NEWS

His Majesty has appointed Louise Arrol KC, Owen Mullan, Craig Findlater, Neil Wilson, Matthew Auchincloss, Julius Komorowski, Valerie Mays, Kevin McCarron, Iain Nicol, Gillian Sharp, Euan Cameron, Sheena Fraser, Anthony McGeehan, Siobhan Connelly, Louise Gallacher, Jennifer Bain KC, Steven Borthwick KC and Timothy Niven-Smith, and to the office of sheriff, on the recommendation of the First Minister.

First Minister Humza Yousaf made his recommendation for appointment on the basis of a report by the Judicial Appointments Board for Scotland.

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 His Majesty the King and is required by statute to consult the Lord President of the Court of Session before making his recommendation.

The salary of a sheriff is £157,705 per annum.

Louise Arrol KC graduated with LLB (Honours) from the University of Dundee in 1996, obtaining her Diploma in Legal Practice from the University of Strathclyde in 1997. After a traineeship in Glasgow, she served as a Procurator Fiscal depute then was assumed as a partner at Fleming and Reid Solicitors in 2003. She called to the Bar in June 2005, thereafter practicing in the High Court of Justiciary. She held an ad hoc commission as an Advocate Depute since 2020 and was appointed King’s Counsel in 2022. She was appointed as the advocate member to the Scottish Sentencing Council in June 2022.

Owen Mullan graduated in Law from the University of Glasgow and worked as a solicitor in private practice and the public sector. He has a Master of Laws (Human Rights) and called to the Bar in 2011 becoming an advocate at the Faculty of Advocates. In 2017 he became an Advocate Depute. He has been at tutor at the University of Glasgow since 2019.

Craig Findlater studied at the University of Aberdeen, graduating in 2005 with a Bachelor of Laws with honours and in 2006 with a Diploma in Legal Practice. On leaving university he joined the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service where he trained as a solicitor. He was subsequently admitted to the Faculty of Advocates in 2012. He has been both an ad hoc Advocate Depute and a reporter for Session Cases since 2017. In 2022 he was appointed as a part-time Summary Sheriff.

Neil Wilson was educated at Thurso High School, and thereafter graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1987 with a First Class Honours degree in Philosophy, later returning to the same university for his LLB (1994) and Diploma in Legal Practice (1995). After four years at Ross Harper and Murphy in Glasgow, he moved to Inverness and ultimately became a partner at Ferguson & Wilson Solicitors. He has always specialised in criminal defence work, and qualified as a Solicitor Advocate in 2007.

Julius Komorowski was a practising Advocate from 2008, with a break from 2011 to serve as Law Clerk to the Lord Justice-Clerk, then Lord President (Lord Gill). Upon his return in 2013, he was standing junior counsel to the Advocate General, and from 2016 he was Editor of Session Cases, until leaving practice in 2020 upon appointment as a First-tier Tribunal Judge (Immigration and Asylum Chamber). Since 2015 he has also served on the Additional Support Needs Tribunal for Scotland, latterly the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland (Health and Education Chamber).

Valerie Mays holds an LLB (Hons) and a Dip LP from Glasgow University and an LLM in European Law from Strathclyde University. Admitted as a solicitor in 1995 she has worked for SCRA and as a procurator fiscal depute. She was employed as a solicitor in the Government Legal Services for Scotland from 1999 to 2006. From 2006 to 2018 she worked as a solicitor at the Mental Health Tribunal for Scotland. She was appointed as a judge of the First-tier Tribunal (Social Entitlement Chamber) in 2013 and (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) in 2014. In 2018 she was appointed as a summary sheriff at Glasgow.

Kevin McCarron is a graduate of Glasgow University and thereafter worked in private practice as a Solicitor. In 2021 he was appointed as a Part-Time Summary Sheriff, and has been working full time in this position since October 2022 in Glasgow Sheriff Court. He is also a Legal Member of the Parole Board for Scotland.

Iain Nicol graduated from the University of Aberdeen with an LLB in 1989 and Diploma in Legal Practice in 1990. He worked in private practice for 33 years, mainly in the field of personal injury law. In 2003 he was accredited by the Law Society as a specialist in personal injury law and in 2018 awarded Fellowship status of APIL. He co-authored “Expenses: A civil practitioner’s handbook” published in 2022 and was convener of the Law Society’s Civil Justice Committee. In January 2022 he was appointed as a part-time sheriff.

Gillian Sharp graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1994 with an LLB (Hons) degree, obtaining the Diploma LPP in 1995. After completing a criminal law traineeship, she joined a family law practice before specialising in commercial litigation at MacRoberts. Between 2014 – 2019 she was a civil litigation tutor on the Diploma LPP at Strathclyde University. After joining Anderson Strathern LLP in 2016, Gillian developed a substantial practice in complex, high value, and novel disputes. She was assumed as a partner in 2018 and appointed Head of Dispute Resolution in 2023.

