Section 35 – Designation of specialist judiciary
63.Once categories of cases for specialist treatment have been determined by the Lord President, section 35 permits a sheriff principal to designate one or more sheriffs or summary sheriffs as specialists in one or more of those categories. Under subsections (5) and (6), the Lord President is similarly permitted to designate one or more part-time sheriffs or part-time summary sheriffs as specialists in cases falling within designated categories and which are within the competence of those judicial officers.
64.Subsection (7) provides that the designation of a judicial officer as a specialist in one of the categories determined by the Lord President does not affect that officer’s ability to deal with cases other than those in relation to which they have been designated as specialist, nor does it mean that a judicial officer who has not been designated as a specialist cannot deal with a matter that falls within a specialisation.