Journey to the Judiciary

I qualified as a solicitor in 1993 and after a few years as parliamentary counsel in London, returned to Scotland and called at the Bar in 1998. As an advocate, I practised mainly in civil law, specialising in public and administrative law. After nine years at the Bar, I was appointed crown counsel of Ascension Island in the South Atlantic where I advised the government on criminal and civil matters. That provided me with an entirely different legal perspective: the Island has a small community and operates an almost exclusively lay justice system with lay magistrates, lay advocates and lay prosecutors. As the only lawyer on Island, part of my role involved working with and training the court users. The experience made me appreciate the significance that judicial decision-making has within a small community as well as the importance of the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary.

Before I returned to Scotland, I applied to be a part-time sheriff in the hope that I might be able to build upon my overseas experience in Scotland. I sat as a part-time sheriff for over five years but it was really only when I sat for a three-month period in Peterhead Sheriff Court that I began to appreciate what it might be like to do the job full-time. I realised then that I enjoyed making decisions, trying to reach conclusions based on sound reasoning and communicating those to court users.

As far as the appointment process is concerned, in my experience it is well worth devoting as much time to completing the application form as possible: it is important to identify relevant examples and explain how these illustrate the required skills. By the time I applied in 2014, the application form could be completed electronically which made it far easier to draft and complete. I found the interview itself to be thorough and fair. It was an advantage to be able to prepare exercises in advance which meant there was less room for the unexpected. The length of time between interview and learning of the outcome had significantly reduced from when I applied to be a part time sheriff, which meant less time agonising over the outcome!

Since taking up my full time post I have found the job hugely rewarding. The role is entirely different from being an advocate. There are no longer the highs and lows of winning or losing a case. Instead there is the daily variety of case law and challenge of making properly reasoned decisions within a high volume of work. Whilst at times demanding, it is often stimulating and provides a real sense of playing a meaningful part in the administration of justice in Scotland.

Lady Drummond was appointed to Senator of the College of Justice in May 2022.

My legal career began in 1987. With the exception of the first 10 months of my traineeship, I spent my entire career in private practice as a litigator. In that time, I dealt with everything from summary trials in the (then) District Court to multi-million pound commercial disputes in the Court of Session.

A career in the judiciary was not something I had considered until, with the encouragement of my firm, I applied to become a part time sheriff. I was fortunate enough to be appointed in 2011. I found the part time work to be both interesting and challenging, with the opportunity to sit in many different courts adding to the variety.

The then impending court reforms, coupled with a wish to become involved in more challenging judicial work and have responsibility for the management of cases, along with my experience of part time shrieval work, caused me to apply for a full time post in 2014. I was appointed as a Floating Sheriff in North Strathclyde in late 2014 and sat as a sheriff until September 2016, when I was appointed Sheriff Principal of Glasgow & Strathkelvin.

Having been through the Judicial Appointments Board application process on three occasions, I have found it to be demanding but fair.

The completion of the application form requires careful thought and some time. It causes you to think about why you are applying for the post and why you believe you are suited to it.

The interview process is challenging (as it should be), but on each occasion I have found it very fair. I thought that the use of case studies (even in areas you had no experience of in practice) was a fair way of ascertaining your ability to analyse situations and apply the relevant law and your own judgement.

Lord Colbeck, Craig Turnbull, was appointed to Senator of the College of Justice in May 2023.