1(1)A person is not eligible for appointment as President unless—
(a)he has a 10 year general qualification;
(b)he is an advocate or solicitor in Scotland of at least 10 years’ standing; or
(c)he is a member of the Bar of Northern Ireland or solicitor of the Supreme Court of Northern Ireland of at least 10 years’ standing;
and he appears to the Lord Chancellor to have appropriate experience and knowledge of competition law and practice.
(2)A person is not eligible for appointment as a chairman unless—
(a)he has a 7 year general qualification;
(b)he is an advocate or solicitor in Scotland of at least 7 years’ standing; or
(c)he is a member of the Bar of Northern Ireland or solicitor of the Supreme Court of Northern Ireland of at least 7 years’ standing;
and he appears to the Lord Chancellor to have appropriate experience and knowledge (either of competition law and practice or any other relevant law and practice).
(3)Before appointing an advocate or solicitor in Scotland under this paragraph, the Lord Chancellor must consult the Lord President of the Court of Session.
(4)In this paragraph “general qualification” has the same meaning as in section 71 of the Courts and Legal Services Act 1990 (c. 41).
Textual Amendments applied to the whole legislation
F1Act: for the words "solicitor of the Supreme Court of Northern Ireland" wherever they occur there is substituted (prosp.) the words "solicitor of the Court of Judicature of Northern Ireland" by virtue of Constitutional Reform Act 2005 (c. 4), ss. 59, 148(1), Sch. 11 para. 5 [Editorial Note: this amendment will be carried through into the text of the Act at the same time as any other effects on the Act for the year in which the relevant commencement order (or first such order) is made]