Ruth Charteris
Scottish advocate (born 1973)
Ruth Barbara Charteris KC (born 1973) is a Scottish advocate who has served as Lord Advocate since June 2026. Charteris served as Solicitor General for Scotland from 2021 until her appointment as Lord Advocate in 2026, replacing Dorothy Bain KC. Brian Gill KC was appointed in June 2026 as Charteris’ deputy to succeed her as Solicitor General.
Charteris is a legally qualified chair of the Scottish Social Services Council since 2017, and has served as Chair of the Fitness to Practice Panel of the SSSC since 2017.
01Early life and education
Born in 1973 in Glasgow, Charteris studied at the University of Glasgow School of Law, where she gained an LLB (Hons) degree and a diploma in legal practice.
02Career
Early legal career
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. After her appointment as Queen's Counsel, she served as a full-time Advocate Depute from 2020 until her appointment as Solicitor General.
Scottish Social Services Council
Charteris has been a legally qualified chair of the Scottish Social Services Council since 2017. She has been Chair of the Fitness to Practice Panel of the SSSC since 2017.
03Solicitor General, 2021-2026
Appointment and Resignation
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 Elizabeth II. Her nomination as Solicitor General was approved by the Scottish Parliament on 17 June 2021.
The appointment of Charteris as Solicitor General and Dorothy Bain KC as Lord Advocate marked the first time that both of Scotland's top law officers were both women.
On her elevated appointment to the office of Lord Advocate on 19 June 2026, she was succeeded in her role as Solicitor General by Brian Gill KC.
Duties
Charteris was selected as the annual speaker at the Annual Reflections Lecture at the Edinburgh Foundation for Women in Law event. 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.
04Lord Advocate, 2026,
It was announced on 16 June 2026 that John Swinney had nominated Charteris to be Lord Advocate, replacing Dorothy Bain who had announced that she was stepping down. On her nomination, she issued a statement in which she publicly thanked the first minister, saying "I recognise the importance and the responsibility of this role and if I am appointed, it will be a great privilege to serve the people of Scotland". On 19 June 2026, she was sworn in at Parliament House, Edinburgh.
Her appointment to the position was overseen by the Lord President of the Court of Session, Lord Pentland, who said of Charteris upon her appointment "you take up your new role with great experience of leadership in our country’s prosecution service", whilst further claiming her "substantial knowledge of civil and public law will assist you as principal legal adviser to the Scottish Ministers".
05Personal life
She grew up as a Christian, and is a member of Dowanvale Free Church of Scotland in Glasgow, and a member of the Lawyers Christian Fellowship.
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Ruth Charteris”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Lord Advocate (cropped).jpg by Scottish Government, CC BY 4.0
- Ruth Charteris and Dorothy Bain at Court of Session.jpg by Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, OGL v1.0
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