Death of Court of Session judge Lord Jones

Tributes have been paid today after news broke that Lord Jones, one of the Commercial Court judges in the Court of Session, has died at the age of 68.

Lord Jones (Michael Jones) was appointed to the bench only in July 2012, after an unusual career in which after practising as an advocate and Queen's Counsel, he left the bar to become a solicitor and senior partner of the then firm of Simpson & Marwick.

He was commissioned into the Royal Air Force in 1968, and later qualified as an operational pilot, flying F4 Phantom aircraft in Germany. He became an advocate in 1977 and was called to the Bar of England & Wales in 1987, before being appointed QC in 1989. Among other posts he served as advocate depute, part-time chairman of the Police Appeals Tribunal, and visiting professor at the University of Strathclyde. In 2008 he became senior partner with Simpson & Marwick.

A statement on the Judiciary of Scotland website records: "It is with great sadness that the Lord President has learned of the untimely death of Lord Jones. Although appointed to the bench relatively recently, his contribution was a substantial one, most recently in the Commercial Court. The care which he took over the preparation of his judgments in complex litigation was a particular feature of his work. He will be sadly missed by all of his colleagues in Parliament House and beyond. Our thoughts are with his wife Fiona and family at this time."

The Dean of Faculty, James Wolffe QC, said: “Mike Jones was an outstanding advocate and a distinguished judge. Above all, he was a friend and colleague, beloved by many. The whole profession will be saddened to hear of his death. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.”