John Beckett (lawyer)
Encyclopedia
John Beckett QC
is a Scottish
lawyer who was Solicitor General for Scotland
, the country's junior Law Officer
from October 2006 to May 2007. He was appointed by Labour
First Minister
Jack McConnell
on the appointment of former Solicitor General Elish Angiolini to the senior role of Lord Advocate
. After the 2007 Scottish election, newly-elected Scottish National Party
First Minister Alex Salmond
replaced Labour Party
member Beckett with Frank Mulholland
, who is now the Lord Advocate
. Beckett is now a floating sheriff sitting mainly at Glasgow Sheriff Court
.
, a town in West Sussex
about 28 miles (45 km) south of London. His family moved to Edinburgh
in 1968 and he was educated at Broughton High School before studying at the School of Law
of the University of Edinburgh
.
in 1993. He was junior defence counsel for Abdelbaset al-Megrahi under William Taylor QC
during the Lockerbie trial
at the Scottish Court in the Netherlands
in 2000. He became an Advocate Depute and Senior Advocate Depute in 2003, and Queen's Counsel
(QC) in 2005, and prosecuted the infamous murder case of baby Caleb Ness. He was appointed Principal Advocate Depute from 1 January 2006. On his appointment as Solicitor General
that October, he was succeeded by Brian McConnachie.
, Solicitor General
Elish Angiolini was nominated for the post by First Minister
Jack McConnell
. Beckett was in turn nominated to succeed Angiolini as Solicitor General. The nomination was met with some criticism due to Beckett's membership of the Labour Party, but was ultimately approved by the Scottish Parliament
on 5 October 2006. Beckett, along with Angiolini, was sworn in at the Court of Session
in Edinburgh
on 12 October 2006 and appointed by the Queen under the royal warrant
. Beckett's appointment lasted only eight months however; the 2007 Scottish Parliament election resulted in the Scottish National Party
forming a minority government, and new First Minister Alex Salmond
replaced Beckett with politically neutral Frank Mulholland
QC, whose appointment was approved by the Scottish Parliament without the need for a vote on 24 May 2007.
In April 2008, Beckett was appointed a floating sheriff, an office enabling him to sit where required throughout Scotland's six sheriffdom
s, although he sits primarily in Glasgow
.
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
is a Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
lawyer who was Solicitor General for Scotland
Solicitor General for Scotland
Her Majesty's Solicitor General for Scotland is one of the Law Officers of the Crown, and the deputy of the Lord Advocate, whose duty is to advise the Crown and the Scottish Government on Scots Law...
, the country's junior Law Officer
Law Officers of the Crown
The Law Officers of the Crown are the chief legal advisers to the Crown, and advise and represent the various governments in the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth Realms. In England and Wales, Northern Ireland and most Commonwealth and colonial governments, the chief law officer of the...
from October 2006 to May 2007. He was appointed by Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
First Minister
First Minister of Scotland
The First Minister of Scotland is the political leader of Scotland and head of the Scottish Government. The First Minister chairs the Scottish Cabinet and is primarily responsible for the formulation, development and presentation of Scottish Government policy...
Jack McConnell
Jack McConnell
Jack Wilson McConnell, Baron McConnell of Glenscorrodale is a British Labour life peer in the House of Lords. He was third First Minister of Scotland from 2001 to 2007, making him the longest serving First Minister in the history of the Scottish Parliament...
on the appointment of former Solicitor General Elish Angiolini to the senior role of Lord Advocate
Lord Advocate
Her Majesty's Advocate , known as the Lord Advocate , is the chief legal officer of the Scottish Government and the Crown in Scotland for both civil and criminal matters that fall within the devolved powers of the Scottish Parliament...
. After the 2007 Scottish election, newly-elected Scottish National Party
Scottish National Party
The Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....
First Minister Alex Salmond
Alex Salmond
Alexander Elliot Anderson "Alex" Salmond MSP is a Scottish politician and current First Minister of Scotland. He became Scotland's fourth First Minister in May 2007. He is the Leader of the Scottish National Party , having served as Member of the Scottish Parliament for Gordon...
replaced Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
member Beckett with Frank Mulholland
Frank Mulholland
Frank Mulholland QC is a Scottish lawyer and has been Lord Advocate, one of the Great Officers of State of Scotland and the country's chief Law Officer, since 19 May 2011, having previously been Solicitor General, the junior Law Officer...
, who is now the Lord Advocate
Lord Advocate
Her Majesty's Advocate , known as the Lord Advocate , is the chief legal officer of the Scottish Government and the Crown in Scotland for both civil and criminal matters that fall within the devolved powers of the Scottish Parliament...
. Beckett is now a floating sheriff sitting mainly at Glasgow Sheriff Court
Glasgow Sheriff Court
Glasgow Sheriff Court is a Sheriff Court in the Gorbals area of Glasgow, within the Sheriffdom of Glasgow and Strathkelvin. It is reputedly the busiest court in Europe....
.
Early life
Beckett was born in CrawleyCrawley
Crawley is a town and local government district with Borough status in West Sussex, England. It is south of Charing Cross, north of Brighton and Hove, and northeast of the county town of Chichester, covers an area of and had a population of 99,744 at the time of the 2001 Census.The area has...
