| Scottish Land Court | |
|---|---|
.svg) Royal Court of Arms of the United Kingdom as used by the Courts in Scotland | |
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| 55°57′07″N 3°12′18″W / 55.952°N 3.205°W | |
| Established | 1911 |
| Jurisdiction |  Scotland |
| Location | Edinburgh |
| Coordinates | 55°57′07″N 3°12′18″W / 55.952°N 3.205°W |
| Composition method | Appointed by Monarch of the United Kingdom |
| Authorised by | Small Landholders (Scotland) Act 1911, as consolidated by the Scottish Land Court Act 1993. |
| Appeals to | Inner House of the Court of Session |
| Website | http://www.scottish-land-court.org.uk/ |
| Chairman of the Scottish Land Court | |
| Currently | Lord Duthie |
| Since | 9 January 2023 |
| Deputy Chairman | |
| Currently | Vacant |
| Part of a series on |
| Scots law |
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The Scottish Land Court (Scottish Gaelic: Cùirt an Fhearainn na h-Alba) is a Scottish court of law based in Edinburgh with subject-matter jurisdiction covering disputes between landlords and tenants relating to agricultural tenancies, and matters related to crofts and crofters. The Scottish Land Court is both a trial court and an appeal court; hearings at first-instance are often heard by a Divisional Court of one of the Agricultural Members advised by the Principal Clerk. Decisions of the Divisional Court can be appealed to the Full Court, which will consist of at least one legally qualified judicial member and the remaining Agricultural Member. Some cases are heard at first-instance by the Full Court, and these cases may be appealed to the Inner House of the Court of Session.
The Chairman of the Scottish Land Court is ranked as a Senator of the College of Justice, and is required to be meet the same eligibility criteria as a Senator.[note 1] The Scottish Land Court has a legally qualified Deputy Chairman, with several Agricultural Members. The Agricultural Members (also called "practical Members") are lay (not legally qualified) members of the Court with significant experience of agriculture. They deal with many crofting cases, and sit in the Divisional Court, where they are supported by the Principal Clerk as legal assessor. However, the decisions of the Divisional Court rest with the Agricultural Member. The Court holds hearings throughout Scotland, and cases can be heard before a divisional court (consisting of one of the Agricultural Members), or the full court (consisting of the Agricultural Members and the legally qualified members.)
The court was established on 1 April 1912 under section 3 of the Small Landholders (Scotland) Act 1911, which was consolidated by the Scottish Land Court Act 1993. The current chairman is Lord Duthie who was appointed on 9 January 2023.[1]
Cite error: There are <ref group=note> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=note}} template (see the help page).
- ^ "Senators of the College of Justice". Retrieved 9 February 2023.
Lord Duthie is the Chair of the Scottish Land Court and President of the Lands Tribunal for Scotland. He was appointed to these positions on 9 January 2023.".