Robert Sinclair Shiels was born in South Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) in 1953. Prior to attending the University of Glasgow, Robert was a student at Dunfermline High School and the University of Dundee , where he graduated with an MA in 1975 and an LLB in 1977 . After completing an apprenticeship in private practice, he worked briefly as a depute fiscal in Greenock and Falkirk. Robert attended the University of Glasgow from 1979-1981 and from 1984-1987 as a part time research student, and was awarded an LLM for his dissertation on Criminal Responsibility and the Misuse of Drugs Act in February 1983 and a PHD for his dissertation on Sentencing Policy and the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 in July 1888 . He returned to the University of Glasgow from 1990-1991 and was awarded a diploma in Forensic Medicine in September 1991 . He subsequently became a solicitor advocate for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.
From the guide to the Papers of Dr Robert Sinclair Shiels, b1953, law graduate, University of Glasgow, Scotland, 1990-1991, (Glasgow University Archive Services)
