguard as one of the "finest features" of Scotland’s justice system. Video footage of Lord Gill’s evidence to MSPs can be found here: Lord President Brian Gill evidence to Justice Committee on retention of corroboration
The same Justice Committee – who voted against plans to remove corroboration from Scots Law - dubbed Lord Carloway “disdainful and dismissive” over his support for scrapping the need for corroboration in criminal cases.
In April of this year, as the Scottish Government retreated on their plans to abolish corroboration - Lord Carloway hit out at elements of the legal profession who campaigned for retention of the injustice safeguard.
During Lord Carloway’s speech to the Commonwealth Association of Law Reform Agencies Biennial Conference - the Lord Justice Clerk accused lawyers & critics of having "transparent self-interest" in retaining the centuries old injustice safeguard.
Lord Carloway said: "Reactionary or excessively defensive forces among the legal profession can, and often do, behave in a manner obstructive to progressive law reform, especially where there is transparent perceived financial self-interest."
The judge’s remarks provoked robust responses from Thomas Ross - the Chair of the Criminal Bar Association, reported in The Herald HERE
Mr Ross argued lawyers opposed to ending the safeguard - under which two pieces of evidence are required to secure a conviction - were acting against their own financial interests.
Recently Lord Carloway was appointed head of the Scottish Sentencing Council – a quango created by Scottish Ministers which was condemned by two previous Lord Presidents – Lord Gill and Lord Hamilton – as a political attempt to interfere with the judiciary and Scotland’s courts system.
The appointment of Lord Carloway to the role of Lord President – made by the Queen upon receiving a nomination from the First Minister - retains the 500 year old tradition of male only top judges.
Lord Carloway will be formally installed as Lord President early in the new year, 2016.
Once appointed as Lord President, Lord Carloway will be asked to give evidence to the Scottish Parliament’s Public Petitions Committee in connection with three year probe on proposals to require judges to register their interests, as called for in Petition PE1458: Register of Interests for members of Scotland's judiciary.
If Lord Carloway’s stated views on ‘transparency and self interest of vested legal interests’ are anything to go by, perhaps the new Lord President will reach a different view from his predecessor Lord Gill – who spent two of his three year term as top judge fighting plans to enhance judicial transparency with a register of judges’ interests.
The petition calls for the creation of a publicly available register of judicial interests containing information on judges backgrounds, their personal wealth, undeclared earnings, business & family connections inside & outside of the legal profession, offshore investments, hospitality, details on recusals and other information routinely lodged in registers of interest across all walks of public life in the UK and around the world.
The proposal to require judges to declare their interests enjoys cross party support, and was widely backed by MSPs during a full debate in the Scottish Parliament’s main chamber on 9 October 2014 - reported in full with video footage of MSPs and Scottish Ministers speaking during the Holyrood debate, here: Debating the Judges.
Previous articles on the lack of transparency within Scotland’s judiciary, investigations on judicial interests including reports from the media, and video footage of debates at the Scottish Parliament’s Public Petitions Committee can be found here : A Register of Interests for Scotland's Judiciary
Lord Carloway’s appointment as Lord President has been welcomed by the Dean of the Faculty of Advocates, who were recently revealed to have taken ownership of Scotland’s top court buildings from Edinburgh City Council.
James Wolffe QC, Dean of the Faculty of Advocates, said: “His appointment as head of Scotland’s judiciary is richly merited – having regard not only to his personal qualities but to his distinguished career of service, as an advocate before his appointment to the bench in 2000, as a judge since that date, and since 2012 as Lord Justice Clerk.
“Lord Carloway becomes Lord President at an important time for our legal system as it responds to technological, social and institutional change. I look forward very much indeed to working with him.”
Christine McLintock, President of the Law Society of Scotland who spent much of the week condemning legal aid cuts, commented: “I warmly congratulate Lord Carloway on his appointment. As one of our most senior and respected judges, and with a wealth of experience across both criminal and civil law, he has already made a substantial contribution to justice and the rule of law here in Scotland. I have every confidence he will make an even greater contribution as our Lord President.
