Paul Cullen, Lord Pentland
Encyclopedia
Paul Benedict Cullen, Lord Pentland (11 March 1957) is a former Solicitor General for Scotland
and a Senator of the College of Justice
, a judge of the country's Supreme Courts
.
, Northumberland
, he was educated at St Augustine's High School, Edinburgh
and at the School of Law
of the University of Edinburgh
.
in 1982, and tutored part-time at the Faculty of Law
at the University of Edinburgh
from 1982 to 1986, when he was elected Clerk of the Faculty of Advocates, serving until 1991. He was Standing Junior Counsel to the Department of the Environment
in Scotland from 1988–91 and appointed an Advocate Depute in 1992, becoming a Queen's Counsel
in 1995. A member of the Conservative Party
, he became Solicitor General for Scotland
, the junior Law Officer in Scotland, in 1995, when Donald Mackay
succeeded Lord Rodger of Earlsferry
as Lord Advocate
, the senior Law Officer. He held this post until the Labour
election victory in 1997
, when he was succeeded by Colin Boyd
, who would later become Lord Advocate.
He was the Chairman of the public inquiry into the Gilmerton Limestone Emergency in 2001-2002, and has been Chairman of the Appeal Committee of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland
and of the Police Appeals Tribunal. In 2003, The Scotsman
named him the seventieth highest earner in Scotland, and third highest earner at the Bar
, after Richard Keen
QC (who was sixty-first with earnings of £600,000 and now Dean of the Faculty) and Michael Jones QC (who was fifty-fifth with earnings of £750,000). He was involved in a number of high-profile cases, including the Countryside Alliance
challenge to the Scottish fox-hunting ban
, judicial review connected to the Stockline Plastics factory explosion
, and the first two appeals to the Inner House
of the Court of Session
under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002
and the first such appeal to the House of Lords
.
and contested Eastwood
at the 1997 General Election
, but was unsuccessful. No Conservative MPs were returned from Scottish constituencies at that election. Cullen has been Vice-President of the Edinburgh South Conservative Association since 1997, and represented the Scottish Conservative Party on the Consultative Steering Group in 1998-99 which helped prepare procedures for the new Scottish Parliament
. He was appointed Chairman of the Disciplinary Panel of the Scottish Conservatives in 2000.
, a judge of the High Court of Justiciary
and Court of Session
, the Supreme Courts of Scotland. He took the judicial title, Lord Pentland, and presently sits in the Outer House
of the Court of Session.
.
Solicitor General for Scotland
Her Majesty's Solicitor General for Scotland is one of the Law Officers of the Crown, and the deputy of the Lord Advocate, whose duty is to advise the Crown and the Scottish Government on Scots Law...
and a Senator of the College of Justice
Senator of the College of Justice
The Senators of the College of Justice are judges of the College of Justice, a set of legal institutions involved in the administration of justice in Scotland. There are three types of Senator: Lords of Session ; Lords Commissioner of Justiciary ; and the Chairman of the Scottish Land Court...
, a judge of the country's Supreme Courts
College of Justice
The College of Justice is a term used to describe the Supreme Courts of Scotland, and its associated bodies.The constituent bodies of the supreme courts of Scotland are the Court of Session, the High Court of Justiciary, and the Accountant of Court's Office...
.
Early life
Born in GosforthGosforth
Gosforth is an area of Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England, United Kingdom, to the north of the city centre. Gosforth constituted an urban district from 1895 to 1974, when it became part of the City of Newcastle upon Tyne. It has a population of 23,620...
, Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
, he was educated at St Augustine's High School, Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
and at the School of Law
University of Edinburgh School of Law
The University of Edinburgh School of Law, founded in 1707, is a school within the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, dedicated to research and teaching in law. Known today as Edinburgh Law School, it is located in the historic Old College, the original site of the University...
of the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
.
