Ruth Charteris
Ruth Charteris | |
|---|---|
| File:Official Portrait of Ruth Charteris QC.png Official portrait, 2021 | |
| Solicitor General for Scotland | |
| Assumed office 22 June 2021 | |
| Monarchs | |
| First Minister | Nicola Sturgeon Humza Yousaf John Swinney |
| Lord Advocate | Dorothy Bain KC |
| Preceded by | Alison Di Rollo |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Ruth Barbara Charteris 1973 (age 52–53) Glasgow, Scotland |
| Party | Independent |
| Alma mater | University of Glasgow |
| Occupation | Advocate |
| Profession | Lawyer |
Ruth Barbara Charteris KC (born 1973) is a Scottish advocate who has served as Solicitor General for Scotland since 2021. In addition to being the Solicitor General for Scotland, she has been a legally qualified chair of the Scottish Social Services Council since 2017,[1] and has served as Chair of the Fitness to Practice Panel of the SSSC since 2017.[2]
Early life and education
[edit | edit source]Born in 1973 in Glasgow, Charteris studied at the University of Glasgow School of Law, where she gained an LL.B (Hons) and a diploma in legal practice.[3]
Career
[edit | edit source]Early legal career
[edit | edit source]Charteris was admitted as an advocate in 2000 and came to the Bar on completion of her post as Legal Assistant to the Lord President of the Court of Session. Charteris served as an ad hoc Advocate Depute from 2010 to 2016. She served as a Standing Junior to the Scottish Government from 2012 and Second Standing Junior to the Scottish Government from 2016 to 2020.[4] After her appointment as Queen's Counsel, she served as a full-time Advocate Depute from 2020 until her appointment as Solicitor General.[5][6][7]
Scottish Social Services Council
[edit | edit source]Charteris has been a legally qualified chair of the Scottish Social Services Council since 2017.[8] She has been Chair of the Fitness to Practice Panel of the SSSC since 2017.[9]
Solicitor General, 2021–present
[edit | edit source]
Appointment
[edit | edit source]On 16 June 2021 the Scottish Government announced that Nicola Sturgeon had recommended Charteris to the Scottish Parliament for appointment as Solicitor General for Scotland by The Queen.[10] Her nomination as Solicitor General for Scotland was approved by the Scottish Parliament on 17 June 2021.[11]
The appointment of Charteris to the post of Solicitor General for Scotland, and Dorothy Bain KC to the position of Lord Advocate marks the first time that both of Scotland's top law officers have been held by two women at the same time. On nominating Charteris for Solicitor General, nominating First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon told the Scottish Parliament she was "extremely pleased to be seeking parliament’s agreement to recommend Dorothy Bain QC and Ruth Charteris QC as Scotland’s law officers", citing Charteris' career as "a Standing Junior to the Scottish Government from 2012 and was Second Standing Junior to the Scottish Government from 2016 – 2020. On taking Silk she moved into Crown Office to become a full-time Advocate Depute" as one of the reasons for her nomination.
Duties
[edit | edit source]Sturgeon acknowledged that both "Ms Bain and Ms Charteris will take their posts at a time of unprecedented challenge, given the political climate and given that threats to the rule of law have been experienced across the globe".[12]
She was selected as the annual speaker at the Annual Reflections Lecture at the Edinburgh Foundation for Women in Law event.[13] In 2023, as Solicitor General for Scotland, she was instructed by First Minister Humza Yousaf to "fully investigate" claims that the Scottish Government had not handed over WhatsApp communications and text messages which were exchanged between senior government officials during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland, following claims made during the United Kingdom COVID-19 inquiry. Yousaf had claimed that it was his "understanding" that all messages required had been handed over.[14]
See also
[edit | edit source]- Law Officers of the Crown
- King's Counsel, of which Charteris is a member
References
[edit | edit source]- ^ "Panel posts for Faculty twelve", Scottish Legal News, 22 December 2017.
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ "Ruth B Charteris", Faculty of Advocates [archived version, 3 August 2020]
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ "Ten new Queen’s Counsel named", Law Society of Scotland, 15 September 2020.
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ "New Silk Ruth Charteris QC in Crown Office Move", Arnot Manderson Advocates, 17 September 2020.
- ^ "Panel posts for Faculty twelve", Scottish Legal News, 22 December 2017.
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ "Women to hold Scotland’s top legal posts for first time", STV News, 16 June 2021.
- ^ "Sturgeon commits to examine splitting lord advocate dual role", Glasgow Herald, 17 June 2021
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).