Morris joins Judicial Appointments Board for Scotland

Alistair Morris, current President of the Law Society of Scotland, is one of two new members of the Judicial Appointments Board for Scotland, it was announced yesterday.

Mr Morris, who is also chief executive of Edinburgh and Fife solicitors Pagan Osborne, becomes a legal member of the independent body which makes recommendations for appointment to the bench of the Court of Session and sheriff courts, as well as the chair of the Scottish Land Court.

He is appointed along with non-legal member Deirdre Fulton, who has a commercial and international background and runs her own consultancy business, mainly to clients in the aviation sector.  

Both appointments are part-time and attract a remuneration of £290 per day for a time commitment of 20 to 40 days per year. They run from 1 February 2015 to 31 January 2019.

Mr Morris commented: “I am delighted to join the Judicial Appointments Board for Scotland. The board has a very important role to play in Scotland’s justice system in ensuring that the judicial appointment process is transparent, fair and instils confidence among the public. There has been an enormous amount of work done since its creation over a decade ago in developing its policies and providing information and clarity on the appointments process for those considering a judicial career.

“I am very much looking forward to what will be a very interesting and rewarding role, particularly at a time when the reforms recently introduced by Lord Gill are set to transform the way our civil courts operate.”