Lawyers chosen to sit as sheriffs

New sheriffs have been appointed to serve at Oban and Fort William courts.

Patrick Hughes and Eilidh MacDonald have been appointed to the office of sheriff, on the recommendation of the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.

Ms Sturgeon made her recommendation for appointment on the basis of a report by the Judicial Appointments Board for Scotland.

Mr Hughes has been appointed to the Sheriffdom of North Strathclyde, to be based at Oban Sheriff Court, and Ms MacDonald has been appointed to the Sheriffdom of Grampian, Highland and Islands to be based at Fort William.

Mr Hughes is a graduate of Strathclyde University and obtained an LLM in European Law from the College of Europe. Following a traineeship with Mac-

“He was acting head of the environmental crime unit”

Roberts, he became a procurator fiscal depute in 2004. He was promoted to senior procurator fiscal depute in 2008, including a period as acting head of the wildlife and environmental crime unit 2014.

The new Oban sheriff was a part-time tutor at Strathclyde between 2005 and 2015.

Ms MacDonald is a graduate of the University of Dundee. Following a traineeship with Macleod and MacCallum Solicitors, Ms MacDonald became a senior legal assistant with Forrest and Co in 1998 and then a partner with Simpson MacDonald Solicitors in 1999.

She has been the head of office and solicitor for the public defence solicitor’s office in Inverness since 2004 and a fee-paid judge for the First Tier Tribunal, Social Entitlement Chamber, since 2013. The salary of a sheriff is £133,506.