Maggie Scott (advocate)

Margaret 'Maggie' Scott QC (born Stockbridge, Edinburgh in 1960) is a member of the Scottish Bar (Faculty of Advocates), into which she was admitted in 1991.^[1] She 'took silk' in 2002, thus becoming a member of the prestigious Queen's Counsel.^[2]

Women at the Bar

In 2002, Scott told the Edinburgh Evening News: "There are now almost 100 women practising at the Bar. Little more than a decade ago, the number of women at the Bar could almost have been counted on the fingers of one hand.

"The trend is encouraging and indicates that the erroneous perception of the Scottish Bar as being a male-only enclave is slowly but surely disappearing. Our approach now is very much one of if you are good enough, then you will be made welcome - it doesn’t matter what your gender may be."

She added: "It’s not just the numbers though that have changed, the atmosphere has also changed because there are more women there. It’s very positive. Any clubby atmosphere that was there has now disintegrated.

"I found it less difficult than I expected being a woman in a male-dominated world. It’s certainly become a lot easier for women. It started as a pretty well male preserve, but I think now you’re judged on your ability. If you’re good, you will earn the respect of both men and women.

"Men definitely still and always have had recognition for their work much more easily than women, but now we are starting to be seen in the high-profile sort of work such as the really big criminal cases. It’s hard work and very stimulating - but not nearly as well paid as people think."

"The Bar is perhaps the one place in the legal profession where there doesn’t appear to be any clear discrepancy in terms of earning potential, as advocates are self-employed and set their own fees."

High-profile counsel

Scott has acted as lead counsel in a number of high-profile appeal cases such as the Lockerbie bombing and the Glasgow Ice Cream Wars, in which she defended both Abdelbaset al-Megrahi and Thomas 'TC' Campbell. She was also successful in the appeal case of Kim Galbraith, whose murder conviction for shooting her policeman husband was reduced to diminished responsibility.

Megrahi's second appeal

On 6 November 2008, Scott applied to the Court of Criminal Appeal for Megrahi's release on bail pending the second appeal against his conviction at the Pan Am Flight 103 bombing trial in 2001. The three judges reserved their judgment on the application.^[3] A week later, Megrahi's bail application was refused.^[4] Megrahi was told he would remain in jail for the duration of his second appeal (scheduled to begin on 27 April 2009).^[5]

At a preliminary hearing in February 2009, Scott requested that the prosecution should hand over to the defence previously withheld documents on Tony Gauci, the Maltese shop-keeper whose critical trial evidence related to the burned remnants of clothing bought at his shop in Malta that were later found inside a brown hardshell Samsonite suitcase containing the bomb that exploded over Lockerbie on 21 December 1988. Ronnie Clancy QC, Advocate Depute acting for the Crown, said that a month before the start of the appeal Miss Scott will be given the 170 documents in question, or reasons why they should not be disclosed.^[6]

References

1. ^ "Appointment of part-time sheriffs". Scottish Executive. 2003-05-02. http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2003/05/3516. Retrieved 2008-11-07. 
2. ^ "Where gender is no Bar to success". Edinburgh Evening News. 2002-09-16. http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/ViewArticle.aspx?articleid=2361473. Retrieved 2008-11-06. 
3. ^ "Lockerbie bomber 'should go free'". BBC News. 2008-11-06. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/south_of_scotland/7712018.stm. Retrieved 2008-11-06. 
4. ^ "Lockerbie bomber bail bid fails". BBC News. 2008-11-14. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/south_of_scotland/7713341.stm. Retrieved 2008-11-14. 
5. ^ "Ruling Given On Bail Application For The Lockerbie Bomber". http://www.zimbio.com/pictures/V3XdBi5oomz/Ruling+Given+Bail+Application+Lockerbie+Bomber/iORkd7CeiUH/Maggie+Scott. Retrieved 2009-02-19. 
6. ^ Brian Donnelly (2009-02-21). "Investigation into Lockerbie evidence ‘is unnecessary’". The Glasgow Herald. http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/news/display.var.2490749.0.Investigation_into_Lockerbie_evidence_is_unnecessary.php. 

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Name	Scott, Margaret
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Date of birth	1960
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