Lord Advocate

Responsibilities

The Lord Advocate, also known as His Majesty’s Advocate, is the senior Scottish Law Officer. The following are the Lord Advocate’s main functions: 

• head of the systems for the investigation and prosecution of crime and investigation of deaths
• principal legal adviser to the Scottish Government
• representing the Scottish Government in civil proceedings
• representing the public interest in a range of statutory and common law contexts 

All prosecutions on indictment run in the name of the Lord Advocate. 

Read more information about the role and functions of the Lord Advocate.

Biography

Ruth has extensive experience in civil and criminal law.

She graduated from the University of Glasgow and came to the Bar on completion of her post as Legal Assistant to the Lord President, Lord Rodger of Earlsferry. She held the role of Standing Junior and Second Standing Junior to the Scottish Government between 2012 and 2020.  

On her appointment as a Queen's Counsel (QC) in 2020 she took up a full-time commission as an Advocate Depute before her appointment as Solicitor General for Scotland in 2021.  

As Solicitor General she appeared in a number of significant criminal appeals covering areas such as consent to assault in intimate relationships, intoxicated rape and the requirement for corroboration in domestic abuse cases, as well as in a number of unduly lenient sentence appeals. She has appeared in the Supreme Court in both civil and criminal appeals, including in the landmark case of Daly and Keir v. HM Advocate.

Ruth has a special interest in human trafficking including the criminal exploitation of children.  She oversaw the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service review into the investigation and prosecution of child deaths and serious injuries.