Hector L MacQueen

Hector MacQueen is a publicly appointed Scottish Law Commissioner, legal scholar and leading expert on intellectual property. He is Vice President (Humanities) of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and a trustee and former executive director of the Scottish neoliberal think tank, the David Hume Institute (DHI).

A member of the Edinburgh University Law School staff since 1979, MacQueen has taken a leave of absence from his post as Professor of Private Law to carry out his full-time duties at the Scottish Law Commission until 2014. This independent law reform body makes recommendations to improve, simplify and update the laws of Scotland. Its appointments are ‘made on merit and political activity plays no part in the process’ however appointees must publicly declare any political activity, in line with the Nolan recommendations. A Scottish government press release announcing MacQueen’s selection in September 2009 stated neither he nor another appointee had undertaken any political activities over the past five years. He is paid £105,668 per annum.<ref>Scottish Government news release, Scottish Law Commission, 28/09/09, accessed 10 June 2010. link title