Andrew Hardie, Baron Hardie

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Andrew Rutherford Hardie, Baron Hardie, PC, QC (born 8 January 1946) is a former Scottish Labour Party politician, Government minister and judge.

Born in Alloa, Hardie was educated at St. Modan's High School, Stirling and at the University of Edinburgh. He was admitted as a solicitor in 1971 and to the Faculty of Advocates in 1973. He served as an Advocate Depute from 1979 to 1983, and was appointed Queen's Counsel in 1985. He was Treasurer of the Faculty of Advocates from 1989 until he was elected Dean of the Faculty from 1994 to 1997. From 1991 to 1994 he sat as a part-time Chairman of the Medical Appeals Tribunal.

He was appointed Lord Advocate, appointed to the Privy Council and was created a life peer in 1997 as Baron Hardie, of Blackford in the City of Edinburgh. Between May 1997 and March 2000 he played an active role in the House of Lords including acting as a Government spokesman during the passage of the Scotland Act 1998. Lord Hardie was appointed a Judge of the Court of Session and High Court of Justiciary in March 2000.