James Arthur David Hope, Baron Hope of Craighead (born 27 June 1938) is a retired Scottish judge who served as the Lord President of the Court of Session and Lord Justice General, Scotland's most senior judge, and later as first Deputy President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom from 2009 until his retirement in 2013. He had previously been the Second Senior Lord of Appeal in Ordinary. He is the Chief Justice of Abu Dhabi Global Market Courts.
He has published 5 volumes of his diaries, archived his papers at the National Library of Scotland, and been involved in numerous controversies. He continues in private practice as an arbitrator. His other appointments have included Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, and Convenor of the Crossbench peers in the House of Lords.
A descendant of Charles Hope, Lord Granton, Lord President of the Court of Session from 1811 to 1841, through his third son, David Hope was born on 27 June 1938 to Edinburgh lawyer Arthur Henry Cecil Hope, OBE, WS and Muriel Ann Neilson Hope (née Collie). He was educated at Edinburgh Academy and Rugby School. He completed National Service as an officer with the Seaforth Highlanders, between 1957 and 1959, where he reached the rank of lieutenant. In 1959 he commenced his studies as an Open Scholar at St John's College, Cambridge where he read classics. He graduated with a B.A. degree in 1962. He then returned to Scotland and studied at the Faculty of Law of the University of Edinburgh, graduating LL.B. in 1965.
In 1966, Hope married Katharine Mary Kerr, daughter of solicitor Mark Kerr WS, with whom he has twin sons and a daughter. Lord Hope of Craighead resides in Edinburgh and in 2014 appeared in a television documentary programme about Moray Place.
Hope was admitted as an advocate in 1965 and became a Queen's Counsel in 1978. He served as Standing Junior Counsel in Scotland to the Board of the Inland Revenue from 1974 to 1978, and as an Advocate Depute from 1978 to 1982, prosecuting cases on behalf of the Crown. Between 1985 and 1986, he was Chairman of the Medical Appeal Tribunal and the Pensions Appeal Tribunal. From 1986 to 1989 he was Dean of the Faculty of Advocates. He is an Honorary Bencher of Gray's Inn.
In 1989, Hope became a Senator of the College of Justice, taking the judicial title Lord Hope, and was appointed directly from the practising Bar to the offices of Lord President of the Court of Session and Lord Justice General. He was made a Privy Counsellor at this time, and was awarded a life peerage in the 1995 New Year Honours. His title was gazetted as Baron Hope of Craighead, of Bamff in the District of Perth and Kinross on 28 February 1995. In 1996, Lord Hope of Craighead retired as Lord President to become a Lord of Appeal in Ordinary, and was succeeded by Lord Rodger of Earlsferry. On 21 April 2009, he was appointed Second Senior Law Lord, succeeding Lord Hoffmann. On 1 October 2009, Hope became one of the first Justices of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, and its first Deputy President. He retired from that position on 26 June 2013.
Positions after retirement from UK Bench
Lord Hope of Craighead, having retired from the Bench in the UK, became available privately as a practising arbitrator. In October 2013 he joined Brick Court chambers in London as an arbitrator. Additionally he joined Terra Firma chambers in Edinburgh as an arbitrator from June 2023.
From October 2015 to December 2023 and continuing, Lord Hope of Craighead served as remunerated Chief Justice of Abu Dhabi Global Market Courts. In 2024 in the House of Lords Register of Interests he declared an income of £257,000 for the period 1 January – 31 December 2023 for performing his duties.
In November 2014 it was announced that Lord Hope of Craighead would be appointed as Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 2015. This position ceased to be occupied by him after 27 May 2016.
He served as Convenor of the Crossbench peers in the House of Lords from 2015 to 2019.
On 20 March 2024, Lord Hope, as an independent peer successfully moved in the House of Lords an amendment of his own to the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill whereby implementation of the legislation would be delayed pending the decision of a proposed panel of experts tasked with deciding whether Rwanda satisfied certain safeguarding criteria. The amendment was removed by the House of Commons on Monday 15 April 2024 but reinstated in substance once again by the House of Lords on Wednesday 17 April 2024. Speaking on the BBC radio programme "Today" on 18 April 2024, Lord Hope of Craighead defended his intervention on the basis that he was seeking to correct a defect in the legislation.
Lord Hope of Craighead's Historical Archives
In November 2014, Lord Hope of Craighead donated to the National Library of Scotland 16 boxes containing 90 files spanning the period 1953 - 2014. Access to all these documents is unrestricted. The Inventory references: 1-79 Professional Papers (1-46 Advocate's Opinions, 1978–1989; 47-55 Dean of Faculty Notes and Draft Letters, 1986–1989; 56-78 Judicial Opinions, 1989–1994; 79 Financial Papers, 1965–1989); 80 Personal Papers, 1959–1962; 81-90 Ephemera, 1953–2014. The first 46 items in the Inventory, Advocate's Opinions, 1978–1989, were produced under legal professional privilege.
Starting in 2018, Lord Hope of Craighead's diaries were published in five volumes. These are:
Senior Counsel 1978–1986: Lord Hope's Diaries Volume I
Dean of Faculty 1986–1989: Lord Hope's Diaries Volume II
Lord President 1989–1996: Lord Hope's Diaries Volume III