Ann Paton, Lady Paton, (born 1952) is a
Scottish advocate
An advocate is a professional in the field of law. Different countries' legal systems use the term with somewhat differing meanings. The broad equivalent in many English law–based jurisdictions could be a barrister or a solicitor. However, ...
and
judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...
. She is a
Senator of the College of Justice
The senators of the College of Justice are judges of the College of Justice, a set of legal institutions involved in the administration of justice in Scotland. There are three types of senator: Lords of Session (judges of the Court of Session); ...
, sitting in the
High Court of Justiciary
The High Court of Justiciary is the supreme criminal court in Scotland. The High Court is both a trial court and a court of appeal. As a trial court, the High Court sits on circuit at Parliament House or in the adjacent former Sheriff Cou ...
and the
Inner House
The Inner House is the senior part of the Court of Session, the supreme civil court in Scotland; the Outer House forms the junior part of the Court of Session. It is a court of appeal and a court of first instance. The chief justice is th ...
of the
Court of Session
The Court of Session is the supreme civil court of Scotland and constitutes part of the College of Justice; the supreme criminal court of Scotland is the High Court of Justiciary. The Court of Session sits in Parliament House in Edinburgh ...
. In 2019 she became the Chairman of the
Scottish Law Commission
The Scottish Law Commission is an advisory non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government. It was established in 1965 to keep Scots law under review and recommend necessary reforms to improve, simplify and update the country's legal sy ...
. Paton is currently Scotland's longest-serving female judge and was the second woman ever appointed as a Senator of the College of Justice, after
Lady Cosgrove
Hazel Josephine Cosgrove, Lady Cosgrove, KC CBE (née Aronson; born 12 January 1946), is a Scottish lawyer and judge who served as a Senator of the College of Justice from 1996 to 2006. She was the first woman appointed to the College of Justi ...
.
Early life
Born Ann McCargow in
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
in 1952, she was educated at the
independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s
* Independ ...
Laurel Bank School
Laurel may refer to:
Plants
* Lauraceae, the laurel family
* Laurel (plant), including a list of trees and plants known as laurel
People
* Laurel (given name), people with the given name
* Laurel (surname), people with the surname
* Laurel (m ...
for Girls. She was
dux
''Dux'' (; plural: ''ducēs'') is Latin for "leader" (from the noun ''dux, ducis'', "leader, general") and later for duke and its variant forms (doge, duce, etc.). During the Roman Republic and for the first centuries of the Roman Empire, ''dux' ...
in 1969. She studied at the
University of Glasgow
, image = UofG Coat of Arms.png
, image_size = 150px
, caption = Coat of arms
Flag
, latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis
, motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita
, ...
(
M.A.
A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...
,
LL.B.
Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...
) and was awarded the John MacCormick Prize for the most distinguished law graduate of 1974. She married James Paton in 1974, and was admitted to the
Faculty of Advocates
The Faculty of Advocates is an independent body of lawyers who have been admitted to practise as advocates before the courts of Scotland, especially the Court of Session and the High Court of Justiciary. The Faculty of Advocates is a constitu ...
in 1977.
Legal career
Paton was appointed Standing Junior Counsel to the
Queen's and Lord Treasurer's Remembrancer
The King's and Lord Treasurer's Remembrancer is an officer in Scotland who represents the Crown's interests in ''bona vacantia'', ''ultimus haeres'' and treasure trove.
The K<R holds two offices, both instituted at the foundation of the Court ...
in 1979, and to the
Office of Fair Trading
The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) was a non-ministerial government department of the United Kingdom, established by the Fair Trading Act 1973, which enforced both consumer protection and competition law, acting as the United Kingdom's economic ...
in 1981. She
took silk
In the United Kingdom and in some Commonwealth countries, a King's Counsel ( post-nominal initials KC) during the reign of a king, or Queen's Counsel (post-nominal initials QC) during the reign of a queen, is a lawyer (usually a barrister or ...
in 1990 and served as an
Advocate Depute
The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service is the independent public prosecution service for Scotland, and is a Ministerial Department of the Scottish Government. The department is headed by His Majesty's Lord Advocate, who under the S ...
from 1992 to 1994. She was a member of the Working Party responsible for the 3rd edition of the Ogden Tables (1998). From 1995 to 2000, she was a member of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board and Director of the Scottish Council of Law Reporting from 1995 until her appointment as a Judge. She was appointed a
Senator of the College of Justice
The senators of the College of Justice are judges of the College of Justice, a set of legal institutions involved in the administration of justice in Scotland. There are three types of senator: Lords of Session (judges of the Court of Session); ...
in 2000, a judge of the
Supreme Courts of Scotland
The College of Justice includes the Supreme Courts of Scotland, and its associated bodies.
The constituent bodies of the national supreme courts are the Court of Session, the High Court of Justiciary, the Office of the Accountant of Court, and ...
. She was promoted to the
Inner House
The Inner House is the senior part of the Court of Session, the supreme civil court in Scotland; the Outer House forms the junior part of the Court of Session. It is a court of appeal and a court of first instance. The chief justice is th ...
of the
Court of Session
The Court of Session is the supreme civil court of Scotland and constitutes part of the College of Justice; the supreme criminal court of Scotland is the High Court of Justiciary. The Court of Session sits in Parliament House in Edinburgh ...
in 2007, and appointed to the
Privy Council
A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...
.
She sits in the Second Division.
Lady Paton was a member of the Parole Board for Scotland from 2003 until 2007. She chaired the Personal Injuries User Group in the Court of Session from 2003 to 2008. She chairs the Judicial Studies Working Party in Scotland responsible for the Scottish Equal Treatment Benchbook: Guidance for the Judiciary (1st edition 2002; 2nd edition 2008).
Publications
Paton's first publication on joining the Scottish Bar was a Map of the Sheriffdoms and Sheriff Court Districts in Scotland, published by W. Green, Law Publishers in association with John Bartholomew & Son Ltd. She was Joint Assistant Editor of Gloag and Henderson, ''The Law of Scotland'', from the 8th edition (1980) to the 10th edition (1995). In 1983, Paton co-authored ''A Casebook on Damages in Scotland'' with
Robin McEwan, later a fellow judge as Lord McEwan. She undertook two subsequent revisions as sole author; the first in 1989, as ''Damages in Scotland'', and the second in 1997, as ''Damages for Personal Injuries in Scotland''. She continues as sole editor of the work which is now in
loose leaf
A loose leaf is a piece of paper of any kind that is not bound in place, or available on a continuous roll, and may be punched so as to be organized in a ring binder. Loose leaf paper may be sold as free sheets, or made up into notepads, where ...
form. She was the author of the Faculty Digest 1971–80, a survey of cases decided in the Scottish Courts during that decade.
Personal life
Lady Paton married Dr James Y. Paton in 1974; they have no children. Her interests include sailing, music and art.
See also
*
List of Senators of the College of Justice
The senators of the College of Justice are judges of the College of Justice, a set of legal institutions involved in the administration of justice in Scotland. There are three types of senator: Lords of Session (judges of the Court of Session); ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Paton, Ann
1952 births
Living people
People educated at Laurel Bank School
Alumni of the University of Glasgow
20th-century King's Counsel
Paton
Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Members of the Faculty of Advocates
Scottish women judges
Scottish King's Counsel