William Prosser, Lord Prosser

William David Prosser, Lord Prosser, PC (1934–2015) was a Scottish judge and an advocate for the arts in Edinburgh.

He was educated at the Edinburgh Academy where he was a senior Ephor (prefect). Prosser read classics at Corpus Christi College, Oxford, where he finished with a double first, and then read law at University of Edinburgh.^[1] For his National Service, he was commissioned into the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders and served in British Guyana.^[2][3]

Prosser married Vanessa Lindsay in 1964. They had two sons and two daughters. Prosser died in March 2015, in Edinburgh, at the age of 80.^[1]

Prosser became an advocate in 1962, and served as Standing Junior Counsel in Scotland for the Board of Inland Revenue (1969–1974. He took silk (became a Queen's Counsel) in 1974, and served as Vice Dean (1979–1983) and then Dean (1983–1986) of the Faculty of Advocates. In 1986, he became a Court of Session judge and served until his retirement in 2001.^[1][3]

Prosser's legal work also included serving on the Scottish Committee of the Council on Tribunals,^[2] as trustee (2002–2007) for the Franco-British Council, and as President of the Franco-British Lawyers’ Society.^[3] He helped the University of the Highlands and Islands gain university status (2011) and served on its court.^[2]

Prosser served as chairman of the Scottish Historic Buildings Trust from 1988 to 1998 where he contributed to saving buildings such as Lady Cathcart House, Ayr; Strathleven House, Dumbartonshire; Auchinleck House, Ayrshire and Law's Close, Kirkcaldy.^[1] He was also chairman of the Royal Fine Art Commission for Scotland (1990–1995), the Royal Lyceum Theatre (chairman, '87-92), the Scottish Architectural Education Trust (1994–2007), and the Sir Walter Scott Club (1993–1996).^[3][2]