The law officers are the senior legal advisors to His Majesty's Government of the United Kingdom and devolved governments of Northern Ireland,Scotland and Wales. They are variously referred to as the Attorney General,Solicitor General,Lord Advocate,or Advocate General depending on seniority and geography –though other terms are also in use,such as the Counsel General for Wales. Law officers in these roles are distinguished by being political appointees,while also being bound by the duties of independence,justice and confidentiality among the other typical professional commitments of lawyers. These roles do not have any direct oversight of prosecutions nor do they directly lead or influence criminal investigations. This is a distinguishing factor between law officers and the state attorneys general of the United States or US Attorney General.
His Majesty's Advocate,known as the Lord Advocate (Scottish Gaelic:Morair Tagraidh,is the principal legal adviser of both the Scottish Government and the Crown in Scotland for civil and criminal matters that fall within the devolved powers of the Scottish Parliament. The Lord Advocate provides legal advice to the government on its responsibilities,policies,legislation and advising on the legal implications of any proposals brought forward by the government. The Lord Advocate is responsible for all legal advice which is given to the Scottish Government.
His Majesty's Solicitor General for Scotland is one of the Law Officers of the Crown,and the deputy of the Lord Advocate,whose duty is to advise the Scottish Government on Scots Law. They are also responsible for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service which together constitute the Criminal Prosecution Service in Scotland.
The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service is the independent public prosecution service for Scotland,and is a Ministerial Department of the Scottish Government. The department is headed by His Majesty's Lord Advocate,who under the Scottish legal system is responsible for prosecution,along with the sheriffdom procurators fiscal. In Scotland,virtually all prosecution of criminal offences is undertaken by the Crown. Private prosecutions are extremely rare.
Colin Boyd,Baron Boyd of Duncansby,is a former Scottish judge who was a Senator of the College of Justice from June 2012 to June 2024. He was Lord Advocate for Scotland from 24 February 2000 until his resignation on 4 October 2006. On 11 April 2006,Downing Street announced that Colin Boyd would take a seat as a crossbench life peer;however,he took the Labour whip after resigning as Lord Advocate. He was formally introduced in the House of Lords on 3 July 2006. On the day SNP leader Alex Salmond was elected First Minister of Scotland,it was reported that Boyd was quitting the Scottish Bar to become a part-time consultant with public law solicitors Dundas &Wilson. He told the Glasgow Herald,"This is a first. I don't think a Lord Advocate has ever done this—left the Bar and become a solicitor."
Lady Elish Frances Angiolini is a Scottish lawyer who is a Pro Vice Chancellor of the University of Oxford and has served as the Principal of St Hugh's College,Oxford since 2012;she was a candidate in the 2024 University of Oxford Chancellor election. In June 2023,she was appointed to the office of Lord Clerk Register by King Charles III,the first woman to hold the role since its creation in the 13th century.
A procurator fiscal,sometimes called PF or fiscal,is a public prosecutor in Scotland,who has the power to impose fiscal fines. They investigate all sudden and suspicious deaths in Scotland,conduct fatal accident inquiries and handle criminal complaints against the police. They also receive reports from specialist reporting agencies such as His Majesty's Revenue and Customs.
Arthur Campbell Hamilton,Lord Hamilton,,is a Scottish judge and served as Lord Justice General and Lord President of the Court of Session from November 2005 until 8 June 2012,succeeding Lord Cullen.
Events from the year 2006 in Scotland.
John Beckett,Lord Beckett is a Scottish lawyer who was appointed in 2016 as a Senator of the College of Justice,a judge of the Court of Session.
Strathclyde Law School was established in 1964 and operates within the Faculty of Humanities &Social Sciences at the University of Strathclyde,in Glasgow,Scotland.
Alastair Peter Campbell,Lord Bracadale is a retired senior Scottish judge.
The World's End Murders is the colloquial name given to the murder of two girls,Christine Eadie,17,and Helen Scott,17,in Edinburgh,in October 1977. The case is so named because both victims were last seen alive leaving The World's End pub in Edinburgh's Old Town. The only person to stand trial accused of the murders,Angus Robertson Sinclair,was acquitted in 2007 in controversial circumstances. Following the amendment of the law of double jeopardy,which would have prevented his retrial,Sinclair was retried in October 2014 and convicted of both murders on 14 November 2014. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 37 years,the longest sentence by a Scottish court,meaning he would have been 106 years old when he was eligible for a potential release on parole. He died at HM Prison Glenochil aged 73 on 11 March 2019. Coincidentally,he died on the same day the BBC's Crimewatch Roadshow programme profiled the murders.
William Austin Nimmo Smith is a former Senator of the College of Justice,a judge of the Supreme Courts of Scotland,sitting in the High Court of Justiciary and the Inner House of the Court of Session. He retired from this position on 30 September 2009.
Matthew Gerard Clarke,Lord Clarke,PC was a Senator of the College of Justice,a judge of the Supreme Courts of Scotland,sitting in the High Court of Justiciary and the Inner House of the Court of Session.
Dorothy Ruth Bain is a Scottish advocate who has served as Lord Advocate since 2021. She is the second woman to hold the office after Lady Elish Angiolini KC. Bain previously served as the Principal Advocate Depute from 2009 to 2011,the first woman to hold the prosecutorial position in Scotland.
Lesley Thomson is a Scottish lawyer who served as the Solicitor General for Scotland from 2011 to 2016. She was appointed to the office on 19 May 2011,after the Scottish Parliament election,succeeding Frank Mulholland who was promoted to Lord Advocate.
John Millar,Lord Craighill (1817–1888) was a Scottish lawyer and judge. He served two brief terms as Solicitor General for Scotland and in 1874 was appointed a Senator of the College of Justice.
Alison Di RolloKC (née Lafferty) is a Scottish advocate who served as Solicitor General for Scotland from 2016 to 2021.
Sean Smith,Lord Harrower is a Scottish judge who has been a Senator of the College of Justice since February 2020.
