Margaret Taylor
A COURT of Session judge has been recognised for the work he has done in educating school children on how the legal system works.
Lord Kinclaven, who has sat on the bench in the Court of Session and High Court of Justiciary since 2005, founded the Faculty of Advocates’ Mini Trials programme more than a decade ago to allow pupils to learn about the law by taking part in reconstructions of criminal trials.
His efforts were recognised in the New Years Hours list with the award of the OBE for “services to the introduction of the Scottish legal system into schools”.
The initiative, which Lord Kinclaven said he would like to see extended to every school across Scotland, sees pupils act out an assault case and a drugs case in an actual sheriff court setting.
“I hope that this public recognition of MiniTrials encourages even more schools to take part,” Lord Kinclaven said. “It is a simple, user-friendly way of finding out more about our Scottish legal system and it is great fun, too.
“I would like to see every school given an opportunity to take part.”
Dean of the Faculty Gordon Jackson QC, who plans to use his term in office to raise public awareness of the work done by the legal profession, said that Mini Trials has an important role to play in achieving that goal.
“It’s important when there are so many ways, on screen and in print, for misconceptions to be given that youngsters should know how we do things in Scotland, and that we have our own unique system,” Mr Jackson said.
Lord Kinclaven has been a member of the Faculty since 1978, practising as Sandy Wylie QC before joining the bench.
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