Solicitor General for Scotland

His Majesty's Solicitor General for Scotland (Template:Langx) 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.

Together with the Lord Advocate, the Solicitor General for Scotland is one of the senior legal advisors to the government in Scotland.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Whilst the Solicitor General for Scotland supports the Lord Advocate in their functions, the Solicitor General may also exercise their statutory and common law powers when necessary.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

History

Until 1999, when the Scottish Parliament and Scottish Executive were created, the Lord Advocate and the Solicitor General for Scotland advised Her Majesty's Government. Since their transfer to the Scottish Government, the British Government has been advised on Scots Law by the Advocate General for Scotland. Until 2007, both the Lord Advocate and the Solicitor General attended the weekly meetings of the Scottish cabinet, until then–First Minister Alex Salmond ended this in an attempt to "de-politicise the post". Both the Lord Advocate and Solicitor General remain members of the Scottish Government as the two senior law officers, and may still attend cabinet meetings if legal issues are expected to arise.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 2021, there were calls for the Scottish Government to review the post of Lord Advocate in its current form, which sees the post holder being the principal legal adviser to the Scottish Government as well as serving as the head of the prosecution's system in Scotland. The Scotland Act 1998 allows for the amendment of both the Lord Advocate and Solicitor General for Scotland's post and functions which would allow the Scottish Government to separate the roles of both prosecutor and the principal government adviser between the two law officer posts – the Lord Advocate and the Solicitor General for Scotland. If such changes were implemented by the Scottish Government to amend the post, it could see that the Lord Advocate continues as the head of Scotland's prosecution service, whilst no longer attending cabinet meetings of the Scottish Government. As a result, the responsibility of principal legal adviser to the Scottish Government would subsequently pass to the Solicitor General for Scotland who would be required to attend cabinet meetings when necessary.<ref name="pressandjournal">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

It has been argued by Scott Crichton Styles of the Press and Journal that the position of Solicitor General and the Lord Advocate will "always be accused of being biased unless the role is changed", citing the legal case HM Advocate v Salmond and the subsequent issues this case caused, considering the Lord Advocate and Solicitor General for Scotland is expected to conduct their duties independent of the government.<ref name="pressandjournal"/> A consultation of Scottish lawyers in 2021 found an overwhelming majority of those asked were in favour of the Lord Advocate's role to be split.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Both the government of Nicola Sturgeon and Sturgeon's successor, the Yousaf government, have committed to a review of the Lord Advocate's by the end of the current Scottish Parliamentary term in 2026.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The current Solicitor General is Ruth Charteris, who is the deputy to the Lord Advocate, Dorothy Bain, since June 2021. The appointment of both Charteris and Bain to the posts of Solicitor General for Scotland and Lord Advocate respectively marks the first time that the two senior law officers in Scotland has been held by women at the same time.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Responsibilities

Ultimately, the office holder of Solicitor General for Scotland is the deputy to the Lord Advocate, and assists the incumbent Lord Advocate in carrying out the duties of their post. Like the Lord Advocate, the Solicitor General is a member of the Scottish Government and one of the Law officers of the Crown in Scotland. The Solicitor General is a member of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, and may be instructed by the First Minister to investigate matters on their behalf rather than the Lord Advocate.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In 2023, the Solicitor General for Scotland was instructed by the incumbent First Minister of Scotland Humza Yousaf to "fully investigate" claims made during the United Kingdom's COVID-19 inquiry regarding messages and WhatsApp messages not being handed over by senior government officials for investigation. Yousaf claimed that it "was his understanding" that all messages required had been handed over for scrutiny during the inquiry, but had confirmed "if there are any concerns raised they will be fully investigated and I will ask the solicitor general to investigate them."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

List of Solicitors General for Scotland

List from 1647. Until 1764, the office was at times held jointly.

Pre-Union

• 1647–1662: Robert Dalgleish<ref name="Walker">Walker, David M., The Oxford Companion to Law, Appendix I, list of Solicitors-General for Scotland, 1660–, pp. 1347–1349.</ref>
• 1662–1684: Sir William Purves (jointly with John Purves 1678–1684, jointly with George Bannerman 1683–1684 but this appointment was ineffective)<ref name="Walker" />
• 1684–1687: George Bannerman and Robert Colt<ref name="Walker" />
• 1687–1689: James Graham<ref name="Walker" />
• 1689–1693: Sir William Lockhart<ref name="Walker" />
• 1693–1696: Sir James Ogilvy<ref name="Walker" />
• 1696–1700: Sir Patrick Hume<ref name="Walker" />
• 1701–1706: Sir David Dalrymple of Hailes<ref name="Walker" />
• 1701–1709: William Carmichael<ref name="Walker" />

