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Her Majesty's Advocate, known as the Lord Advocate (Morair Tagraidh in Scottish Gaelic) is the chief legal adviser to the Scottish Executive and the Crown in Scotland for both civil and criminal matters that fall within the devolved powers of the Scottish Parliament. He or she is the chief public prosecutor for Scotland and all prosecutions are nominally done in his or her name. The officeholder is one of the Great Officers of State of Scotland.

History

It is an ancient office dating back to at least 1483, when John Ross is mentioned as His Majesty's Advocate to King James III.

From 1707 to 1998 the Lord Advocate was the chief legal adviser of the United Kingdom Government and the Crown in Scotland for both civil and criminal matters until the passing of the Scotland Act 1998 which devolved most domestic affairs to the Scottish Parliament. The United Kingdom Government is now advised on Scots law by the Advocate General for Scotland.

Unlike the Attorney General for England and Wales, the Lord Advocate is not head of the Scottish bar: that position is held by the Dean of the Faculty of Advocates.

Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service

The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service is headed by Lord Advocate and the Solicitor General for Scotland, and is the public prosecution and coroner service for Scotland. Incoporated within the Crown Office is the legal secretariat to the Lord Advocate.

Lords Advocate

See also

Lords Advocate | Lists of Scottish people | Prosecution | Legal occupations

Lord Advocate

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Lord Advocate".

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