Members

Member of the Tribunal since September 2006. Chairman of the Tribunal since June 2016. Partner in MacHardy Alexander & Whyte, Forfar mainly dealing with conveyancing and executry work. Previously held a part time appointment in the Appeal Service.

Member of the Tribunal since December 2018. He is an offshore health and safety inspector. He was previously an adjudicator for the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA), a member of the Fitness to Practice committee of the General Optical Council (GOC) and a lay magistrate.

Member of the Tribunal since 2006. Admitted 1994. Sole practitioner principally in the fields of property law, wills, trusts, executries and tax law. Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland. Part time Senior Tutor at the University of Glasgow School of Law.

Member of the Tribunal since November 2018. As a registered dietician, Paula's background was in frontline NHS services before moving into research and academia, undertaking a PhD in physiology. She spent 4 years managing a government-sponsored obesity programme prior to moving into the private sector. She currently works in a training and development and human resources position for a small group of companies. Paula has been a board member of the Professional Practice and Education Board of the British Dietetic Association since January 2012 and is a professional partner for the Health and Care Professions Council, sitting on the Fitness to Practise Panel, Investigatory Committee Panel and Appeals Panel since September 2014.

Member of the Tribunal since January 2014. Partner in a six partner firm in Central Scotland, practicing principally in the fields of property law, Wills, trusts and executries.

Member of the Tribunal since November 2018. He has a professional background in the semiconductor industry as a quality manager before working as a commercial manager for a university spin out company. Since 2004 he worked with Strathclyde Police and Police Scotland in senior civilian posts, retiring in 2017. He has been a lay member of the Scottish Social Services Council Fitness to Practise Committee since Nov 2017.

Member of the Tribunal since 2006. Vice Chairman from June 2016. Admitted as a solicitor in 1973. Previously a Reporter to the Client Relations Committee of the Law Society for 3 years. Has been with Rankin & Aitken since 1977 being appointed a partner in 1979. Currently the senior partner of the firm dealing largely with private client work. Honorary Sheriff at Stranraer since 1998. Past Dean of Wigtown District Faculty of Solicitors.

Member of the Tribunal since December 2018. Having originally qualified as a civil engineer, John changed career in 1989 when he joined the Fire & Rescue Service. He has subsequently served in a variety of posts throughout the former Tayside area. During his career he also served as an official with the Fire Brigades Union, dealing with a broad range of topics including members discipline and grievance cases. He progressed through the union structure to eventually hold the post of Scottish Secretary. In this capacity, John was the lead FBU official during the merger of the previous eight fire services into the new single Scottish Fire & Rescue Service. In 2013 he was awarded an OBE in recognition of his contribution to the fire and rescue service. Latterly he was part of the services Transformation Directorate and authored a number of reports relating to the future development of the fire and rescue service in Scotland.

Member of the Tribunal since September 2016. Admitted as a solicitor in 2001. Dual qualified as a solicitor in Scotland and England and Wales. Solicitor advocate accredited by the Law Society of Scotland as a specialist in professional negligence law. Currently an Legal Director with DAC Beachcroft Scotland LLP specialising in professional negligence litigation. Prior to that, worked for Brodies LLP for 13 years. Former part-time tutor at the University of Edinburgh Centre for Professional Legal Studies. Former solicitor member of the Law Society of Scotland Complaints Sub-Committee.

Member of the Tribunal since June 2015. Edward Egan has held a varied number of posts within NHS Lothian throughout his 43 year career. He is a Registered Mental Health Nurse and Registered General Nurse and spent his early career within front line NHS Services. In the years that followed was an active member of the Confederation of Health Service Employees and later UNISON where he Chaired the Scottish Health Committee for more than a decade. From 2001 to 2012 he served as a member of the NHS Lothian Board as the Employee Director and in 2006 was appointed as NHS Lothian Board Vice Chair and Chair of Midlothian Community Health Partnership. He has served on numerous committees including the Finance and Performance Review Committee (2003-12); Healthcare Governance and Risk Management Committee (2001-12) and the Audit Committee (2001-12) until his retirement from the NHS in late 2012. Since retirement he has been involved in various voluntary initiatives and continues to be active within the UNISON retired members network.

Member of the Tribunal since November 2019. David was admitted as a solicitor in 1991. He is presently the principal legal officer of the Scottish Sentencing Council. Prior to that he trained and worked as a criminal defence solicitor, then as a procurator fiscal depute, followed by a position in the Criminal Procedure Divison of the Scottish Government.

Member of the Tribunal since January 2014. He is an independent organisational development consultant focusing on intercultural competency, inclusive leadership and conflict management. He works with clients across sectors in the UK and the US. He was previously the Managing Consultant for EW Group based in London, and has held senior positions in public sector organisations in the US. Mr Erolin practised employment and discrimination law in the US and is a qualified mediator by the Minnesota Supreme Court. He has particular expertise in culture and conflict, and he has helped large public and private sector organisations work effectively with differences and conflict.

Member of the Tribunal since September 2016. Admitted as a solicitor in 1991. Principal area of practice has been civil litigation. Joined Digby Brown in 2014 as Associate and Professional Support Lawyer. Senior tutor and tutor on courses on the Diploma in Professional Legal Practice at Glasgow University. Teaches on Glasgow University’s TCPD programme. University of Stirling Recognised Teacher & Peer Reviewer.

