Appointment of Queen's Counsel in Scotland 2022

A report by Bill Thomson, an independent observer that has been engaged by the Scottish Government to report on the fairness and objectivity of the process for the Appointment of Queen's Counsel in Scotland.


2022 Appointment Round

The Right Hon. Lord Carloway, acting in his capacity as Lord Justice General, intimated to the First Minister on 21 January 2022 that he intended to invite applications for appointment as Queen's Counsel.

Advertisements were placed in the Journal of the Law Society of Scotland and in the Scottish Legal News on 18 March. Notice was also sent by email to the Faculty of Advocates, the Society of Solicitor Advocates and the Law Society of Scotland.

Whilst this amounts to minimal publicity in comparison with many public appointment processes, as I noted in my report on the 2021 round, it is in line with recent practice and appears appropriate given the limited field of potential applicants.

Separate application forms were provided for advocates and for solicitor advocates. All applicants were required to obtain two references from senior members of the legal profession who were fully familiar with their work. Applications and references had to be submitted by close of business on 11 April. Contact details were supplied, including a telephone number for enquiries.

Contact

Email: Diane.Morrison@gov.scot

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