Hugh Macmillan, Baron Macmillan - Advocate Quotes

6 Sourced Quotes

View all Hugh Macmillan Quotes
A member of the Bar is not entitled to refuse his services to anyone who seeks to employ him. He has been said to be like a cabman on the rank: it is his duty to place himself at the disposal of the first person who hails him and he has no right to exercise any discrimination... This principle also has its origin in the conception of the special position of the advocate in the public administration of justice. It is essential that no citizen should be unable to procure the adequate presentation of his case in Court, however unpopular or even unworthy he may be.

Hugh Macmillan, Baron Macmillan
Thus the facilities (of the Advocates' Library), which in England were provided at the taxpayers' expense in the British Museum, were in Scotland afforded entirely at the cost of the Scottish Bar... Much the greater part of their annual income was expended in maintaining it.

Hugh Macmillan, Baron Macmillan
During the long interval which elapsed before the revival and reconstitution of the Secretary-ship in 1885, the Lord Advocate of the day was really Minister for Scotland. The technical right to control Scottish affairs in their various departments no doubt belonged to the various Ministers of the Crown; but so little was known in London about Scotland and the country was in so distrubed and backward a condition that responsibility was easily devolved upon the only man who knew or cared much about the subject.'

Hugh Macmillan, Baron Macmillan
No question of priority arose to embarrass me in my loyalties to the railway companies until the Parliamentary session of 1924-25... In Scotland the Dean of Faculty [of Advocates] is the deciding authority... He pointed out that the L. M. S. Company which was claiming me was not the L. M. S. Company which had retained me... So I was awarded to the L. N. E. R. and duly appeared in the Committee Rooms on their behalf.

Hugh Macmillan, Baron Macmillan
In a speech which he made in the House of Commons in 1804 the Lord Advocate, Charles Hope, claimed to be not only public prosecutor, coroner's jury, and grand jury, which he undoubtedly was, but also Home Secretary, Privy Council, and Lord-Lieutenant! … The anomalous combination of legal and administrative duties in the person of the Lord Advocate came to an end on the passing, in 1885, of the Secretary for Scotland Act which transferred to the Secretary, now the Secretary of State, for Scotland, most of the responsibility for the administration of Scottish affairs.

Hugh Macmillan, Baron Macmillan
In those days there were no Scottish Q. C. s or K. C. s, though it was customary to confer the rank of Queen's Counsel on the Lord Advocate of the day by admitting him to the English roll of silks... the Scottish roll of Queen's Counsel was instituted... in 1897.

Hugh Macmillan, Baron Macmillan