Member of the Tribunal since January 2013. She is a Professor of Communities and Race Relations and holds a PhD in Sociology. She held senior positions at Glasgow Caledonian University, The University of Durban-Westville, SA and the Strategic Planning Department at Durban City Council, SA. More recently she was Commissioner, Scottish Human Rights Commission, Trustee, Scottish Association for Mental Health, Chair/Deputy Chair and Scotland Commissioner of the Commission for Racial Equality, Scottish Chair and UK Board member of the BIG Lottery Fund, Commissioner of the Equality and Human Rights Commission UK and Lay Member, Council of the Law Society. She is currently a Public Appointments Advisor, Commission for Ethical Standards and Public Appointments in Scotland, Non-Executive Director of Scottish Prisons Service and Patron, IARS, International Institute.

Member of the Tribunal since January 2014. General Counsel and Director at the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries; formerly a partner in the Regulatory and Professional Discipline department of London law firm, Kingsley Napley LLP. Prior to that trained and worked for ten years as a solicitor with Shepherd+ Wedderburn LLP. Dual qualified in Scotland and England and Wales. Member of the Professional Standards and Ethics Committee of the Law Society of England and Wales. Legal Assessor appointed to advise disciplinary panels of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. Tutor in public and constitutional law at the University of Edinburgh.

Member of the Tribunal since January 2014. After retiring from a senior position in the Police Service in 2001, Paul has been a member of and Chair of two tribunals. These included of a range of Fitness to Practise Committees for the Nursing and Midwifery Council from 2004 -2013 (chair from 2007) and Chair of various Conduct and Registration Committees for the N. I. Social Care Council from 2007 to date. He has also from 2001, been an Associate Outplacement Consultant with Penna, a major UK H.R. Company, and an Assessor for the Cabinet Office Customer Service Excellence Standard. Paul also sits as a Lay Representative with a Medical and Dental Training Agency which has the role of ensuring that post-graduate training for doctors and dentists fulfils all the standards and regulations that have been set by the General Medical Council and the General Dental Council.

Member of the Tribunal since November 2019. Admitted as a solicitor in 1996. Partner in Commercial Real Estate at Anderson Strathern LLP, focussing particularly on property development, renewable energy and land tax advice. Regular speaker at professional forums on land tax, commercial leasing, renewable energy projects and overage and clawback in development transactions. Member of the Law Society of Scotland’s Property Law Committee and Tax Committee sub-group on Property Tax from 2007 to 2019, Convener of the Property Law Committee from 2017 to 2019. Signet accredited in Commercial Property by the WS Society, member of the Society’s Signet Accreditation Committee for the Commercial Property module and member of the SPF Tax Group. Awarded a Masters in Energy and Natural Resources Law by the University of Melbourne in 2015 and admitted to the legal profession as a solicitor in Victoria, Australia in 2017.

Member of the Tribunal since January 2014. He was a General Surgeon and Lead Consultant for Surgery within Greater Glasgow & Clyde Board from 1986 until retirement in 2012. During this time he was appointed to numerous positions, including; NHS National Panel of Specialists; Commodity Advisory Panel (Scotland); Scottish Council Member of Association of Surgeons GB&I; and Chairman, St Vincent’s Hospice. Since January 2012 Dr Mitchell has been a member of the General Medical Council Medical Practitioner Tribunal Service, Fitness to Practice Panel.

Member of the Tribunal since 2016. Admitted 1985. Joined Burness Paull LLP in 1989 and has been a partner since 1997. Practitioner in the fields of projects and construction, and harbours/ports (and previously commercial property) and an accredited Law Society specialist in both construction and arbitration and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.

Member of the Tribunal since November 2018. Christine qualified as a pharmacist in 1997 and is registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council. She has worked for both private and public sector organisations. Since 2004 She had a clinical pharmacist role within Mental Health and since 2006 held a senior clinical pharmacist role within the Mental Health and Learning Disability services within the NHS. She worked with the Mental Welfare Commission Scotland from 2011-2015 as a pharmacist visitor. Since March 2016 she has been a member of the Additional Support Needs Tribunals Scotland.

Member of the Tribunal since November 2019. Vincent McGovern is a solicitor of thirty years’ experience. From 2007-2011 he served on the Law Society of Scotland’s team of solicitors to represent criminal layers in legal aid negotiations with the Scottish Government. In 2012 he was appointed to the Scottish Legal Aid Board and serves on their Legal Services Policy Committee and the Quality Assurance Committee. In 2016 he gave evidence to the Scottish Parliament’s Justice Committee as part of their inquiry into the role and purpose of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.

Member of the Tribunal since January 2014. He has served in several Local Authorities since 1976, latterly as Head of Public Protection Services and previously as Head of Environmental Health and Principal Building Control Officer for the City and County of Swansea Council since his appointment in 1984. He retired from this post in November 2013 at that time being responsible for several front line services including; Community Safety; Trading Standards; Building Control; Bereavement and Registration Services, Public Health, Pollution Control, Health Promotion and Licencing. He was a Chartered Surveyor and is also a lead assessor in an HR consultancy organisation.

Member of the Tribunal since September 2018. Admitted as a solicitor in 1997. Partner in Blackwood & Smith WS, Peebles, practicing in private client work with a particular interest in Family Law. Past Dean of the Faculty of Solicitors in the Shires of Selkirk and Peebles, past Chair of the Family Law Association in Scotland.

Member of the Tribunal since January 2014. He has over 25 years experience of policy work in a range of business and consumer organisations. Previously Director of Operational & Technical Affairs at the Scotch Whisky Association, he was Interim Director of the Scottish Retail Consortium in 2009-10 and 2011-12, as well as doing spells in his own consultancy and more recently in the consumer policy team at Citizens Advice Scotland. Since 2009 he has been a Non-Legal Member of the First-Tier Tax Tribunal. He is Chairman of the Friends of Kinneil, an award-winning local heritage group; was a Trustee of Sniffer - the Scottish sustainability and resilience knowledge broker - from 2008 to 2015; and is also a past Board member of the Scottish Business Crime Centre.