Commissioners and staff

Lord Drummond Young was appointed Chairman of the Scottish Law Commission on 1 January 2007. The appointment is made on a part time basis, with 60 per cent of Lord Drummond Young's time being spent on Commission business, and the remainder of his time devoted to his judicial functions. He has been a Senator of the College of Justice since 2001.

Lord Drummond Young is a graduate of the University of Cambridge (B.A., Sidney Sussex College), Harvard University (LL.M., Joseph Hodges Choate Memorial Fellow) and the University of Edinburgh (LL.B.). He was admitted to the Faculty of Advocates in 1976 and was Standing Junior Counsel to the Department of Industry from 1984 to 1986 and to the Inland Revenue from 1986 to 1988. Lord Drummond Young was appointed Queen's Counsel in 1988. He served as Advocate Depute from 1999 to 2001.

Lord Drummond Young's publications include The Law of Corporate Insolvency in Scotland (with J.B. St. Clair, 3rd ed. 2004) and the Stair Encyclopaedia of Scots Law (1989).

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 was 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.