Legal career
Cullen was admitted to the Faculty of AdvocatesFaculty of Advocates
The Faculty of Advocates is an independent body of lawyers who have been admitted to practise as advocates before the courts of Scotland, especially the Court of Session and the High Court of Justiciary...
in 1982, and tutored part-time at the Faculty of Law
University of Edinburgh School of Law
The University of Edinburgh School of Law, founded in 1707, is a school within the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, dedicated to research and teaching in law. Known today as Edinburgh Law School, it is located in the historic Old College, the original site of the University...
at the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
from 1982 to 1986, when he was elected Clerk of the Faculty of Advocates, serving until 1991. He was Standing Junior Counsel to the Department of the Environment
Secretary of State for the Environment
The Secretary of State for the Environment was a UK cabinet position, responsible for the Department of the Environment . This was created by Edward Heath as a combination of the Ministry of Housing and Local Government, the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Public Building and Works on 15...
in Scotland from 1988–91 and appointed an Advocate Depute in 1992, becoming a Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
in 1995. A member of the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
, he became Solicitor General for Scotland
Solicitor General for Scotland
Her Majesty's Solicitor General for Scotland is one of the Law Officers of the Crown, and the deputy of the Lord Advocate, whose duty is to advise the Crown and the Scottish Government on Scots Law...
, the junior Law Officer in Scotland, in 1995, when Donald Mackay
Donald Mackay, Baron Mackay of Drumadoon
Donald Sage Mackay, Baron Mackay of Drumadoon, PC, QC is a judge of the Supreme Courts of Scotland, and a former Lord Advocate, the country's senior Law Officer. He is one of five additional Lords of Appeal in the House of Lords....
succeeded Lord Rodger of Earlsferry
Alan Rodger, Baron Rodger of Earlsferry
Alan Ferguson Rodger, Baron Rodger of Earlsferry, FRSE, FBA, PC was a Scottish lawyer and Justice of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom....
as Lord Advocate
Lord Advocate
Her Majesty's Advocate , known as the Lord Advocate , is the chief legal officer of the Scottish Government and the Crown in Scotland for both civil and criminal matters that fall within the devolved powers of the Scottish Parliament...
, the senior Law Officer. He held this post until the Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
election victory in 1997
United Kingdom general election, 1997
The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general...
, when he was succeeded by Colin Boyd
Colin Boyd, Baron Boyd of Duncansby
Colin Boyd, Baron Boyd of Duncansby, PC, QC, was Lord Advocate for Scotland from 24 February 2000 until his resignation on 4 October 2006. On 11 April 2006, Downing Street announced that Colin Boyd would take a seat as a crossbench life peer; however he took the Labour whip after resigning as...
, who would later become Lord Advocate.
He was the Chairman of the public inquiry into the Gilmerton Limestone Emergency in 2001-2002, and has been Chairman of the Appeal Committee of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland
Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland
The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland is the Scottish professional body of Chartered Accountants . It is a regulator, educator and influencer.ICAS act as a thought leader and voice of the professional business community...
and of the Police Appeals Tribunal. In 2003, The Scotsman
The Scotsman
The Scotsman is a British newspaper, published in Edinburgh.As of August 2011 it had an audited circulation of 38,423, down from about 100,000 in the 1980s....
named him the seventieth highest earner in Scotland, and third highest earner at the Bar
Faculty of Advocates
The Faculty of Advocates is an independent body of lawyers who have been admitted to practise as advocates before the courts of Scotland, especially the Court of Session and the High Court of Justiciary...
, after Richard Keen
Richard Keen
Richard Sanderson Keen QC is a Scottish lawyer and Dean of the Faculty of Advocates.-Early life:Keen was educated at The King's School, Rochester and Dollar Academy, both prestigious independent schools, and studied at the School of Law of the University of Edinburgh, where he was a Beckman scholar...
QC (who was sixty-first with earnings of £600,000 and now Dean of the Faculty) and Michael Jones QC (who was fifty-fifth with earnings of £750,000). He was involved in a number of high-profile cases, including the Countryside Alliance
Countryside Alliance
The Countryside Alliance is a British organisation promoting issues relating to the countryside such as country sports, including hunting, shooting and angling...
challenge to the Scottish fox-hunting ban
Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Act 2002
The Protection of Wild Mammals Act was passed by the devolved Scottish parliament in February 2002, making Scotland the first part of the United Kingdom to ban traditional fox hunting and hare coursing.-Passage of the Act:...
