Four advocates named as Queen's Counsel
Four members of the Faculty of Advocates have been appointed Queen’s Counsel.
Those selected are Garry C Borland, Rhoderick R McIlvride, John J Scullion and Philip J D Simpson, advocates.
The appointments were made by the Queen on the recommendation of First Minister Alex Salmond, following their nomination by Lord Gill, the Lord Justice General. Before making nominations the Lord Justice General consults other judges, the Lord Advocate, the Dean of the Faculty of Advocates and the President of the Law Society of Scotland.
For the third year, Elaine Noad OBE acted as an observer of the process and provided the First Minster with a separate report on her findings. It discloses that 20 advocates and two solicitor advocates applied for appointment this year, of whom only three of the advocates were women and none were from minority ethnic groups.
Her report notes "an improvement in the quality and clarity of information given in application forms related to the essential criteria", and confirms that the recruitment and assessment process was "conducted in a fair and objective manner, and in accordance with the established procedure", while recommending that consideration be given to including more information in the guide to applicants "to indicate in detail the criteria required to meet the high standard for appointment as Queen’s Counsel".