Judicial first with appointment of new senators on same day

Craig Sandison QC, Shona Haldane QC and Martin Richardson QC will take their oaths of office in the First Division Courtroom, Court 1, next Monday.

Mr Sandison graduated from the University of Aberdeen in 1989 with an LL.B Honours degree before gaining the diploma from Edinburgh University and a diploma in forensic medicine from Glasgow University in 1990. He then went on to gain his masters in 1991 and PhD in 1994 at the University of Cambridge, before joining Brodies as a bar trainee. Mr Sandison was admitted to Faculty in 1996 and took silk in 2009.

Ms Haldane graduated with a law degree from the University of Edinburgh in 1987. She was admitted to Faculty in 1996 and took silk in 2010. She was appointed by the Advocate General for Scotland as standing junior counsel firstly to the Forestry Commission in 2001, and then to the Home Office (2008-2011). Between 2010 and 2016 she served as an ad hoc advocate depute with the Crown Office.

Mr Richardson studied at Edinburgh University (LL.B) and Universiteit Leiden (LL.M). He practised as a solicitor from 2000 and, following a stage at the European Commission, became an advocate in 2003. During his career at the bar, he specialised in commercial law and was standing junior to the Scottish government and to the Office of the Advocate General. He was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 2017. Between 2016 and 2018 he served as an advocate depute.