Public appointment: Legal Member appointed to Judicial Appointments Board for Scotland

The Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs today announced the appointment of Denise Loney as a Legal Member of the Judicial Appointments Board for Scotland.

Legal Member

Denise Loney has been a solicitor in private practice for almost 40 years specialising in criminal and family law initially before moving into a more specialist civil litigation role. Denise currently manages the debt recovery division, Yuill + Kyle, which is a trading style of Morton Fraser MacRoberts LLP. Denise is also a senior tutor at the University of Glasgow and previously held public appointments at the Scottish Legal Aid Board and the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission. Denise also held an interim appointment on the Judicial Appointments Board for Scotland so has experience of its operation and strategy.

Appointment

This appointment will be for 3 years and will run from 1 February 2025 to 31 January 2028.

This appointment is regulated by the Ethical Standards Commissioner.

Remuneration

This appointment is part-time and attracts a remuneration of £296.00 for every day of not less than 7.5 hours, up to 40 days per year.

Other ministerial appointments

Denise Loney does not hold any other public appointments.

Political activity

All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process.  However, in accordance with the original Nolan recommendations, there is a requirement for appointees’ political activity within the last five years (if there is any to be declared) to be made public.   

Denise Loney has had no political activity within the last five years.

Background

The Board became an advisory Non-Departmental Public Body (NDPB) on the 1st June 2009 under the provisions of the Judiciary and Courts (Scotland) Act 2008.

The functions of the Board under the Act are:

a) to recommend to members of the Scottish Executive individuals for appointment to judicial offices within the Board’s remit;

b) to provide advice to members of the Scottish Executive in connection with such appointments; and

c) in carrying out its functions, the Board must have regard to the need to encourage diversity in the range of individuals available for selection to be recommended for appointment to a judicial office. This is subject to the provisions a) and b) above.

The selection of an individual to be recommended for appointment must be solely on merit and the Board must also be satisfied that the individual is of good character.