The Sheriff Principal of Glasgow and Strathkelvin is the head of the judicial system of the sheriffdom of Glasgow and Strathkelvin, one of the six

sheriffdoms A sheriffdom is a judicial district in Scotland, led by a sheriff principal. Since 1 January 1975, there have been six sheriffdoms. Each sheriffdom is divided into a series of sheriff court districts, and each sheriff court is presided over by a r ...

covering the whole of Scotland. The current sheriffdoms were created in 1975 to replace the previous arrangement of 12 sheriffdoms. The sheriffdom of Glasgow and Strathkelvin maintains a single Sheriff Court based in Glasgow. The

Sheriff Principal In Scotland a sheriff principal (''pl''. sheriffs principal) is a judge in charge of a sheriffdom with judicial, quasi-judicial, and administrative responsibilities. Sheriffs principal have been part of the judiciary of Scotland since the 11th ce ...

, usually a

King's Counsel 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 ...

(KC), is appointed by the King on the recommendation of the First Minister, who receives recommendations from the

Judicial Appointments Board for Scotland The Judicial Appointments Board for Scotland is an advisory non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government responsible for making recommendations on appointments to certain offices of the judiciary of Scotland. It was established in J ...

. They must have been qualified as an advocate or solicitor for at least ten years and are responsible for the administrative oversight of the judicial system within the sheriffdom, which employs a number of legally qualified sheriffs who are responsible for the hearing of cases. The Sheriff Principal can hear certain cases himself and occasionally conducts major fatal accident inquiries. Historically, the Sheriff Principal would also hear appeals against the judgements of his sheriffs, however, most of the jurisdiction of the Sheriff Principal to hear appeals has now been transferred to the Sheriff Appeal Court in terms of the Courts Reform (Scotland) Act 2014.

Sheriffs Principal of Glasgow and Strathkelvin

*1975–1977: Henry Stephen Wilson *1977–1980: Robert Reid, QC *1980–1986: Sir John Alexander Dick, QC *1986–1997: Norman Macleod *1997–2005: Edward F. Bowen QC (transferred to Sheriffdom of Lothian and Borders, 2005) *2005–2011:

James Alastair Taylor James Alastair Taylor (21 February 1951 - 9 March 2021) was sheriff principal of the Sheriffdom of Glasgow and Strathkelvin. Early life Taylor was born in Inverness and educated at Nairn Academy and the University of Aberdeen ( B.Sc., LL.B.). ...

*2011–2016: Craig A.L. Scott QC *2016–: Craig Turnbull

References

{{Scottish Sheriffs *

sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

1975 establishments in Scotland

Sheriffs Principal of Glasgow and Strathkelvin

See also

References