Constitutional law experts awarded Law Society of Scotland Honorary Membership

Scottish solicitors Elaine Motion and Iain Jamieson have been awarded lifetime Honorary Membership of the Law Society of Scotland.

They are the 24th and 25th recipients of the highest accolade which can be conferred by the Law Society.

Elaine Motion has been recognised for her exceptional contribution to the Scottish legal profession over more than five decades as a litigator, leader, mentor and champion of equality within the law, with Iain Jamieson also awarded for his long, dedicated public service and his significant contribution to public law.

Elaine was among the first women to chair a major Scottish law firm, assuming the role for Balfour and Manson in 2014. Her appointment marked an important milestone for gender equality in Scotland’s legal sector, providing visible leadership for women entering the profession – the firm was also the first to appoint a female law firm partner, Ethel Houston, in 1949.

The award recognises Elaine, not only as an outstanding lawyer, but as a one committed to the rule of law, civil liberties and public interest litigation. She played a leading role in several landmark constitutional and human rights cases, including the Article 50 litigation before the European Court of Justice and the successful challenge to the unlawful prorogation of the UK Parliament in 2019. Her work has also helped shape legal protections for individuals and influenced wider legal and public policy debates.

As a former Scottish government solicitor, Iain Jamieson has been described as an ‘outstanding government lawyer and legal thinker, never afraid to speak truth to power and a lawyer whose legal analysis was invariably absolutely right’.

Iain, who was appointed CBE in 1998, led a small team of lawyers who instructed the drafting of the Scotland Act 1998. His standing in the profession and reputation for exacting standards and highly skilled constitutional law drafting were key to the introduction of Scottish devolution. He was also involved in the implementation of the UK’s Human Rights Act 1998. Iain has been a member of the Law Society’s Constitutional Law and Human Rights Sub-committee since 2005 and has made significant contributions to the Society’s work over the past two decades, including its submissions on the Scotland Acts of 2012 and 2016.

Serena Sutherland, President of the Law Society of Scotland, said: “Elaine and Iain have made outstanding contributions both to their chosen profession and to the wider Scottish public throughout their careers.

“They are both highly esteemed solicitors whose exceptional knowledge and expertise has seen them lead on some of the most important, complex and high-profile legal work on constitutional issues which has had a significant impact on the law and life in Scotland today. With this award, we also recognise their willingness to give back through their ongoing contributions to the work of the Society and supporting new generations of solicitors entering the profession.

“It is an honour to confer this award on such hugely deserving candidates and I offer my congratulations to both Iain and Elaine.”

Elaine Motion said: "I am immensely honoured to receive this award and thank those at the Law Society who nominated and approved this wonderful honour. I dedicate it to my late parents who gave me the encouragement and support to follow my dream.

"As solicitors we all know that our work is a team effort. Balfour and Manson gave me and the team the opportunities to help shape the law as did the efforts of those in the Faculty. They all share in this honour."

Iain Jamieson said: "I am very grateful for such a prestigious and unexpected honour from the Law Society of Scotland. It has been my pleasure and privilege to work over many years with first rate colleagues both in the civil service and the Society.

"I commend the work that the Society has done, and continues to do, in upholding the constitutional principle of the rule of law and in improving and developing Scots law."