He has been Sheriff of Ayr and Bute (1972 to 1973),[2] Dean of the Faculty of Advocates (1973 to 1976),[3] and a Senator of the College of Justice on 17 November 1976.
Ross also received an Honorary Doctorate from Heriot-Watt University in 1988[6] In 1990 and 1991 he was Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.
He became a Privy Counsellor in 1985 and was elected fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1988, where he was Vice-President from 1999 until 2002.
He is currently the Honorary President of The Dundee High School Old Boys' Club.
He sentenced paedophile Bill Kelly, who pleaded guilty to 14 charges of indecent sexual assault on children, to a custodial sentence of 12 months as he deemed the victims to "not have suffered long term damage".