Lynda Clark, Baroness Clark of Calton

The Right Honourable
The Baroness Clark of Calton
PC
Senator of the College of Justice
Assumed office
2006
Preceded by Lady Cosgrove
Advocate General for Scotland
In office
1999–2006
Preceded by Office created
Succeeded by Lord Davidson of Glen Clova
Member of Parliament
for Edinburgh Pentlands
In office
2 May 1997 – 11 April 2005
Preceded by Malcolm Rifkind
Succeeded by constituency abolished
Personal details
Born Lynda Margaret Clark
(1949-02-26) 26 February 1949
Political party Labour
Alma mater Queens College, St Andrews,
University of Edinburgh

Lynda Margaret Clark, Baroness Clark of Calton PC (born 26 February 1949) is a Scottish judge. She was formerly the Labour Member of Parliament for Edinburgh Pentlands. She was Advocate General for Scotland from the creation of that position in 1999 until 2006, whereupon she became a Judge of the Court of Session in Scotland.

Legal career

Clark studied law at Queens College, St Andrews during its transition to independence as the University of Dundee School of Law, graduating in 1970 with a LLB (Hons) from St Andrews, and subsequently gained a PhD in criminology and penology from the University of Edinburgh in 1975.[1] She was a lecturer in Jurisprudence from 1973 at the University of Dundee until she was called to the Scottish Bar in 1977. She took silk in 1989, and was subsequently called to the English Bar in 1990 as a member of the Inner Temple. On 21 June 2012, Lady Clark succeeded Lord Drummond Young as Chairman of the Scottish Law Commission.[2] Lady Clark demitted office on 31 December 2013 in order to sit in the Inner House of the Court of Session, and was succeeded as Chairman by Lord Pentland.[3]

Political career

Clark first stood for election in 1992 for the seat of Fife North East, held by Menzies Campbell, but was unsuccessful. At the 1997 election she was elected for the seat of Edinburgh Pentlands, displacing Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Malcolm Rifkind. She stood down at the 2005 election, allowing Alistair Darling to contest the new Edinburgh South West seat.

On 13 May 2005 it was announced that she would be created a life peer, and on 21 June 2005 the title was gazetted as Baroness Clark of Calton, of Calton in the City of Edinburgh.

On 18 January 2006 Lady Clark of Calton resigned as Advocate General to take up office as a Senator of the College of Justice. She was replaced as Advocate General by Neil Davidson, QC (now Lord Davidson of Glen Clova).

As of 2013, Lady Clark of Calton is the most recent Senator of the College of Justice to have served in the House of Commons.

Publications

References

  1. ↑ "The Right Hon the Lady Clark of Calton (Lynda Clark)". Judiciary of Scotland. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
  2. ↑ "Lady Clark Appointed Chairman of Scottish Law Commission". Scottish Law Commission. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
  3. ↑ "Scottish Law Commission Annual Report 2013" (PDF). Scottish Law Commission. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
  4. ↑ in A.Boyle, C.Himsworth, A.Loux & H. MacQueen (eds) (2002). Books.google.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-08-23.

External links

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Malcolm Rifkind		 Member of Parliament for Edinburgh Pentlands
1997 – 2005 		Constituency abolished
Legal offices
Office Created Advocate General for Scotland
1999–2006 		Succeeded by
Neil Davidson
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