The Sheriff Principal of Lothian and Borders is the head of the judicial system of the sheriffdom of Lothian and Borders, one of the six sheriffdoms covering the whole of Scotland. The sheriffdom employs a number of legally qualified sheriffs who are responsible for the hearing of cases in four Sheriffs Courts based in Edinburgh, Jedburgh, Livingston and Selkirk. The current Scottish sheriffdoms were created in 1975 when the previous arrangement of 12 sheriffdoms was discontinued. The Sheriff Principal, usually a King's Counsel (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 ...

. He or she must have been qualified as an advocate or solicitor for at least ten years and is responsible for the administrative oversight of the judicial system within the sheriffdom. The Sheriff Principal will also hear appeals against the judgement of his sheriffs, hear certain cases himself and occasionally conduct major fatal accident inquiries.

Sheriffs Principal of Lothian and Borders

*1975–: William James Bryden, QC *1978–1989: Sir Frederick William Fitzgerald O'Brien, QC *1989–2002: Charles Gordon Brown Nicholson, QC *2002–2005:

Iain Macphail, Lord Macphail Iain Duncan Macphail, Lord Macphail (24 January 1938 – 21 October 2009) was a Scottish lawyer and Senator of the College of Justice, a judge of the country's Supreme Courts. Early life Macphail was educated at the independent George Watson ...

*2005–2011: Edward F. Bowen, QC * 2011–present: Mhairi M. Stephen, QC

References

{{Scottish Sheriffs * 1975 establishments in Scotland

Sheriffs Principal of Lothian and Borders

See also

References