, judicial review connected to the Stockline Plastics factory explosion
Stockline Plastics factory explosion
On May 11, 2004, the ICL Plastics factory , in the Woodside district of Glasgow in western Scotland, exploded. Nine people were killed, including two company directors, and 33 injured, 15 seriously...
, and the first two appeals to the Inner House
Inner House
The Inner House is the senior part of the Court of Session, the supreme civil court in Scotland; the Outer House forms the junior part of the Court of Session. It is a court of appeal and a court of first instance...
of the Court of Session
Court of Session
The Court of Session is the supreme civil court of Scotland, and constitutes part of the College of Justice. It sits in Parliament House in Edinburgh and is both a court of first instance and a court of appeal....
under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002
Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002
The Freedom of Information Act 2002 was an Act of the Scottish Parliament passed in 2002. It covers public bodies over which the Scottish Parliament has jurisdiction, fulfilling a similar purpose to the UK-level Freedom of Information Act 2000...
and the first such appeal to the House of Lords
Judicial functions of the House of Lords
The House of Lords, in addition to having a legislative function, historically also had a judicial function. It functioned as a court of first instance for the trials of peers, for impeachment cases, and as a court of last resort within the United Kingdom. In the latter case the House's...
.
Political career
Cullen is a member of the Conservative PartyConservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
and contested Eastwood
East Renfrewshire (UK Parliament constituency)
East Renfrewshire is a constituency of the British House of Commons, located in Scotland to the south of Glasgow. It elects one Member of Parliament at least once every five years using the First-past-the-post system of voting....
at the 1997 General Election
United Kingdom general election, 1997
The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general...
, but was unsuccessful. No Conservative MPs were returned from Scottish constituencies at that election. Cullen has been Vice-President of the Edinburgh South Conservative Association since 1997, and represented the Scottish Conservative Party on the Consultative Steering Group in 1998-99 which helped prepare procedures for the new Scottish Parliament
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...
. He was appointed Chairman of the Disciplinary Panel of the Scottish Conservatives in 2000.
The Bench
In November 2008, Cullen was appointed a Senator of the College of JusticeSenator of the College of Justice
The Senators of the College of Justice are judges of the College of Justice, a set of legal institutions involved in the administration of justice in Scotland. There are three types of Senator: Lords of Session ; Lords Commissioner of Justiciary ; and the Chairman of the Scottish Land Court...
, a judge of the High Court of Justiciary
High Court of Justiciary
The High Court of Justiciary is the supreme criminal court of Scotland.The High Court is both a court of first instance and a court of appeal. As a court of first instance, the High Court sits mainly in Parliament House, or in the former Sheriff Court building, in Edinburgh, but also sits from time...
and Court of Session
Court of Session
The Court of Session is the supreme civil court of Scotland, and constitutes part of the College of Justice. It sits in Parliament House in Edinburgh and is both a court of first instance and a court of appeal....
, the Supreme Courts of Scotland. He took the judicial title, Lord Pentland, and presently sits in the Outer House
Outer House
The Outer House is one of the two parts of the Scottish Court of Session, which is the supreme civil court in Scotland. It is a court of first instance, although some statutory appeals are remitted to it by the other more senior part, the Inner House...
of the Court of Session.
Personal life
Cullen is married to Joyce Nicol, Chairman of Brodies LLP (1983), with whom he has two sons and a daughter. He plays tennis and bridge, and is a member of the New ClubNew Club
The New Club, established in 1787, is a private club in the New Town area of Edinburgh, Scotland.The Club originally met in Bayle's Tavern in Shakespeare Square at the east end of Princes Street. It then acquired its own premises in St Andrew's Square before moving to its present site at 86 Princes...
.