Lady Dorrian and Lord Woolman elected fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh

Lady Dorrian

They are among 80 new fellows, including Annie Lennox OBE.

Other fellows appointed this year from the legal sector include Professor Lindsay Farmer, University of Glasgow; Linda Urquhart OBE, non-executive director, Edinburgh Airport and Coutts & Co and former chief executive, Morton Fraser LLP.

After studying at the University of Aberdeen, Lady Dorrian joined Faculty in 1981 and went on to have a seasoned legal career, including being appointed to her current role in 2016.

She is president of the Second Division of the Inner House of the Court of Session, and as such, is chair of the Scottish Sentencing Council.

She said: “I am delighted to have been elected a fellow of the RSE. It is an honour and a privilege to join an institution which has contributed so much to Scottish society and I look forward to participating fully in its work.”

Lord Woolman was appointed as a judge of the Supreme Courts in March 2008. He was been appointed to the Second Division of the Inner House in February 2020.

In 1987 he was admitted to Faculty. He was standing junior counsel for the Inland Revenue, the Ministry of Defence (Procurement) and the Office of Fair Trading and was appointed as a Queen’s Counsel in 1998.

From 1999 to 2002 he served as an advocate depute, and between 2004 and 2008 he was Keeper of the Advocates Library. He was formerly chairman of the Scottish Council of Law Reporting, the Bar Mediation Group and the Free Legal Services Unit. He was assigned president of the Scottish Tribunals in August 2020.

Also this year, Dr Annie Lennox OBE, chancellor of Glasgow Caledonian University and award-winning Scottish singer, songwriter and activist, has received an honorary fellowship.

Dr Lennox is best known for her musical career as part of the band ‘Eurythmics’ and has also had a distinguished award-winning solo career. She is the original founder of The Circle: a non-profit organisation of women working together to achieve equality for women and girls in a fairer world and was formerly special envoy for the Scottish Parliament.

She said: “I’m truly humbled and honoured to have been nominated as a Fellow of the RSE. Apart from a lifetime of music making, my ardent passion lies with the most crucial issues facing all of humanity at this precarious point in time, namely the sustainability of our precious planet and the actual implementation of human rights and justice, most especially regarding the lives of women and girls in all four corners of the globe.”

Professor Sir John Ball, president of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, said: “It is a privilege to be able to welcome our new Fellows, and we are inspired by the breadth of talent and experience in our Fellowship. Every single individual elected this year has shown exceptional levels of expertise and insight in their chosen field, and their input helps RSE effect real and lasting change in Scotland’s society. 

“We look forward to working with our diverse fellowship who provide a crucial link between the world of academic research and practice with government, business and civil society”.