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John Scott
Solicitor Advocate
Profile
A court lawyer for over 30 years, John has been a QC since 2011, and was recognised, jointly, as Silk of the Year at the 2018 Law Awards of Scotland. He has been instructed in some of the most significant, complex and high-profile cases of recent times. In some of these, including human rights cases at the UK Supreme Court, he has presented arguments that have helped to develop the law. John chaired the Scottish Human Rights Centre from 1997 to 2005, and was Convenor of the Howard League for Penal Reform in Scotland from 2006 until 2018. In 2016, he was elected President of the Society of Solicitor Advocates, having been the Vice- President (Crime) since 2008. John has completed work in chairing three independent reviews for the Scottish Government, focusing on stop and search, biometrics in policing, and the impact on communities of the policing of the 1984/85 miners’ strike. As well as currently chairing the IAG on the use by Police Scotland of emergency coronavirus powers, he is also chairing a major review of mental health legislation in Scotland.