Celebrating LGBTQ+ People in Law

The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service are holding an event celebrating the LGBTQ+ community in law. Join our Lothian and Borders Sheriffdom equality network and Proud in COPFS staff equality network for a special evening of talks.

The event will explore the individual career journeys of speakers Professor Kenneth Norrie, Eilidh Douglas and Gordon Lennox focussing on their personal experiences and reflections of being a part of the LGBTQ+ community within the legal profession. The event will also give you a chance to ask our speakers your questions and gain valuable insights.

The event will be co-chaired by the leads of the two COPFS networks – David Bernard and Mateusz Piskorz.

Afterwards there will be an opportunity for networking followed by light refreshments.

Kenneth Norrie is Professor Emeritus of Law at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. He has very recently retired after 41 years teaching Family Law at various Scottish universities. He has acted as Parliamentary Adviser to the Scottish Parliament on numerous family law Acts, and as an expert witness to the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry. Though he has interests in medical law, personal injury and private international law, his main research interest has long been on Scottish Family Law and he is the author of monographs on the Law of Parent and Child, and a History of Scottish Child Protection Law, as well as books on the law of defamation and on family planning. He has published extensively on same-sex relationships and same-sex parenting, including international recognition of LGBT families. His most recent publication is “What Level of Respect Does Opposition to Same-Sex Marriage Deserve in a Democratic Society?” (2023) 74 Northern Ireland Legal Quarterly 417.

Eilidh (she/her) is a senior associate at CMS specialising in dispute resolution and avoidance in the infrastructure, construction, and energy sectors. She is dual-qualified in English and Scots law and has a wide variety of high-value disputes experience, both in the UK and internationally: litigation in the courts of England and Scotland, international arbitration, and mediation. She has acted for clients and advised on projects in Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.

Eilidh is an advocate for LGBTQ+ rights both within and outwith CMS. She is a member of CMS’s LGBTQ+ staff network and the Glass Network, a network founded for LGBTQ+ legal professionals in Scotland, and is a former Vice Chair of Equality Network, Scotland’s national LGBTQ+ equality and human rights charity. Eilidh is also a regular broadcast media commentator, appearing on the likes of BBC’s Question Time and Debate Night, STV’s Scotland Tonight, and BBC Radio Scotland’s Shereen.

Gordon is Director of Private Client at Macdonald Henderson in Glasgow as well as being a tutor on the Diploma in Legal Practice at Glasgow University. With many years experience, he regularly advises clients in all aspects of their personal affairs, including Wills, Powers of Attorney, Guardianships, Estate and Succession planning, care home funding and executry matters. Gordon is also a member of the Trust and Succession sub committee and Professional Conduct sub committee at the Law Society of Scotland as well as a member of their Wellbeing Steering Group. He is also a writer to the Signet.

Event Venue

Edinburgh Sheriff Court & Justice of the Peace Court, 27 Chambers Street, Edinburgh, United Kingdom