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High Court of Justiciary

Scotland's supreme criminal court. It has jurisdiction over the whole of Scotland and over all crimes, unless its jurisdiction is excluded by statute. When sitting as a trial court (i.e., as a court of 'first instance') it sits in cities and larger towns throughout Scotland. Both Edinburgh and Glasgow have permanent High Court buildings.

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Did you know?

Scottish prosecutors are more pressured than prosecutors in other countries.

The pressures on Scottish prosecutors are greater than in many other countries. The reason is a long established principle known as the 110-day rule. Once an accused person has been charged with an offence, the Crown has 110 days in which to bring the case to trial. If it fails to do so, then the person walks free.

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Welcome

The Court of Session is the supreme civil court in Scotland. It is both a court of first instance and a court of appeal and sits exclusively in Parliament House in Edinburgh. The court of first instance is known as the Outer House, the court of appeal is known as the Inner House.

Fashioned on the Parliament of Paris when it was first founded by King James V in 1532, the Court of Session is notionally a unitary collegiate court, with all judges other than the Lord President and the Lord Justice Clerk holding the same rank and title - Senator of the College of Justice and also Lord/Lady of Council and Session.

If  you need an Advocate who is familiar with the Court of Session system, contact one of our Court of Session Advocates now!

They are usually the first to hear cases on a wide range of civil matters, including cases based on:

  • Delict (tort)
  • Contract
  • Commercial cases
  • Judicial review

The number of judges is now thirty-four (four of whom are women); there are also a number of temporary judges, who are typically either sheriffs or Advocates in private practice. The judges sit also in the High Court of Justiciary, and the Lord President is also, as president of that court, the Lord Justice General.

If  you need an Advocate who is familiar with the Court of Session system, contact one of our Court of Session Advocates now!