Scottish Law Commission

The Scottish Law Commission (Scottish Gaelic: Coimisean Lagh na h-Alba) is an advisory non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government. It was established in 1965 to keep Scots law under review and recommend necessary reforms to improve, simplify and update the country's legal system. It was established by the Law Commissions Act 1965 (as amended) at the same time as the Law Commission in England and Wales.^[1]

Scottish Law Commission

Scottish Law Commission logo
Agency overview
Formed	1965; 60 years ago (1965)
Type	advisory non-departmental public body
Jurisdiction	Scotland
Headquarters	Parliament House, 11 Parliament Square. Edinburgh EH1 1RQ
Motto	"Promoting law reform"
Minister responsible	Angela Constance MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs
Agency executives	Ann Paton, Lady Paton, Chair Rachel Rayner, Chief Executive
Parent department	Justice Directorate of the Scottish Government
Key document	Law Commissions Act 1965
Website	www.scotlawcom.gov.uk
Map
Scotland in the UK and Europe

Appointments are ordinarily made in accordance with the Commissioner for Public Appointments in Scotland's Code of Practice.

The commission is part of the Commonwealth Association of Law Reform Agencies.

Functions

The Commission exists to keep Scots law under review and recommend reform as needed. The commission's scope encompasses devolved and reserved matters, as defined by the Scotland Act 1998 and as such has a duty for laws that are the responsibility of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, as well as those that are the responsibility of the Scottish Parliament.^[2]

Composition

The commission consists of five commissioners appointed by the Scottish Ministers.^[3] One of the commissioners is the chairman who by convention is a Senator of the College of Justice. The other commissioners are drawn from those holding judicial office, advocates, solicitors or university law teachers. Commissioners are appointed for a maximum term of five years with the possibility of re-appointment. The current commissioners are as follows:

1. The Rt Hon Lady Paton^[4] (chair)
2. Professor Gillian Black^[5]
3. Professor Frankie McCarthy^[6]
4. Ann Stewart^[7]

The commissioners are supported by the chief executive of the commission, Rachel Rayner, and by legal and non-legal staff. All permanent staff are seconded from the Scottish government.

Chairs

The past and current chairs are as follows:^[8]

• Lord Kilbrandon (1965–1971)
• Lord Hunter (1971–1981)
• Lord Maxwell (1981–1988)
• Lord Davidson (1988–1996)
• Lord Gill (1996–2001)
• Lord Eassie (2002–2006)
• Lord Drummond Young (2007–2011)
• Lady Clark (2012–2013)
• Lord Pentland (2014–2018)
• Lady Paton (2019–present)

See also

• Law Commission (England and Wales)
• Northern Ireland Law Commission