First Minister has welcomed the appointment
of Scotland's new Lord President by His Majesty the King.
The Rt Hon Lord Pentland will succeed the Rt Hon Lord Carloway
when he retires as the head of Scotland's judiciary on Monday 3
February 2025.
Lord Pentland has been one of Scotland's Supreme Courts judges
since 2008. He has presided over a number of high-profile
criminal trials as well as significant civil cases, has been an
appeal court judge since 2020, and was previously Solicitor
General for Scotland as well as Chair of the Scottish Law
Commission.
In line with the statutory process for appointing a Lord
President, the First Minister nominated a candidate for
appointment by the King based on the advice of an expert
selection panel.
The First Minister said:
“Lord Pentland's contribution to the Scottish legal system over
several decades has been exemplary, so it is a great pleasure to
offer my congratulations on his appointment as Lord President. I
am confident Scotland's judiciary will benefit greatly from his
abilities and experience.
“The Lord President is one of the Great Offices of State in
Scotland, making the holder a significant figure in our public
life. Such an important appointment requires careful
consideration, so I am grateful for the advice I received from
the selection panel before nominating Lord Pentland.
“Finally, I thank Lord Carloway for his outstanding leadership
over the past nine years and for his own dedicated career of
service to the law in Scotland. I know he will work
collaboratively with Lord Pentland to deliver a smooth transition
and I wish him well as he prepares to leave office.”
Lord Carloway said:
“I very much welcome the appointment of Lord Pentland as the next
Lord President. Having presided over a number of high profile
criminal and civil cases in recent years, he brings with him the
skills and valuable experience required, and I have no doubt the
judiciary will thrive under his leadership.
“He is a former solicitor general for Scotland and, more
recently, he has been at the forefront of promoting open justice,
which included chairing a working group to establish
livestreaming of the Inner House. This will be expanded in the
near future to the criminal appeal court as part of the
innovations to allow courts to become more accessible and
transparent.
“I would like to thank the appointment panel for all their work
and I anticipate a seamless transition to the new Lord
President.”
Background
Lord Pentland was admitted to the Faculty of Advocates in 1982
and became a Queen's Counsel in 1995, which was the same year he
was appointed Solicitor-General for Scotland, an office he held
until 1997. Between 2014 and 2018 he was chair of the Scottish
Law Commission, the country's independent law reform body.
The Lord President is one of the Great Offices of State in
Scotland and the selection process is set out in the Judiciary
and Courts (Scotland) Act 2008. In line with those provisions,
the First Minister established a selection panel and invited
recommendations for individuals suitable for appointment. The
members of the panel were:
- Dr Lindsay Montgomery CBE, Lay Chairing Member of the
Judicial Appointments Board for Scotland
-
, Lay Member of the Judicial
Appointments Board for Scotland
- The Rt Hon Lady Dorrian, Lord Justice Clerk
- The Rt Hon Lord Matthews, Inner House Judge of the Court of
Session
Lady Paton, at the most senior serving judge in Scotland, will
conduct the ceremony to swear-in Lord Pentland as the Lord
President on Monday 3 February.