“Lord Carloway assumes this role at a critical time for Scotland’s justice system, with major reforms to improve the efficiency of our courts but also pressures from reductions in public spending. We are also seeing a transformation in the legal services market, with new business models, changing expectations from clients and a greater internationalism amongst legal firms. Against this backdrop of change, we look forward to working with Lord Carloway, building on the excellent relationship we have enjoyed with him as Lord Justice Clerk.”
The appointment now creates a vacancy for the office of Lord Justice Clerk.
The First Minister is required by s19 of the Judiciary and Courts (Scotland) Act 2008 to establish a panel to recommend individuals suitable for this appointment.
Lord Carloway’s most recent appearance at the Scottish Parliament came during an evidence session before the Justice Committee on 8 December 2015 during which the Lord Justice Clerk gave evidence to MSPs on the Abusive Behaviour & Sexual Harm (Scotland) Bill.
Lord Carloway Justice Committee Scottish Parliament 8th December 2015
LORD CARLOWAY:
Lord Carloway is a graduate of Edinburgh University (LLB Hons) and was admitted to the Faculty of Advocates in 1977. He served as an Advocate Depute from 1986 to 1989 and was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1990. From 1994 until his appointment as a Judge he was Treasurer of the Faculty of Advocates.
Lord Carloway was appointed a Judge in February 2000 and was elevated to the Inner House in August 2008. He became Lord Justice Clerk in August 2012.
He was an editor of ‘Green’s Litigation Styles’ and contributed the chapters on ‘Court of Session Practice’ to the Stair Memorial Encyclopedia and ‘Expenses’ in Court of Session Practice.
Lord Carloway was the joint editor of ‘Parliament House Portraits: the Art Collection of the Faculty of Advocates’ and is a former president of the Scottish Arts Club. He is the author of the Carloway Review on key elements of criminal law and practice which was published on 17 November 2011. Many of the recommendations from this review have been taken forward in the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Bill, approved by Parliament earlier this week.
Lord Carloway is also currently leading a steering group overseeing the Scottish Court and Tribunal Service review into Evidence and Procedure, including options for improving how children and other vulnerable witnesses provide evidence in criminal cases.
23 comments:
Interesting take on the Carloway appointment.
As you say more of an elevation than what some expected of the recruitment process.
I doubt you could add more detail to your thorough report!
Keep up the good work Peter.
So Carloway has been passed the chalice poisoned by Lord Gill's three year antics on the petition and all other kinds of judicial mayhem.Will he make a difference or is this going to be just more of the same?
Alarm bells will be ringing in some quarters..
They didn't have to go far to find a candidate if all they did was promote the number two to number one - so why the six month delay?Fishy..
Very interesting all this info about the Scottish Sentencing Council.Smacks of political meddling by Sturgeon and her crew notice it only came about after Gill was out the way and Hamilton before him who both knew exactly the nats intentions all along.
"The behind-closed-doors panel, comprising Sir Muir Russell & Mrs Deirdre Fulton from the Judicial Appointments Board for Scotland, Lord Reed of the UK Supreme Court and Court of Session judge Lady Dorrian - began a search in July for a new top judge - with orders to recommend a name to the First Minister by 30 October 2015."
So why did it take until 18 December to come up with Carloway as the successor to Gill?
Carloway should be thanking you for the leg up since you got rid of his boss.
I have to say though - most likely the office of Lord President is now tarnished to the point no one with any standing wanted the job this time around.
Personally,I put it down to damage caused by one man holding out against your petition and the register.Throwing all those threats around in writing and the daft secret meetings sealed his fate.Sturgeon's intervention against your petition just made it worse and made everyone with a clear head realise there is something to hide.
Thanks to you people have rumbled the judiciary and their links - courtesy of your digging and the decent papers who are now taking on this not-so-gentleman club.
