, body = , insignia = Crest of the Kingdom of Scotland.svg , insigniasize = 110px , image = File:Official Portrait of Ruth Charteris QC.png , incumbent =

Ruth Charteris Ruth Barbara Charteris KC (born 1973) is a Scottish advocate who has served as Solicitor General for Scotland since 2021. Education Charteris studied at the University of Glasgow School of Law, where she gained an LL.B (Hons) and a diplom ...

KC , incumbentsince = 22 June 2021 , department =

Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service 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 ...

, appointer =

Monarch A monarch is a head of stateWebster's II New College DictionarMonarch Houghton Mifflin. Boston. 2001. p. 707. for life or until abdication, and therefore the head of state of a monarchy. A monarch may exercise the highest authority and power i ...

on the advice of the First Minister , termlength = , succession = , website
Scottish Government Solicitor General
His Majesty's Solicitor General for Scotland ('' gd, Àrd-neach-lagha a' Chrùin an Alba'') is one of the Law Officers of the Crown, and the deputy of the

Lord Advocate His Majesty's Advocate, known as the Lord Advocate ( gd, Morair Tagraidh, sco, Laird Advocat), is the chief legal officer of the Scottish Government and the Crown in Scotland for both civil and criminal matters that fall within the devolved p ...

, whose duty is to advise the Scottish Government on Scots Law. They are also responsible for the

which together constitute the Criminal Prosecution Service in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

. Until 1999, when the Scottish Parliament and Scottish Executive were created, the

and the Solicitor General for Scotland advised

Her Majesty's Government ga, Rialtas a Shoilse gd, Riaghaltas a Mhòrachd , image = HM Government logo.svg , image_size = 220px , image2 = Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government).svg , image_size2 = 180px , caption = Royal Arms , date_est ...

. Since their transfer to the Scottish Government, the British Government has been advised on Scots Law by the Advocate General for Scotland. The current Solicitor General is

KC, who is the deputy to the Lord Advocate, Dorothy Bain KC since June 2021. This is the first time in history both offices have been filled by two women.

List of Solicitors General for Scotland

List from 1696. Until 1764, the office was at times held jointly.

Pre-Union

*1696–1700: Sir Patrick Hume *1701–1706: Sir David Dalrymple of Hailes *1701–1709: William Carmichael

Post-Union

*1709–1714: Thomas Kennedy* & Sir James Steuart, Bt. *1714–1716: John Carnegie of Boyseck *1714–1717: Sir James Steuart, Bt. *1717–1720: Robert Dundas, the elder* *1720–1721: Walter Stewart *1721–1733: John Sinclair *1721–1725:

Charles Binning Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was "f ...

*1725–1737: Charles Erskine* *1737: William Grant of Prestongrange* *1742: Robert Dundas, the younger* *1746:

Patrick Haldane Rev Patrick Haldane of Gleneagles MP (1683–1769) was a Scottish classicist, advocate, politician and judge. Life He was born the second son of John Haldane of Gleneagles, M.P., and the younger brother of Mungo Haldane. He was educated at ...

of Gleneagles & Alexander Hume *1755: Andrew Pringle of Alemore *1759: Thomas Miller* *1760: James Montgomery* & Francis Garden *1764: James Montgomery* *1766:

Henry Dundas Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville, PC, FRSE (28 April 1742 – 28 May 1811), styled as Lord Melville from 1802, was the trusted lieutenant of British Prime Minister William Pitt and the most powerful politician in Scotland in the late 18t ...

* *1775: Alexander Murray *1783: Ilay Campbell* & Alexander Wight *1784: Robert Dundas* *1789: Robert Blair *1806: John Clerk *1807: David Boyle *1811: David Monypenny *1813: Alexander Maconochie* *1816: James Wedderburn *1822: John Hope *1830: Henry Cockburn *1834:

Andrew Skene Andrew Skene FRSE (1784–1835) was a Scottish advocate who rose to the highest level for his profession: Solicitor General for Scotland. Life He was born in Aberdeen on 28 February 1784 the son of Prof George Skene of Rubislaw FRSE MD (1741- ...

*1834: Duncan McNeill* *1835: John Cunninghame *1837: Andrew Rutherfurd* *1839:

James Ivory James Francis Ivory (born June 7, 1928) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. For many years, he worked extensively with Indian-born film producer Ismail Merchant, his domestic as well as professional partner, and with scree ...

