Alan Charles Macpherson Johnston, PC (13 January 1942 – 14 June 2008) was a

Senator of the College of Justice The senators of the College of Justice in Scotland 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 ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

until his death in 2008 at the age of 66. He was appointed in 1994. He served as chairman of the Scottish Division of the

Employment Appeal Tribunal The Employment Appeal Tribunal is a tribunal in England and Wales and Scotland, and is a superior court of record. Its primary role is to hear appeals from Employment Tribunals in England, Scotland and Wales. It also hears appeals from decisions ...

from 1996 to 2005.

Life

He was born in

Stirling Stirling (; ; ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in Central Belt, central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town#Scotland, market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the roya ...

in central Scotland on 13 January 1942 the son of

Alastair McPherson Johnston, Lord Dunpark Alastair McPherson Johnston, Lord Dunpark (1915–1991) was a Scottish judge. A controversial and sometimes very lenient judge he made several important rulings in Scots Law such as Porchetta v Porchetta which established that a child's rights wer ...

(1915–1991). He was educated at

Edinburgh Academy The Edinburgh Academy is a Private schools in the United Kingdom, private day school in Edinburgh, Scotland, which was opened in 1824. The original building, on Henderson Row in Stockbridge, Edinburgh, Stockbridge, is now part of the Senior Scho ...

and

Loretto College Loretto School, founded in 1827, is an independent boarding and day school for boys and girls aged 3 to 18. The campus occupies in Musselburgh, East Lothian, Scotland. History The school was founded by the Reverend Thomas Langhorne in 1827. L ...

before winning a place to study law at

Jesus College, Cambridge Jesus College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Jesus College was established in 1496 on the site of the twelfth-century Benedictine nunnery of St Radegund's Priory, Cambridge, St ...

. He returned to Scotland to study Scottish Law at

Edinburgh University The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the town council under the authority of a royal charter from King James VI in 1582 and offi ...

and then trained as an advocate, passing the Bar in 1967. He was Standing Junior Counsel to the Scottish Home and Health Department from 1974 to 1979 and served as an

Advocate Depute The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service () is the independent public prosecutor, prosecution service for Scotland, and is a Ministerial Department of the Scottish Government. The department is headed by Charles III of the United Kingd ...

from 1979 to 1982. He was appointed

Queen's Counsel A King's Counsel (Post-nominal letters, post-nominal initials KC) is a senior lawyer appointed by the monarch (or their Viceroy, viceregal representative) of some Commonwealth realms as a "Counsel learned in the law". When the reigning monarc ...

in 1980. Lord Johnston was a chairman of Industrial Tribunals (1982–85) and of Medical Appeal Tribunals (1985–89). He was the treasurer (1977–89) and subsequently

dean Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean * Dean Sw ...

(1989–94) of 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 const ...

. Lord Johnston also received an honorary doctorate from

Heriot-Watt University Heriot-Watt University () is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was established in 1821 as the School of Arts of Edinburgh, the world's first mechanics' institute, and was subsequently granted university status by roya ...

in 2001 Lord Johnston was seriously criticised for nor recusing himself for judging an appeal on a case originally judged by his father Lord Dunpark, where he clearly had a biased in the case.Legal Review summaries He died in his home near Kelso in the

Scottish Borders The Scottish Borders is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. It is bordered by West Lothian, Edinburgh, Midlothian, and East Lothian to the north, the North Sea to the east, Dumfries and Galloway to the south-west, South Lanarkshire to the we ...

on 14 June 2008.

Positions of note

*Dean and treasurer of the

*Chairman of Industrial Tribunals in Scotland 1982 to 1985 *Chairman of the Medical Appeals Tribunal in Scotland 1985 to 1989 *Chairman of the Employment Appeal Tribunal in Scotland 1996 to 2005

Family

He married Anthea Blackburn in 1966. They had three sons together.

References

External links

Obituary: ''Telegraph''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnston, Alan 1942 births 2008 deaths Members of the Faculty of Advocates Senators of the College of Justice Alumni of Jesus College, Cambridge Alumni of the University of Edinburgh People educated at Edinburgh Academy People educated at Loretto School, Musselburgh Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom