Lord President appointed

First Minister John Swinney has welcomed the appointment of Scotland’s new Lord President by His Majesty the King.

The Rt Hon Lord Pentland will succeed the Rt Hon Lord Carloway when he retires as the head of Scotland’s judiciary on Monday 3 February 2025.

Lord Pentland has been one of Scotland’s Supreme Courts judges since 2008. He has presided over a number of high-profile criminal trials as well as significant civil cases, has been an appeal court judge since 2020, and was previously Solicitor General for Scotland as well as Chair of the Scottish Law Commission.

In line with the statutory process for appointing a Lord President, the First Minister nominated a candidate for appointment by the King based on the advice of an expert selection panel.

The First Minister said:

“Lord Pentland’s contribution to the Scottish legal system over several decades has been exemplary, so it is a great pleasure to offer my congratulations on his appointment as Lord President. I am confident Scotland’s judiciary will benefit greatly from his abilities and experience.

“The Lord President is one of the Great Offices of State in Scotland, making the holder a significant figure in our public life. Such an important appointment requires careful consideration, so I am grateful for the advice I received from the selection panel before nominating Lord Pentland.

“Finally, I thank Lord Carloway for his outstanding leadership over the past nine years and for his own dedicated career of service to the law in Scotland. I know he will work collaboratively with Lord Pentland to deliver a smooth transition and I wish him well as he prepares to leave office.”

Lord Carloway said:

“I very much welcome the appointment of Lord Pentland as the next Lord President. Having presided over a number of high profile criminal and civil cases in recent years, he brings with him the skills and valuable experience required, and I have no doubt the judiciary will thrive under his leadership.

“He is a former solicitor general for Scotland and, more recently, he has been at the forefront of promoting open justice, which included chairing a working group to establish livestreaming of the Inner House. This will be expanded in the near future to the criminal appeal court as part of the innovations to allow courts to become more accessible and transparent.

“I would like to thank the appointment panel for all their work and I anticipate a seamless transition to the new Lord President.”

Background

Lord Pentland was admitted to the Faculty of Advocates in 1982 and became a Queen’s Counsel in 1995, which was the same year he was appointed Solicitor-General for Scotland, an office he held until 1997. Between 2014 and 2018 he was chair of the Scottish Law Commission, the country’s independent law reform body.

The Lord President is one of the Great Offices of State in Scotland and the selection process is set out in the Judiciary and Courts (Scotland) Act 2008. In line with those provisions, the First Minister established a selection panel and invited recommendations for individuals suitable for appointment. The members of the panel were:

• Dr Lindsay Montgomery CBE, Lay Chairing Member of the Judicial Appointments Board for Scotland
• Paul Gray, Lay Member of the Judicial Appointments Board for Scotland
• The Rt Hon Lady Dorrian, Lord Justice Clerk
• The Rt Hon Lord Matthews, Inner House Judge of the Court of Session

Lady Paton, at the most senior serving judge in Scotland, will conduct the ceremony to swear-in Lord Pentland as the Lord President on Monday 3 February.