Lord Advocate

E42603

The Lord Advocate is the senior Scottish Law Officer who serves as the chief legal adviser to the Scottish Government and head of the systems of criminal prosecution and investigation of deaths in Scotland.


Statements (47)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Scottish Law Officer
legal office
public office
appliesToJurisdiction Scotland
appointedBy British monarch
surface form: Monarch of the United Kingdom
appointedOnAdviceOf First Minister of Scotland
canDelegateTo Advocate deputes
Solicitor General for Scotland
canIssue prosecution policy in Scotland
chiefLegalAdviserTo Scottish Government
country Scotland
existsSince medieval period in Scotland
hasAbbreviation LA
hasAuthorityOver Advocate deputes
Procurators fiscal
hasConstitutionalRole guardian of the public interest in prosecution system
law officer of the Scottish Government
hasPower to decide whether serious crimes are prosecuted on indictment
to discontinue prosecutions
to instruct criminal appeals
to order investigations into deaths
hasResidence Scotland
hasStyle The Right Honourable
headOf system of criminal prosecution in Scotland
system of investigation of deaths in Scotland
historicalPrecursor Lord Advocate self-linksurface differs
surface form: King's Advocate in Scotland
isSeparateFrom Advocate General for Scotland
Attorney General for England and Wales
Lord Chancellor of England
surface form: Lord Chancellor
legalSystem Scots law (to a limited extent)
surface form: Scots law
legalTitleLanguage Scots law terminology
memberOf Scottish Government
officeHolderMaySitIn Scottish Parliament
British Parliament
surface form: UK Parliament (House of Lords historically)
oversees Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service
partOf Scots law (to a limited extent)
surface form: Scottish legal system
rank senior Scottish Law Officer
reportsTo Scottish Parliament
responsibleFor fatal accident inquiries in Scotland
providing legal advice to Scottish Ministers
public prosecutions in Scotland
representing Scottish Government in civil proceedings
representing public interest in criminal appeals
seatOfOffice Crown Office
surface form: Crown Office, Edinburgh
subjectTo scrutiny by Scottish Parliament
traditionallyHeldBy advocate of the Faculty of Advocates
worksWith Solicitor General for Scotland

Referenced by (11)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Lord Advocate historicalPrecursor Lord Advocate self-linksurface differs
this entity surface form: King's Advocate in Scotland
this entity surface form: Lord Advocate (Scotland)
Henry Dundas positionHeld Lord Advocate
this entity surface form: Lord Advocate (as UK Government law officer before devolution)
Counsel General for Wales worksWith Lord Advocate
this entity surface form: Lord Advocate (Scotland)