Ruth Charteris KC

Ruth Charteris KC was appointed Lord Advocate for Scotland in June 2026.

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.