Lord President announces he is to retire

Lord Gill, the Lord President, has announced that he is to retire with effect from 31 May, 2015.

Appointed to the Bench in 1994, Lord Gill, 73, is currently Scotland's longest-serving judge. He was Lord Justice Clerk from 2001 and became Lord President in June 2012.

The First Minister will convene a panel to recommend individuals who are suitable for appointment to fill the vacancy, and in the meantime anything requiring to be done by the Lord President will be undertaken by the Lord Justice Clerk, Lord Carloway.

James Wolffe, QC, Dean of Faculty, said: "Lord Gill's career has been one of outstanding service to Scotland's legal system. At the bar, he was an incisive advocate, in great demand. A learned Keeper of the Advocates Library, he authored the leading textbook on agricultural law.

"During his career as a judge, he has contributed greatly to the development of the law in judgments characterised by lucid prose and clarity of analysis. He led the Scottish Law Commission for five important years, before being appointed, successively, to the two most senior judicial offices in Scotland, as Lord Justice Clerk and then Lord President. As Lord Justice Clerk, Lord Gill led the Scottish Civil Courts Review, which recommended the most significant reforms of the administration of civil justice in Scotland since at least the early nineteenth century; and, as Lord President, he has masterminded their implementation. Those reforms reflect Lord Gill's deep commitment to a modern, forward-looking justice system as the bedrock of a just and successful society.

"Although Lord Gill has announced his retirement, he has not yet quite retired. At this moment, I pay tribute to all that he has done so far for the law in Scotland, and I wish him a long and happy retirement when that day arrives."