*1840: Thomas Maitland *1841: Duncan McNeill* *1842: Adam Anderson* *1846: Thomas Maitland *1850: James Moncreiff* *1851: John Cowan *1851: George Deas *1852: John Inglis* *1852: Charles Neaves *1853: Robert Handyside *1853: James Craufurd *1855:

Thomas Mackenzie Sir Thomas Mackenzie (10 March 1853 – 14 February 1930) was a Scottish-born New Zealand politician and explorer who briefly served as the 18th prime minister of New Zealand in 1912, and later served as New Zealand High Commissioner in ...

*1855:

Edward Maitland Edward Maitland (27 October 18242 October 1897) was an English humanitarian writer and occultist. Life He was born at Ipswich on 27 October 1824, was the son of Charles David Maitland, perpetual curate of St. James's Chapel, Brighton; he was ...

*1858: Charles Baillie* *1858: David Mure* *1859: George Patton* *1859:

*1862: George Young* *1866: Edward Strathearn Gordon* *1867: John Millar *1868: George Young* *1869: Andrew Rutherfurd-Clark *1874: John Millar *1874:

William Watson William, Willie, Bill or Billy Watson may refer to: Entertainment * William Watson (songwriter) (1794–1840), English concert hall singer and songwriter * William Watson (poet) (1858–1935), English poet * Billy Watson (actor) (1923–2022), A ...

* *1876: John Macdonald* *1880: John Balfour* *1881:

Alexander Asher Alexander Asher (27 January 1834 – 5 August 1905) was a Scottish politician and lawyer, who was elected as Member of Parliament for the Elgin Burghs constituency from 1881 until his death in 1905. He was also Solicitor General for Scotland o ...

*1885: James Robertson* *1886:

*1886: James Robertson* *1888: Moir Tod Stormonth Darling *1890: Sir Charles Pearson* *1891: Andrew Murray* *1892:

*1894: Thomas Shaw* *1895: Andrew Murray* *1896: Charles Dickson* *1903: David Dundas *1905: Edward Theodore Salvesen *October 1905: James Avon Clyde* *December 1905: Alexander Ure* *February 1909:

Arthur Dewar Arthur Dewar, Lord Dewar KC (14 March 1860 – 14 June 1917) was a British politician and judge who served as a Liberal Member of Parliament (MP) for Edinburgh South as well as Solicitor General for Scotland and later a Senator of the Colle ...

*April 1910: William Hunter *December 1911: Andrew Anderson *October 1913:

Thomas Brash Morison Thomas Brash Morison (21 November 1868 – 28 July 1945) was a Scottish politician and judge. In March 1922 he was created a Senator of the College of Justice with the title of Lord Morison. Life Morison was born in Edinburgh. He studied law ...

* *1920: Charles David Murray* *March 1922 – July 1922: Andrew Constable *July 1922 – November 1922:

* *November 1922: David Fleming *April 1923: Frederick Thomson *February 1924: John Charles Fenton *November 1924: David Fleming *1925:

Alexander Munro MacRobert Alexander Munro MacRobert King's Counsel, KC (1873 – 18 October 1930) was a Scotland, Scottish lawyer and Unionist Party (Scotland), Unionist politician. He was Lord Advocate of Scotland in 1929. Life He was born in 1873 the son of Jean Carm ...

* *1929: Wilfrid Normand* *1929: John Charles Watson *1931: Wilfrid Normand* *1933: Douglas Jamieson* *1935: Thomas Mackay Cooper *1935: Albert Russell *1936: James Reid *1941: Sir David King Murray *1945: Daniel Blades *1947: John Wheatley* *1947: Douglas Johnston *1951: William Rankine Milligan* *1955: William Grant* *1960: David Anderson *1964: Norman Wylie* (April to October) *1964: James Graham Leechman *1965: Henry Wilson* *1967: Ewan George Francis Stewart *1970: David William Robert Brand *1972: William Stewart *1974: Lord McCluskey *1979: Nicholas Fairbairn *1982:

Peter Fraser Peter Fraser (; 28 August 1884 – 12 December 1950) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 24th prime minister of New Zealand from 27 March 1940 until 13 December 1949. Considered a major figure in the history of the New Zealand La ...

* *1989: Alan Rodger* *1992: Thomas Dawson *1995: Donald Mackay* *1995: Paul Cullen *1997: Colin Boyd* *2000: Neil Davidson *2001: Elish Angiolini* *2006: John Beckett *2007: Frank Mulholland* *2011: Lesley Thomson *2016: Alison Di Rollo *2021:

:* = ''served later as

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.

References

External links

Solicitor General
on the Scottish Government website
Law officers
on the Scottish Parliament website {{authority control Ministerial posts of the Scottish Government Scots law formal titles Lists of government ministers of Scotland Lists of government ministers of the United Kingdom Solicitor General Law Officers of the Crown in the United Kingdom Lists of political office-holders in Scotland