22nd Kilbrandon Lecture : 'Who then, in law, is my parent'

It is an immense honour to have been asked to deliver the 2024 Kilbrandon Lecture. Past lecturers have included politicians, health care professionals, journalists, authors, and the occasional lawyer. Having recently retired from Strathclyde Law School after 33 years there as a child law specialist, I am pleased to note that two of the most eminent lawyers who have been Kilbrandon Lecturers – Lady Elish Angiolini and Lord Hope of Craighead – both have strong connections with Strathclyde. Lady Elish is a graduate of and a visiting professor in our law school, and Lord Hope for many years was Strathclyde University’s Chancellor. 2024 is the year in which both the university and the law school are celebrating their 60th anniversaries, and there is a pleasing symmetry in the fact that 2024 also marks 60 years since the publication of Lord Kilbrandon’s famous Report, which led to the establishment of the children’s hearing system in Scotland.