Commissioners and staff

Lady Clark of Calton was appointed Chairman of the Commission on 21 June 2012, for a period of 5 years.

Lady Clark has been a Senator of the College of Justice since 2006. She has had a long and active interest in law reform over 30 years. She graduated LLB (Hons) St Andrews in 1970, PhD Edinburgh University 1975 and was a lecturer in law at Dundee University 1973-76 during which time she carried out research into the pre-trial release system in criminal proceedings. She had a successful career at the Scots Bar where she appeared in a wide range of cases, particularly medical negligence and a number of public inquiries.

She was MP for Edinburgh Pentlands from 1997 to 2005, and became the first female law officer in the UK in 1999 when she was appointed Advocate General for Scotland. As Advocate General she was involved in legislative reform both in the House of Commons and in the House of Lords to which she was appointed in 2005 shortly before she ceased active involvement in politics when she was appointed as a Senator of the College of Justice.

Laura Dunlop QC took up her appointment as a part-time Commissioner in November 2009.

Ms Dunlop is an advocate specialising in administrative law and professional negligence. She is currently senior counsel to the Penrose Inquiry, and has been Procurator to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland since 2005. She has also been a co-editor of the last three editions of Gloag and Henderson: The Law of Scotland.

Patrick Layden QC TD was appointed as a full-time Commissioner in September 2008.

Mr Layden practised as an advocate at the Scottish Bar for a period, then took up an appointment with the Lord Advocate's Department in London in 1977. In that office he dealt with a wide range of legislative and advisory issues, focusing latterly on European and constitutional matters. He was appointed Queen's Counsel in 2000. On devolution, Patrick was appointed Legal Secretary to the Lord Advocate. In 2003 he was appointed Deputy Solicitor to the Scottish Government.

Professor Hector MacQueen was appointed as a full-time Commissioner in September 2009.

Professor MacQueen has taught in the Edinburgh Law School since 1979. He was Dean of the Law School 1999-2003, and Dean of Research and Deputy Head of the College of Humanities and Social Science in Edinburgh University 2004-2008. He is a Fellow of the British Academy and Vice-President (Humanities) of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.

Dr Steven was appointed as a full-time Commissioner in August 2011.

He is a senior lecturer in law, and an associate director of the Edinburgh Centre for Private Law, at the University of Edinburgh. His research interests are in property law, security rights and European private law.

Malcolm McMillan was appointed Chief Executive in April 2008.

Mr McMillan is a practising solicitor, and is on secondment from the Government Legal Service for Scotland. He has held various legal posts within government since 1982. From 1999 to 2003 he was the Deputy Legal Secretary to the Lord Advocate, and prior to his appointment to the Commission he was the Divisional Solicitor for the Rural Affairs Division in the Scottish Government Legal Directorate.