Lord Stewart of Dirleton QC

Lord Stewart presented his Royal Warrant of Appointment, first to a bench of three Court of Session judges led by, the Lord President, Lord Carloway in the First Division courtroom and then to three High Court of Justiciary judges, again chaired by Lord Carloway, in court three.

Lord Carloway administered the Oath of Allegiance and the Official Oath and, after Lord Stewart had signed the official parchment, invited the Advocate General to take his seat at the table within the bar of the court, joining the Solicitor General for Scotland, Alison Di Rollo QC.

Lord Carloway pointed out that while several new Senators of the College of Justice had been welcomed to the bench under Covid conditions, Lord Stewart was the first law officer to “take the oath in this strange, but as now appears finite, era of physical distancing.”

The Lord President also said: “Lord Stewart’s transition from law to government reminds us that these two spheres of public life are not mutually exclusive. As the UK Government continues with the complex process of leaving the European Union and, in conjunction with Scottish Ministers, guides the recovery from the worst public health crisis in living memory, it is vital that it has access to authoritative legal advice on Scots law.

“That is something, with the benefit of a long career as a member of the Faculty of Advocates, that Lord Stewart is well equipped to provide.”