James Graham Leechman, Lord Leechman (6 October 1906 - May 1986) was a Scottish advocate and judge.

Career

Leechman was the son of the Walter Graham Leechman, a solicitor 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 ...

. He was educated at Glasgow High School and at

Glasgow University , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

, and admitted as an advocate in 1932. He served in the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, then resumed his legal practice and

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 1949. In 1964, he was appointed as

Solicitor General for Scotland , body = , insignia = Crest of the Kingdom of Scotland.svg , insigniasize = 110px , image = File:Official Portrait of Ruth Charteris QC.png , incumbent = Ruth Charteris KC , incumbentsince = 22 June 2021 , department = Crown Office and ...

Harold Wilson James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, (11 March 1916 – 24 May 1995) was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from October 1964 to June 1970, and again from March 1974 to April 1976. He ...

's first government. He held that post until the following year, when he was appointed as a judge to the

College of Justice 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, an ...

, replacing

Charles Shaw, Baron Kilbrandon Charles James Dalrymple Shaw, Baron Kilbrandon, PC (15 August 1906 – 10 September 1989) was a Scottish judge and law lord. Family and education He was the son of James Edward Shaw and his wife Gladys Elizabeth Lester (the daughter of th ...

. He was cautious when hearing trials, and deferred to other judges in appeal cases. Leechman retired from the judiciary in 1976, and then edited some of his session cases.

Personal life

Leechman married Margaret Helen Edgar in 1935. They had two daughters. He died in May 1986, aged 79.

References

1906 births 1986 deaths People educated at the High School of Glasgow Alumni of the University of Glasgow Members of the Faculty of Advocates Scottish King's Counsel 20th-century King's Counsel Solicitors General for Scotland Senators of the College of Justice Royal Air Force personnel of World War II {{Scotland-law-bio-stub