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  1. Home
  2. About us
  3. Who we are
  4. Our Council

Our Council

The Council is our decision-making body. It has up to 31 members elected from geographical constituencies, up to eight co-opted members representing other interest groups and up to nine lay members. It meets regularly and is usually chaired by the President. Working with departments and others, a wide range of committees and sub-committees report to the Council.

You can find out more about the standards our Council works to in our code of conduct for Council and committee members.

Role of the Council

  • To fulfill its statutory obligations which include:
    • responsibility for the overall governance regime for the Law Society
    • the election of the President and Vice President
    • the election of the elected Council members on the Board
    • the appointment of conveners of Council committees (bar the Regulatory Committee) and the members of Council committees, subcommittees and working parties .
  • Approve the Law Society of Scotland’s strategy, annual business plan and annual budget.
  • Discuss  and  decide  on  matters  of  strategic  importance,  or  material operational matters which effect the efficacy of the Society and to bring such matters to the attention of the Board and Society’s Executive.
  • Hold the Board to account.
  • Discuss and decide  any other  matter which  the  Council determines is necessary in order to fulfill its statutory obligations.

Role of a Council member

  • Vote in the election of the President and Vice President and fulfill any other statutory obligations required of them under the 1980 Act
  • Vote in the election of the five Council members to the Board
  • Participate in the appointment of the conveners of  the  Committees of  the  Council  (bar the Regulatory Committee) and the members of Council committees, subcommittees and working parties
  • Represent their constituents whether they are an elected or co-opted Council member
  • Promote the interests of the public in relation to the profession as a lay member of Council
  • Raise matters of generic or sector concern/interest from their constituents with the appropriate team within the Law Society and/or Council
  • Raise matters of public interest in relation to the profession as a lay member of Council
  • Communicate effectively as a Council member with their constituents on matters of interest
  • Serve on one committee or working party throughout each three year term as a Council member
  • Advance the work of the Council to both the profession and public
  • Acquire a good understanding of the principal areas of work of the Law Society
  • Comply with the code of conduct for Council and committee members

Ex-officio members

Susan Murray
President
Law Society of Scotland
View details
Patricia Thom
Vice President BA(SC) LLB NP
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Sheila Webster
Past President
Law Society of Scotland
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Secretary to Council

Kevin Lang
Interim Chief Executive Officer
Law Society of Scotland
View details

Constituency Council Members

Aberdeen, Banff, Peterhead & Stonehaven

Arlene Gibbs
Principal Solicitor, Regulatory (Planning)
Highland Council
View details

Airdrie, Hamilton and Lanark

Paul Gostelow
View details
Luke O'Curry
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Alloa, Falkirk, Linlithgow and Stirling

Ken Dalling
Founder
Dalling Solicitors
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John Mulholland
View details

Arbroath, Dundee and Forfar

Baktosch Gillan
Solicitor
Thorntons Law LLP
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Ayr, Dumfries, Kirkcudbright and Stranraer

Lauren Fowler
Frazer Coogans Ltd
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Campbeltown, Dumbarton, Dunoon, Oban, Rothesay and Fort William

Rebecca Fraser
Partner
Twin Deer Law
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Cupar, Dunfermline and Kirkcaldy

Jaclyn Robertson
View details
Ross Taylor
Gillespie Macandrew
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Dingwall, Dornoch, Elgin, Inverness, Kirkwall, Lerwick, Lochmaddy, Portree, Stornoway, Tain & Wick

Serena Sutherland
Director
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Sheekha Saha
Co-Convener, In-house Lawyers’ Committee, Law Society of Scotland
Senior Solicitor, Moray Council
View details

Edinburgh

Sheila Webster
Past President
Law Society of Scotland
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Nyree Conway
Senior Associate
Johnson Legal Family
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Rebecca Roberts
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Kirsty Lang
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England, Wales and Northern Ireland

Eilidh Dobson
Associate
Holman Fenwick Willan LLP
View details

Glasgow and Strathkelvin

Amna Ashraf
Director
Burness Paull
View details
Austin Lafferty
Consultant Solicitor
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Beatrice Nicholas
Solicitor, Notary Public Director & Owner
Halcyon Lawyers & Legal Services Ltd & Petals & Bows Nursery Ltd
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Jean-Paul Kasasula
Chief Executive Officer
Kas and Co Solicitors
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Gordon Lennox
Director
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Greenock, Kilmarnock and Paisley

Peter Walsh
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Caroline Harrison
Sole Director
Harrison Legal Limited
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Haddington, Peebles, Jedburgh, Duns and Selkirk

Struan Ferguson
View details
Iain Burke
Owner
Burke Legal Scotland
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Perth

Euan Mitchell
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Co-opted members

Andrew Hinstridge
Head of Customer Legal
Virgin Money
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James Keegan KC
Solicitor Advocate representative
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Ruaraidh Macniven
The Scottish Government
Scottish Government
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Stephen McGowan
Crown Office & Procurator Fiscal Service
Procurator Fiscal (Edinburgh) Service
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Vlad Valiente
Co-Convener of the In-house Lawyers Committee, Law Society of Scotland
Head of Governance and Assurance (Chief Solicitor and Monitoring Officer) at Dumfries & Galloway Council.
View details
Siobhan Kahmann
Representative for Scottish solicitors outside the UK
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Lay members

Fiona Larg
Chartered Accountant.
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Lesley Watt
Non Executive Director at Tatton Asset Management plc
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Charles Ilako
Chartered Accountant
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Katherine Graham
Head of People Technologies at NatWest
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Anne Follin
Chairperson of Home-Start Falkirk
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Patricia Matheson
HR Associate Director
NHS
View details
Dr Bruce Nelson
Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute and a member of the Society for Research into Higher Education.
View details
Ian Duddy
CEO to the Scottish Covid-19 Inquiry
View details
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Additional

  • Who we are

In this section

  • Our Council
  • Code of conduct for Council and committee members
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