A new commercial court is being established in the Sheriffdom of North Strathclyde with effect from 1 April 2025.  The court will be administered at Paisley Sheriff Court to hear commercial actions from any part of the Sheriffdom under the procedures set out in Chapter 40 of the Ordinary Cause Rules. 

Sheriff Gillian Craig and Sheriff Jamie Varney have been designated as commercial sheriffs to lead the new court from the outset and details of its procedures and practice are contained in a Sheriffdom Practice Note (No. 1 of 2025) which is available online.

Sheriff Principal Sean Murphy KC said: “This is an important development which will enable the courts of North Strathclyde to provide a specific and expeditious service to the business community in and around the Sheriffdom.  I hope that practitioners will take full advantage of this opportunity to have commercial actions heard locally and speedily before a specially designated sheriff with significant expertise in commercial litigation.”