HM the King has appointed the Rt Hon Lord Pentland as Scotland’s new Lord President. The announcement was made by First Minister John Swinney on Thursday as he welcomed the appointment.
Lord Pentland will take over the position from the Rt Hon Lord Carloway who will be retiring from the post as head of Scotland’s judiciary on 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.
The Lord President, 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.
“Lord Pentland 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.”
Law Society of Scotland President, Susan Murray, said: “On behalf of the Law Society of Scotland and the solicitor profession which it represents, I offer my sincere congratulations to Lord Pentland as he is appointed to become Scotland’s next Lord President.
“As head of the Judiciary in Scotland, the role of Lord President is prestigious and carries great importance for our legal sector and justice system. Lord Pentland’s experience, skills, and the esteem in which he is held are well reflected in this appointment.
“The Law Society looks forward to working constructively with Lord Pentland, as we have with Lord Carloway during his near decade long tenure as Lord President.”
Lord Pentland attended St Augustine’s School in Edinburgh and the University of Edinburgh. He is a former but unsuccessful Conservative candidate at the 1997 general election in the Eastwood constituency which he lost to Labour’s Jim Murphy. He is married to Joyce Cullen who was formerly Chairman at Brodies LLP.
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