Three new sheriffs principal appointed

The appointments of three new sheriffs principal have been announced today.

Sheriff Sean Murphy KC took up appointment as Sheriff Principal of North Strathclyde on 28 December 2022, where he has been serving as temporary sheriff principal since June 2022, following the retirement of Sheriff Principal Duncan Murray.

Catherine (Kate) Dowdalls KC will take up appointment as Sheriff Principal of South Strathclyde, Dumfries & Galloway from 12 June 2023; and Sheriff Gillian Wade KC will take up appointment as Sheriff Principal from 1 August 2023 of Tayside, Central & Fife from 1 August 2023.

It was announced last August that Sheriff Principal Aisha Anwar, currently Sheriff Principal of South Strathclyde, Dumfries & Galloway will transfer to the Sheriffdom of Glasgow & Strathkelvin on 17 May 2023, when Sheriff Principal Craig Turnbull takes up appointment as a Senator of the College of Justice. The Lord President has authorised Sheriff Principal Anwar to perform the functions of Sheriff Principal of South Strathclyde, Dumfries & Galloway until 11 June 2023.

Sheriff Wade will fill the vacancy caused by the retirement of Sheriff Principal Marysia Lewis on 31 July 2023.

Sheriff Murphy trained as a solicitor with Ross Harper & Murphy before calling to the bar in 1992. He served as advocate depute from 1998-2001, as standing junior to the Scottish Executive 2001-03, and after being appointed Queen’s Counsel in 2003, as a senior advocate depute until 2007. He became a resident sheriff in Glasgow in 2007 and a temporary judge in 2008 before joining the Sheriff Appeal Court in 2015.

Ms Dowdalls practised as a solicitor, becoming a partner in a Stirling firm in 1991, before being admitted to the Faculty of Advocates in 2000 and taking silk in 2013. A specialist in family law, she has also represented parties in fatal accident inquiries and has been a core participant in the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry. Since 2018 she has been a Scottish Law Commissioner, leading the Aspects of Family Law project. 

Sheriff Wade qualified as a solicitor in both Scotland and England, becoming a partner in firms in Glasgow and London with a particular interest in media law and defamation. She was admitted to the Faculty of Advocates in 1998 and has held appointments as legal convener of the Mental Health Tribunal for Scotland 2004, advocate depute, and head of the National Sexual Crimes Unit from 2011-2013. She took silk in 2013. She was appointed a full time sheriff in Tayside Central & Fife in 2015, serving as a resident sheriff in Perth since 2016. In 2018 she was appointed a temporary judge of the Court of Session, and in 2022 she became a member of the Sheriff Appeal Court. She is a designated commercial sheriff as well as a member of the Criminal Courts Rules Council.

The appointments have been made by the King, on the recommendation of the First Minister.