Matthew Auchincloss graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1993 with a Master of Arts Ordinary Degree and a LLB Scots Law (concurrent with MA) in 1995, then a Diploma in Legal Practice in 1996.  He was a partner at Gordon McBain and Company before joining the Public Defence Solicitors’ Office in 2003 as Deputy Director.  In 2005, Mr Auchincloss was appointed Director of the PDSO.  In the same year he was granted extended rights of audience (criminal).  He was appointed as a Summary Sheriff in 2021.

Euan Cameron graduated from Glasgow University with an LLB (Hons) degree in 2001 and obtained a Diploma in Legal Practice in 2002. He commenced his traineeship with Hughes Dowdall in 2002 before joining COPFS as a Procurator Fiscal Depute in 2004. In 2007 he returned to private practice working principally in the area of criminal defence and in 2008 qualified as a solicitor advocate in the criminal courts. Between 2017 and 2019 he served as a curator ad litem with the Mental Health Tribunal and as a legal member of the Appeals and Regulatory Sub-committee of the Law Society of Scotland. Since 2020 he has served as full‑time advocate depute.

Sheena Fraser graduated in law from the University of Glasgow and trained at Glasgow solicitors Messrs. Hannay, Fraser and Co. before becoming a Reporter to the Children’s Panel. She then joined the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service where she remained until calling to the Bar in 2003. She was appointed as an Advocate Depute in 2010, becoming a Senior Advocate Depute and Depute Head of the National Sexual Crimes Unit in 2016. Since 2022 Sheena has been a Summary Sheriff in the Sheriffdom of North Strathclyde.

Anthony McGeehan graduated from the University of Strathclyde in 1995 with a LLB (Hons) degree, obtaining the Diploma in Legal Practice in 1996.  He joined the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service as a trainee solicitor. As a prosecutor, he undertook a range of roles across Scotland including the Procurator Fiscal for Paisley and Deputy Crown Agent. He became a Solicitor Advocate in 2014. He served on the Criminal Courts Rules Council from 2017 to 2022.

Siobhan Connelly graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1999 with a First-Class Honours degree in Law. She worked as a solicitor practising in criminal and civil legal aid and latterly moved to commercial litigation. In 2014 she was appointed as a Fee paid Judge of the First-tier Tribunal, Social Entitlement Chamber (Social Security and Child Support) and in 2018 she was appointed as a Legal Member in the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland, Health and Education Chamber (Additional Support Needs). She was appointed as a Summary Sheriff in 2020.

Louise Gallacher graduated from the University of Strathclyde in 1995 with a LLB (Hons) degree, obtaining a Diploma in Legal Practice in 1996.  She completed her traineeship with Trainer Alston. She joined the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service in 1998, where she held a number of senior roles, including Head of Victim and Equalities Policy, Assistant PF for High Court Sexual Offences and National Homicide Team and latterly as Head of EU Exit Coordination and International Crime. She was appointed as a Summary Sheriff in 2021.

Jennifer Bain KC graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1998, qualified as a Solicitor in 2000 and called to the Bar in 2002. Following initial specialism in Civil reparation, she was appointed Ad Hoc Advocate Depute in 2006 and Advocate Depute in 2007. She was one of the team of specialist Crown Counsel appointed to set up the National Sexual Crimes Unit in 2009 and was appointed Senior Advocate Depute in 2011. Following the end of her tenure in Crown Office in 2016, she developed an extensive criminal practice and took Silk in 2021. She was Vice President of the Faculty of Advocates Criminal Bar Association and Convenor of the Faculty of Advocates Criminal Law Reform Sub Committee.

Steven Borthwick KC graduated with an LLB Honours degree from Edinburgh University in 1994, and obtained the Diploma in Legal Practice in 1995.  In 1997, he qualified as a solicitor, and worked in private practice, specialising in criminal law.  He was admitted to the Faculty of Advocates in 2002.  He was appointed as an Advocate Depute in 2014, joining the National Sexual Crimes Unit in Crown Office in 2015.  He became a Senior Advocate Depute in 2017, and conducted a number of high profile criminal trials and appeals.  He was appointed King’s Counsel in 2022.

Timothy Niven-Smith graduated in 1991 B.A in Accounting thereafter, he obtained the accelerated bachelor of laws degree in 1993 and the diploma in Legal Practice in 1994 both from the University of Dundee. He was a trainee solicitor then an assistant for four years with criminal law firm Cunningham Paterson, Kirkcaldy. He called to the bar in July 2000 and until 2010 predominately engaged in criminal defence work before the High Court. In 2010 he was appointed an Advocate Depute prosecuting in the High Court. He served in the National Sexual Crimes Unit before being appointed a Senior Advocate Depute in 2013. In 2017 he was appointed the portfolio for Health & Safety prosecutions. In 2018 he returned to practice and was appointed a Summary Sheriff from 4^th October 2021 based at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court.