Katy Macfarlane

Katy Macfarlane is a Senior Lecturer in Child and Family Law at the Edinburgh Law School, University of Edinburgh. She holds an LL.B. from the University of Edinburgh (1992) and is a non-practising solicitor with extensive experience in legal education and child welfare advocacy. From 1999 to 2007, she led the Scottish Child Law Centre and currently serves as a Safeguarder in the Children’s Hearing System and a Child Welfare Reporter in Edinburgh Sheriff Court. She is also an experienced mediator and co-editor of the Family Law Bulletin.

Her research focuses on Child and Family Law, Mental Health Law, and legal annotations of Scottish legislation. She has authored key publications such as Children’s Hearings (Scotland) Act 2011 Annotations and contributed to Thomson’s Family Law in Scotland. Her work emphasizes practical legal applications and policy advocacy.

Macfarlane is a Trustee of the Scottish Child Law Centre and participates in government Cross Party Groups on Children and Young People, and Mental Health. She teaches on LLB courses, the Diploma in Professional Legal Practice (DPLP), and Trainee Continuing Professional Development (TCPD).