, a town in West Sussex
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
about 28 miles (45 km) south of London. His family moved to Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
in 1968 and he was educated at Broughton High School before studying at the School of Law
University of Edinburgh School of Law
The University of Edinburgh School of Law, founded in 1707, is a school within the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, dedicated to research and teaching in law. Known today as Edinburgh Law School, it is located in the historic Old College, the original site of the University...
of the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
.
Career
Beckett worked initially as a defence solicitor in Edinburgh, and was elected to the Faculty of AdvocatesFaculty of Advocates
The Faculty of Advocates is an independent body of lawyers who have been admitted to practise as advocates before the courts of Scotland, especially the Court of Session and the High Court of Justiciary...
in 1993. He was junior defence counsel for Abdelbaset al-Megrahi under William Taylor QC
William Taylor QC
William Taylor, QC has been a Scottish advocate since 1971 and a QC since 1986. Mr Taylor has also been a barrister in England and Wales since 1990 and a QC there since 1998...
during the Lockerbie trial
Pan Am Flight 103 bombing trial
The Pan Am Flight 103 bombing trial began on 3 May 2000, 11 years, 4 months and 13 days after the destruction of Pan Am Flight 103 on 21 December 1988...
at the Scottish Court in the Netherlands
Scottish Court in the Netherlands
The Scottish court in the Netherlands was the special High Court of Justiciary set up under Scots law in a former United States Air Force base called Camp Zeist in Utrecht, in the Netherlands, for the trial of two Libyans charged with 270 counts of murder in connection with the bombing of Pan Am...
in 2000. He became an Advocate Depute and Senior Advocate Depute in 2003, and Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
(QC) in 2005, and prosecuted the infamous murder case of baby Caleb Ness. He was appointed Principal Advocate Depute from 1 January 2006. On his appointment as Solicitor General
Solicitor General for Scotland
Her Majesty's Solicitor General for Scotland is one of the Law Officers of the Crown, and the deputy of the Lord Advocate, whose duty is to advise the Crown and the Scottish Government on Scots Law...
that October, he was succeeded by Brian McConnachie.
Solicitor General
Following the resignation of Colin Boyd as Lord AdvocateLord Advocate
Her Majesty's Advocate , known as the Lord Advocate , is the chief legal officer of the Scottish Government and the Crown in Scotland for both civil and criminal matters that fall within the devolved powers of the Scottish Parliament...
, Solicitor General
Solicitor General for Scotland
Her Majesty's Solicitor General for Scotland is one of the Law Officers of the Crown, and the deputy of the Lord Advocate, whose duty is to advise the Crown and the Scottish Government on Scots Law...
Elish Angiolini was nominated for the post by First Minister
First Minister of Scotland
The First Minister of Scotland is the political leader of Scotland and head of the Scottish Government. The First Minister chairs the Scottish Cabinet and is primarily responsible for the formulation, development and presentation of Scottish Government policy...
Jack McConnell
Jack McConnell
Jack Wilson McConnell, Baron McConnell of Glenscorrodale is a British Labour life peer in the House of Lords. He was third First Minister of Scotland from 2001 to 2007, making him the longest serving First Minister in the history of the Scottish Parliament...
. Beckett was in turn nominated to succeed Angiolini as Solicitor General. The nomination was met with some criticism due to Beckett's membership of the Labour Party, but was ultimately approved by the Scottish Parliament
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...
on 5 October 2006. Beckett, along with Angiolini, was sworn in at the Court of Session
Court of Session
The Court of Session is the supreme civil court of Scotland, and constitutes part of the College of Justice. It sits in Parliament House in Edinburgh and is both a court of first instance and a court of appeal....
in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
on 12 October 2006 and appointed by the Queen under the royal warrant
Royal Warrant
Royal warrants of appointment have been issued for centuries to those who supply goods or services to a royal court or certain royal personages. The warrant enables the supplier to advertise the fact that they supply to the royal family, so lending prestige to the supplier...
. Beckett's appointment lasted only eight months however; the 2007 Scottish Parliament election resulted in the Scottish National Party
Scottish National Party
The Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....
forming a minority government, and new First Minister Alex Salmond
Alex Salmond
Alexander Elliot Anderson "Alex" Salmond MSP is a Scottish politician and current First Minister of Scotland. He became Scotland's fourth First Minister in May 2007. He is the Leader of the Scottish National Party , having served as Member of the Scottish Parliament for Gordon...
replaced Beckett with politically neutral Frank Mulholland
Frank Mulholland
Frank Mulholland QC is a Scottish lawyer and has been Lord Advocate, one of the Great Officers of State of Scotland and the country's chief Law Officer, since 19 May 2011, having previously been Solicitor General, the junior Law Officer...
QC, whose appointment was approved by the Scottish Parliament without the need for a vote on 24 May 2007.
In April 2008, Beckett was appointed a floating sheriff, an office enabling him to sit where required throughout Scotland's six sheriffdom
Sheriffdom
A sheriffdom is a judicial district in Scotland.Since 1 January 1975 there have been six sheriffdoms. Previously sheriffdoms were composed of groupings of counties...
s, although he sits primarily in Glasgow
Glasgow Sheriff Court
Glasgow Sheriff Court is a Sheriff Court in the Gorbals area of Glasgow, within the Sheriffdom of Glasgow and Strathkelvin. It is reputedly the busiest court in Europe....
.