Laura Duncan (Sheriff)
Encyclopedia
Laura Duncan, advocate and Sheriff
of Glasgow and Strathkelvin.
A Sheriff at Glasgow Sheriff Court
, reputed to be the busiest court in Europe, Laura Duncan was born on 17 June 1947 and educated at the Hamilton Academy
and the University of Glasgow
. Qualifying as a solicitor in 1969 she was two years in private practice before joining the Procurator Fiscal Service
.
Deciding to become an Advocate
, Duncan was admitted to the Bar in 1976. In 1982 she was appointed a floating sheriff
and the following year this made a permanent appointment. In 2002 Sheriff Duncan made a landmark court ruling, deciding that a homosexual man who had acted as a sperm donor for a lesbian couple had the same rights as a heterosexual father. Sheriff Duncan retired from the bench in 2006.
A keen sailor, Laura Duncan won the Scottish ladies' single-handed dinghy championships in 1990.
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
of Glasgow and Strathkelvin.
A Sheriff 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....
, reputed to be the busiest court in Europe, Laura Duncan was born on 17 June 1947 and educated at the Hamilton Academy
Hamilton Academy
Hamilton Academy was a school situated in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland.Described as "one of the finest schools in Scotland" in the Cambridge University Press County Biography of 1910, Hamilton Academy featured in the Scottish Secondary Teachers' Association Magazine article series on...
and the University of Glasgow
University of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...
. Qualifying as a solicitor in 1969 she was two years in private practice before joining the Procurator Fiscal Service
Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service
The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service provides the independent public prosecution service for Scotland, and is a Ministerial Department of the Scottish Government. The department is headed by Her Majesty's Lord Advocate, who under the Scottish legal system is responsible for prosecution,...
.
Deciding to become an Advocate
Advocate
An advocate is a term for a professional lawyer used in several different legal systems. These include Scotland, South Africa, India, Scandinavian jurisdictions, Israel, and the British Crown dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man...
, Duncan was admitted to the Bar in 1976. In 1982 she was appointed a floating sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
and the following year this made a permanent appointment. In 2002 Sheriff Duncan made a landmark court ruling, deciding that a homosexual man who had acted as a sperm donor for a lesbian couple had the same rights as a heterosexual father. Sheriff Duncan retired from the bench in 2006.
A keen sailor, Laura Duncan won the Scottish ladies' single-handed dinghy championships in 1990.