Elish Angiolini
| The Right Honourable Dame Elish Angiolini DBE QC |
|
|---|---|
| Lord Advocate | |
| In office 12 October 2006 – 31 April 2011 |
|
| Monarch | Elizabeth |
| First Minister | McConnell, Salmond |
| Preceded by | Lord Boyd of Duncansby |
| Succeeded by | Frank Mulholland |
| Solicitor General for Scotland | |
| In office 2001–2006 |
|
| First Minister | McLeish, McConnell |
| Preceded by | Neil Davidson |
| Succeeded by | John Beckett |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Elish Frances McPhilomy 24 June 1960 Govan, Glasgow, Scotland, UK |
| Spouse(s) | Domenico Angiolini |
| Alma mater | University of Strathclyde |
| Profession | Lawyer |
Dame Elish Frances Angiolini, DBE, QC (born 24 June 1960[1]), née McPhilomy, is a Scottish lawyer and solicitor who was Lord Advocate, the country's senior Law Officer from 2006 until May 2011, having previously been Solicitor General, the junior Law Officer, since November 2001. She was the first woman, the first Procurator Fiscal, and the first solicitor to hold either post.
Contents |
Background
Angiolini grew up in Govan, Glasgow, was educated at Notre Dame High School for Girls in the West End of the city, and studied at the School of Law of the University of Strathclyde (LL.B. 1982, Diploma in Legal Practice 1983). Upon completing her studies, she joined the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service and, following her traineeship, spent 8 years as a Depute Procurator Fiscal in Airdrie, prosecuting in Airdrie Sheriff Court.[citation needed]
Crown office career
In 1992, she was seconded to the Crown Office where she worked in the Lord Advocate's Secretariat. During her secondment, she developed an interest in improving the support offered to vulnerable victims and witnesses, and in particular to children. She was then appointed Senior Depute Procurator Fiscal at Glasgow taking operational responsibility for Sheriff and Jury prosecutions. In 1995, she was appointed Assistant Procurator Fiscal at Glasgow.
In 1997, Angiolini returned to the Crown office as Head of Policy, with responsibility for the development of policy across all functions of the Department. In particular, she helped the department prepare for devolution and was involved in the preparation of the Scotland Act 1998. At the same time, Angiolini was responsible for the department’s preparations for the introduction of the Human Rights Act 1998.
She was then appointed Regional Procurator Fiscal, Grampian, Highland and Islands on 27 July 2000, based in Aberdeen - the first woman to hold such a post.
Lord Advocate
On 4 October 2006 Lord Boyd resigned as Lord Advocate and his responsibilities were assumed, in the interim, by Angiolini. First Minister Jack McConnell nominated her to take over from Boyd permanently.[2] Her nomination was agreed by Parliament the same afternoon: ninety-nine members voting in favour and none against with fifteen abstentions.[3] Angiolini was sworn in as Lord Advocate at the Court of Session on 12 October 2006. One month later she became a member of the Privy Council.[4]
After the 2007 election there was speculation that the new SNP administration might replace Angiolini. However, Alex Salmond, the First Minister, decided that she should stay in post, but would lose her seat in Cabinet. The SNP had committed to making this change as part of their pre-election campaign. She would still have the right to address Cabinet and be present at meetings of the Scottish Parliament. Her reappointment was agreed by Parliament on 24 May 2007.[5]
Later in 2007, Angiolini clashed publicly with the head of Scotland's judiciary, Lord President Hamilton, over the collapse of the World's End murders trial. The trial judge, Lord Clarke, had ruled there was insufficient evidence for the jury to convict and threw the case out. Angiolini then made a statement to the Scottish Parliament, saying she was "disappointed" at the decision, a move Hamilton said undermined the independence of the judiciary.[6][7]
Angiolini announced in October 2010 that she would step down from the role of Lord Advocate after the Scottish Parliament elections in May 2011.[8][9] She was succeeded on 19 May by Frank Mulholland, previously Solicitor General.
Personal life
She and husband Domenico Angiolini have two children.[10]
She was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 2011 Birthday Honours.[11][12]
See also
References
- ^ "Angiolini, Elish Frances" in Who's Who, A & C Black.
- ^ "Angiolini choice for top law post" BBC News website 5 October 2006
- ^ "The Scottish Parliament Official Report", The Scottish Parliament, 5 October 2006. URL retrieved 12 October 2006
- ^ "Privy Council Appointment of Elish Angiolini", 10 Downing Street website, 7 November 2006. URL retrieved 20 December 2006
- ^ "Law officer Angiolini reappointed", BBC News Scotland website, 24 May 2007. URL retrieved 26 May 2007
- ^ "Top judge enters World's End row". BBC News. 27 September 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/edinburgh_and_east/7015884.stm. Retrieved 14 January 2011.
- ^ Carrell, Severin (28 September 2007). "Leading judge steps into legal row over murder trial". The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2007/sep/28/ukcrime.prisonsandprobation. Retrieved 14 January 2011.
- ^ "Lord Advocate announces she will step down at the next Scottish election". Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service. 1 October 2010. http://copfs.gov.uk/News/Releases/2010/10/01103319. Retrieved 14 January 2011.
- ^ "Elish Angiolini moves on". Scots Law News. 1 October 2010. http://www.law.ed.ac.uk/sln/blogentry.aspx?blogentryref=8399. Retrieved 14 January 2011.
- ^ "Scotland's first woman lord advocate symbolises the country's aspirations", The Guardian 6 October 2006
- ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 59808. p. 7. 11 June 2011.
- ^ "Main list of the 2011 Queen's birthday honours recipients". BBC News UK. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/11_06_11honours_mainlist.pdf. Retrieved 11 June 2011.
External links
- Lord Advocate webpage
- Elish Angiolini profile, Gazetteer for Scotland
- "Interview with new Solicitor General Elish Angiolini", Law Society of Scotland online journal, January 2002
- Interview: Elish Angiolini, Lord Advocate, The Scotsman, March 2011
| Legal offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Neil Davidson |
Solicitor General for Scotland 2001-2006 |
Succeeded by John Beckett |
| Preceded by Colin Boyd |
Lord Advocate 2006-2011 |
Succeeded by Frank Mulholland |