Next!
The Lord President's job is to protect the rich from the poor.Until Carloway demonstrates he is not a member of the same club we should all treat this appointment with skepticism.
As I am sure you are well aware those in the know see this as a political appointment.
Christine McLintock, President of the Law Society of Scotland who spent much of the week condemning legal aid cuts, I am glad there are legal aid cuts as this will hurt lawyers more then the public certainly in the area of civil law. They were outside the courts shouting save justice and what they really meant was save our legal aid payments. Keep chopping the legal aid, wonderful.
'Nikkla' has got the job for her boy - no doubt Mr MacAskill was 'advising' in the background - and will expect the favour to be returned.
In other words, she now has a powerful voice on her side supporting her stated resolve to block any Register of Judicial Interests.
You picked your points very well.
Did you see how Sturgeon was struggling to give office of Lord Prez some spin in her news release?
"The Lord President, who has an annual salary of £220,655, is one of the Great Offices of State in Scotland."
One of the great offices of state.What a joke and Gill was mentioned in two paras.Telling of how much damage he did to his post while in office and the lingering effect of his nibs.
@ 19 December 2015 at 18:36
Damage limitation and political manipulation v vested legal interests ...
@ 19 December 2015 at 21:42
People of such power are their own worst enemies, they have the most to hide and are the worst to deal with.
@ 20 December 2015 at 13:11
Time will tell ...
@ 21 December 2015 at 18:25
Could be .. however the debate the petition was always more important along with the generated intel on the judiciary.
@ 21 December 2015 at 20:56
If the office of Lord President is such a great office of state then why did former LP Gill refuse to attend a Scottish Parliament Committee on at least two occasions and wage war against transparency.
In a way Lord Gill could not have been a better LP.
Lord Gill's conduct from threats to the press & journalists access to court documents, to the angry tirade against transparency and his Twilight Zone episode at the Scottish Parliament revealed to people what our top judges actually think of democracy, transparency and public accountability.
Lord Gill did it all on his own, and the media were there to report it.
All true.
However I doubt your accurate assessment of Lord Gill will be pleasing to his ears!
Little doubt some political interference in this one for sure
Lord Gill's conduct from threats to the press & journalists access to court documents, to the angry tirade against transparency and his Twilight Zone episode at the Scottish Parliament revealed to people what our top judges actually think of democracy, transparency and public accountability.
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Yes indeed they are all for transparency as long as it does not affect them. How can he enforce his threats? No doubt by some perverted one sided legislation drawn up to protect legalized despots who have far too much power for the public's good. What they want is obedient clients and politicians. It really is shocking that these people who are a law unto themselves have such formidable legal protection they make a mockery of democracy, transparency and public accountability. There is such a thing as legalized crime and because these people cannot (and clearly don't think they should be accountable to the public) they cannot prove they are not involved in legalized crime because in a Judges world there are no laws, only Judicial Principles and Oaths, and these are worthy of mockery like those who expect us to accept them by foolishly trusting those who profess to adhere to them. What happened to His Civil Courts Review?
Sounds like another of the same club we will see how he does against your petition a big thumbs down if Carloway continues the arrogance displayed by Gill on the judicial interests question
Compare Carloway's performance at justice with Gill's bluster at the petitions committee - quite a difference in style
Thanks for a year of taking down all these supposed pillars of society.Now we finally see the judiciary in their true light - they are no better than scheming politicians!Keep up the good work for 2016!!
No wonder they want all kept secret. It is a very lucrative job with zero punishment for theft of clients assets because lawyers are the law. And they keep on about their robust complaints system, well it is robust at protecting the Penman's and
O'Donnell's because there is no complaints system. Only fools believe there is.
was reading your earlier one about Carloway and his air miles journeys to Ireland.Is he going to follow the Gill clamp down on high flying!His trips appear to be very expensive!
Happy New year Peter and keep up the good work!
Gutsy write-up a lot better than others
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