We are delighted to extend our congratulations to Lady Dorrian, a member of the Aberdeen Law Project’s Advisory Committee, who has been appointed Lord Justice Clerk on the recommendation of the First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon.

A graduate of the University of Aberdeen, Lady Dorrian was admitted to the Faculty of Advocates in 1981 where she served as Standing Junior Counsel to the Health and Safety Executive and Commission between 1987 and 1994. She also served as an Advocate Depute between 1988 and 1991 and later became Standing Junior to the Department of Energy in 1991 until 1994. She was appointed Queen's Counsel in 1994 and between 1997 and 2001, she was a member of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board.

In 2002, Lady Dorrian joined the Court of Session as a Temporary Judge before becoming a full-time Senator of the College of Justice in 2005.

As Lord Justice Clerk, the second most senior judge in Scotland (after the Lord President of the Court of Session), Lady Dorrian will hold the office of President of the Second Division of the Inner House of the Court of Session, and so is also chair of the Scottish Sentencing Council. In addition to this, the Lord Justice Clerk is heavily involved criminal appeals system.

Here at the Aberdeen Law Project, we would like to offer our warm congratulations to Lady Dorrian and believe her breadth of experience and knowledge make her an excellent choice to serve Scotland in this role. We are honoured to have someone of her experience, knowledge and standing sit on our Advisory Committee.