Post-Union

• 1709–1714: Thomas Kennedy* & Sir James Steuart, Bt.<ref name="Walker" />
• 1714–1716: John Carnegie of Boyseck<ref name="Walker" />
• 1714–1717: Sir James Steuart, Bt.<ref name="Walker" />
• 1717–1720: Robert Dundas, the elder*<ref name="Walker" />
• 1720–1721: Walter Stewart<ref name="Walker" />
• 1721–1733: John Sinclair<ref name="Walker" />
• 1721–1725: Charles Binning<ref name="Walker" />
• 1725–1737: Charles Erskine*<ref name="Walker" />
• 1737–1742: William Grant of Prestongrange*<ref name="Walker" />
• 1742–1746: Robert Dundas, the younger*<ref name="Walker" />
• 1746–1755: Patrick Haldane of Gleneagles & Alexander Hume<ref name="Walker" />
• 1755–1759: Andrew Pringle of Alemore<ref name="Walker" />
• 1759–1760: Thomas Miller*<ref name="Walker" />
• 1760–1764: James Montgomery* & Francis Garden<ref name="Walker" />
• 1764–1766: James Montgomery*<ref name="Walker" />
• 1766–1775: Henry Dundas*<ref name="Walker" />
• 1775–1783: Alexander Murray<ref name="Walker" />
• 1783: Ilay Campbell*<ref name="Walker" />
• 1783–1784: Alexander Wight<ref name="Walker" />
• 1784–1789: Robert Dundas*<ref name="Walker" />
• 1789–1806: Robert Blair<ref name="Walker" />
• 1806–1807: John Clerk<ref name="Walker" />
• 1807–1811: David Boyle<ref name="Walker" />
• 1811–1813: David Monypenny<ref name="Walker" />
• 1813–1816: Alexander Maconochie*<ref name="Walker" />
• 1816–1822: James Wedderburn<ref name="Walker" />
• 1822–1830: John Hope<ref name="Walker" />
• 1830–1834: Henry Cockburn<ref name="Walker" />
• 1834–1835: Andrew Skene<ref name="Walker" />
• 1835: Duncan McNeill*<ref name="Walker" />
• 1835–1837: John Cunninghame<ref name="Walker" />
• 1837–1839: Andrew Rutherfurd*<ref name="Walker" />
• 1839–1840: James Ivory<ref name="Walker" />
• 1840–1841: Thomas Maitland<ref name="Walker" />
• 1841–1842: Duncan McNeill*<ref name="Walker" />
• 1842–1846: Adam Anderson*<ref name="Walker" />
• 1846–1850: Thomas Maitland<ref name="Walker" />
• 1850–1851: James Moncreiff*<ref name="Walker" />
• 1851: John Cowan<ref name="Walker" />
• 1851–1852: George Deas<ref name="Walker" />
• 1852: John Inglis*<ref name="Walker" />
• 1852–1853: Charles Neaves<ref name="Walker" />
• 1853: Robert Handyside<ref name="Walker" />
• 1853–1855: James Craufurd<ref name="Walker" />
• 1855: Thomas Mackenzie<ref name="Walker" />
• 1855–1858: Edward Maitland<ref name="Walker" />
• 1858: Charles Baillie*<ref name="Walker" />
• 1858–1859: David Mure*<ref name="Walker" />
• 1859: George Patton*<ref name="Walker" />
• 1859–1862: Edward Maitland<ref name="Walker" />
• 1862–1866: George Young*<ref name="Walker" />
• 1866–1867: Edward Strathearn Gordon*<ref name="Walker" />
• 1867–1868: John Millar<ref name="Walker" />
• 1868–1869: George Young*<ref name="Walker" />
• 1869–1874: Andrew Rutherfurd-Clark<ref name="Walker" />
• 1874–1876: John Millar<ref name="Walker" />
• 1874–1876: William Watson*<ref name="Walker" />
• 1876–1880: John Macdonald*<ref name="Walker" />
• 1880–1881: John Balfour*<ref name="Walker" />
• 1881–1885: Alexander Asher<ref name="Walker" />
• 1885–1886: James Robertson*<ref name="Walker" />
• 1886: Alexander Asher<ref name="Walker" />
• 1886–1888: James Robertson*<ref name="Walker" />
• 1888–1890: Moir Tod Stormonth Darling<ref name="Walker" />
• 1890: Sir Charles Pearson*<ref name="Walker" />
• 1891–1892: Andrew Murray*<ref name="Walker" />
• 1892–1894: Alexander Asher<ref name="Walker" />
• 1894–1895: Thomas Shaw*<ref name="Walker" />
• 1895–1896: Andrew Murray*<ref name="Walker" />
• 1896–1903: Charles Dickson*<ref name="Walker" />
• 1903–1905: David Dundas<ref name="Walker" />
• 1905: Edward Theodore Salvesen<ref name="Walker" />
• October 1905: James Avon Clyde*<ref name="gazette-1905-clyde-sol-gen">Template:London Gazette</ref>
• December 1905: Alexander Ure*<ref name="gazette-1905-ure-sol-gen">Template:London Gazette</ref>
• February 1909: Arthur Dewar<ref name="gazette-1909-dewar-sol-gen">Template:London Gazette</ref>
