When Jean Clark died in 2001, in addition to the annual award of grants in order to contribute to the development of the Scottish legal system, the Trustees decided that the Jean Clark lectures should be established in her memory.
The Foundation was honoured that the latest Jean Clark Memorial Lecture was delivered by The Right Honourable Lord Hodge, Deputy President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom on Thursday 4 November 2021.
This special lecture was arranged in conjunction with SYLA and the WS Society to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Clark Foundation. The on-line event was chaired by John Fulton WS, Chair of the Foundation, and more than 200 attended.
Patrick Stewart Hodge, Lord Hodge, was appointed Deputy President of the Supreme Court in January 2020.
Lord Hodge was admitted to the Faculty of Advocates in 1983 and appointed a Queen’s Counsel in 1996. From 1997 to 2003, he was a part time Law Commissioner at the Scottish Law Commission. From 2000 to 2005 he was a Judge of the Courts of Appeal of Jersey and Guernsey, and Procurator to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. He was a Senator of the College of Justice between 2005 and 2013. In that role he was a Commercial Judge and the Scottish Judge in Exchequer Causes. He also served as one of the Scottish Intellectual Property Judges and as a Judge in the Lands Valuation Appeal Court. Lord Hodge was appointed as a Justice of the Supreme Court on 1 October 2013.
Lord Hodge addressed the audience on the importance of embracing developments in technology and societal values to best uphold the rule of law in modern democratic society.