If you wanted to identify the ideal judge you just had to watch and listen to my friend Colin Mackay, a high court judge between 2001 and 2013, who has died aged 82.
His authority was cloaked in unassuming sympathy. He had no need to trumpet his undoubted intellect or forensic skills. He provided a forum where advocates and witnesses could give their best because they admired and respected the quiet assurance Colin displayed.