• April 1910: William Hunter<ref name="gazette-1910-hunter-solgen">Template:London Gazette</ref>
• December 1911: Andrew Anderson<ref name="gazette-dec-1911-anderson-sol-gen">Template:London Gazette</ref>
• October 1913: Thomas Brash Morison*<ref name="gazette-nov-1913-sol-gen">Template:London Gazette</ref>
• 1920: Charles David Murray*<ref name="gazette-1920-solgen">Template:London Gazette</ref>
• March 1922 – July 1922: Andrew Constable<ref name="gazette-mar-1922-sol-gen">Template:London Gazette</ref>
• July 1922 – November 1922: William Watson*<ref name="gazette-july-1922-watson-sol-gen">Template:London Gazette</ref>
• November 1922: David Fleming<ref name="gazette-nov-1922-sol-gen">Template:London Gazette</ref>
• April 1923: Frederick Thomson<ref name="gazette-apr-1923-sol-gen">Template:London Gazette</ref>
• February 1924: John Charles Fenton<ref name="gazette-feb-1924-fenton-sol-gen">Template:London Gazette</ref>
• November 1924: David Fleming<ref name="gazette-nov-1924-sol-gen">Template:London Gazette</ref>
• 1925: Alexander Munro MacRobert*<ref name="gazette-1926-sol-gen">Template:London Gazette</ref>
• 1929: Wilfrid Normand*<ref name="gazette-may-1929-sol-gen">Template:London Gazette</ref>
• 1929: John Charles Watson<ref name="gazette-jun-1929-sol-gen">Template:London Gazette</ref>
• 1931: Wilfrid Normand*<ref name="gazette-nov-1931-normand-sol-gen">Template:London Gazette</ref>
• 1933: Douglas Jamieson*<ref name="gazette-oct-1933-jamieson-sol-gen">Template:London Gazette</ref>
• 1935: Thomas Mackay Cooper<ref name="gazette-may-1935-solgen">Template:London Gazette</ref>
• 1935: Albert Russell<ref name="gazette-dec-1935-solgen">Template:London Gazette</ref>
• 1936: James Reid<ref name="gazette-1936-solgen">Template:London Gazette</ref>
• 1941: Sir David King Murray<ref name="gazette-1941-solgen">Template:London Gazette</ref>
• 1945: Daniel Blades<ref name="gazette-sept-1945-solgen">Template:London Gazette</ref>
• 1947: John Wheatley<ref name="gazette-march-1947-solgen">Template:London Gazette</ref>*
• 1947: Douglas Johnston<ref name="gazette-oct-1947-solgen">Template:London Gazette</ref>
• 1951: William Rankine Milligan<ref name="gazette-1951-solgen">Template:London Gazette</ref>*
• 1955: William Grant<ref name="gazette-1955-solgen">Template:London Gazette</ref>*
• 1960: David Anderson<ref name="gazette-1960-solgen">Template:London Gazette</ref>
• 1964: Norman Wylie<ref name="gazette-april-1964-solgen">Template:London Gazette</ref>* (April to October)
• 1964: James Graham Leechman<ref name="gazette-oct-1964-solgen">Template:London Gazette</ref>
• 1965: Henry Wilson*<ref name="gazette-1965-solgen">Template:London Gazette</ref>
• 1967: Ewan George Francis Stewart<ref name="gazette-1967-solgen">Template:London Gazette</ref>
• 1970: David William Robert Brand<ref name="gazette-1970-sol-gen">Template:London Gazette</ref>
• 1972: William Stewart<ref name="gazette-1972-solgen">Template:London Gazette</ref>
• 1974: Lord McCluskey<ref name="gazette-1974-solgen">Template:London Gazette</ref>
• 1979: Nicholas Fairbairn<ref name="gazette-1979-sol-gen">Template:London Gazette</ref>
• 1982: Peter Fraser*
• 1989: Alan Rodger*
• 1992: Thomas Dawson
• 1995: Donald Mackay*
• 1995: Paul Cullen
• 1997: Colin Boyd*

Post-–devolution

• 2000: Neil Davidson
• 2001: Elish Angiolini*
• 2006: John Beckett
• 2007: Frank Mulholland*
• 2011: Lesley Thomson<ref name="bbc-2011-cabinet">Template:Cite news</ref>
• 2016: Alison Di Rollo<ref name="scotsman-law-off-2016-06-01">Template:Cite news</ref>
• 2021: Ruth Charteris

* = served later as Lord Advocate

Sources

• Most of the above list is taken from Haydn's Book of Dignities, 12th edition (1894, reprinted 1969) and from Oxford Companion to Law, Clarendon Press, 1980.

External links

• Solicitor General on the Scottish Government website
• Law officers on the Scottish Parliament website