In memoriam, Niall McCluskey

Niall McCluskey, Advocate

IT was with deep sadness that the Faculty heard of the passing of Niall McCluskey this week.

Mr McCluskey graduated from Aberdeen University and was admitted to the Faculty in 1995. He served in the Crown Office and at the Procurator Fiscal Service and worked as a defence solicitor in Edinburgh before being called to the Bar.

“I am distraught at the passing of Niall McCluskey, a talented member of the Scottish Bar,” said Roddy Dunlop QC, Dean at the Faculty of Advocates.

“Niall was well-known, particularly to those practising in the criminal courts. He was well-instructed and popular, with a keen interest in training the next generation of lawyers. Following on so quickly after other losses, this is hard to bear," said Mr Dunlop. "Our thoughts are with his family and his many friends, in the profession and beyond, at this time."

“Niall started off his career in Crown Office, was briefly a defence agent and went to the Bar early,” said Dale Hughes, Advocate, a close friend and colleague at Optimum Advocates. “He quickly gained a stellar reputation and was one of the busiest and best senior-juniors at the criminal bar. He served as an advocate depute and also was involved in many significant appeal and extradition cases – such was his breadth of talent.

“Above all, he was a decent and humane man who cared passionately about people, his vocation and justice for all. He was highly articulate and was equally as adept in the appeal court as in the trial arena in front of juries. It goes without saying he always did the best possible for clients without compromise. Always modest of his achievements during his long and distinguished career at the Bar – he could easily have taken Silk – he also found time, in his busy life, for his many friends and family and interests such as sport, music, literature and current affairs,” said Mr Hughes.

“Words cannot begin to describe how saddened I am having heard the news that Niall McCluskey has passed away,” said Chris Millar, Advocate. “Niall was a dear and close friend, my devil master, as well as a father figure to me at the Faculty of Advocates. He was an extremely kind man, popular, well-loved by everyone who had the pleasure of meeting him, and a fantastic lawyer. It was a privilege to have worked with him, learned from him, and to have been able to call him a dear and close friend. My thoughts are with his family at this time.”