NEWS

Following the upcoming retirement of Sheriff Principal Mhairi Stephen, Her Majesty the Queen has appointed Sheriff Nigel Ross as Sheriff Principal of the Sheriffdom of Lothian and Borders, on the recommendation of the First Minister.

Sheriff Ross, who sits at Edinburgh Sheriff Court, will take up appointment from 2 May 2022.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon made her recommendation for appointment on the basis of a report by the Judicial Appointments Board for Scotland.

Biography

Sheriff Ross qualified as a solicitor in 1988 and called to the Bar in December 1991. His practice was mainly in the newly-established Commercial Court in the Court of Session.

He was appointed Standing Junior to the Department of Trade and Industry in 1999.

In 2003 he was appointed a part-time sheriff and in 2006 a full-time sheriff, initially at Glasgow Sheriff Court and from 2013 at Edinburgh Sheriff Court.

He is a designated commercial, extradition and personal injury sheriff and since 2017 has sat in the Sheriff Appeal Court.

Background

The Judicial Appointments Board for Scotland is an independent advisory public body with the role of recommending individuals for appointment to judicial offices within the Board’s remit including judge of the Court of Session, chair of the Scottish Land Court, sheriff principal, sheriff, and summary sheriff.

The First Minister has statutory responsibility for making recommendations to Her Majesty the Queen and is required by statute to consult the Lord President of the Court of Session before making her recommendation.

The salary of a sheriff principal is £154,527 per annum.

More information about the role of sheriffs principal can be found on the Judiciary of Scotland website.