Catherine Smith (lawyer)
Catherine Smith | |
|---|---|
| Advocate General for Scotland | |
| Assumed office 29 August 2024 | |
| Prime Minister | Keir Starmer |
| Preceded by | The Lord Stewart of Dirleton |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1973 (age 50–51) |
| Political party | Labour |
Catherine Anne Smith KC (born May 1973[1]) is a Scottish lawyer who was appointed a life peer and Advocate General for Scotland on 29 August 2024.[2] She is the youngest daughter of former Labour Party leader John Smith.
Early life
[edit]Smith completed an MA degree in history and an LLB degree at the University of Glasgow.[3] She was called to the bar in 2007 and became a King's Counsel in 2021.
Career
[edit]Smith is a founding member and former deputy chair of JUSTICE Scotland. Prior to her appointment as Advocate General she worked as an advocate for Edinburgh-based law firm Compass Chambers.[4] She has also served as counsel to the Investigatory Powers Tribunal.[5] Between 2012 and 2021 she served as Standing Junior Counsel to the Advocate General under Jim Wallace, Richard Keen and Keith Stewart.[4]
Smith's principal areas of judicial work are reparation and public law, specialising in personal injury, clinical negligence and judicial review cases.[6]
Personal life
[edit]Smith is the daughter of John Smith, late leader of the Labour Party, and of Elizabeth Smith, Baroness Smith of Gilmorehill. Her elder sister is the BBC North America editor Sarah Smith.
Smith is a trustee of the John Smith Trust and co-founder and chair of the John Smith Centre for Public Service at the University of Glasgow.[6] In the former capacity she visited Kyiv and Warsaw in October 2023 to support rule of law and human rights projects.[4]
References
[edit]- ^ "Catherine Anne SMITH personal appointments - Find and update company information - GOV.UK". find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
- ^ "Labour hand life peerage and top Scottish law role to party dynast". The National. 2024-08-29. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
- ^ "Catherine Smith KC". John Smith Trust. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
- ^ a b c "Catherine Smith KC". Compass Chambers. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
- ^ Administrator. "Catherine Anne Smith". www.advocates.org.uk. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
- ^ a b "Catherine Smith KC appointed as Advocate General for Scotland". Scottish Legal News. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
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