Lord Advocate of Scotland
| Lord Advocate Scottish Gaelic: Morair Tagraidh |
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| Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service | |
| Appointer | Monarch on the advice of the First Minister |
| Deputy | Solicitor General for Scotland |
| Website | Scottish Government | Lord Advocate |
Her Majesty's Advocate, known as the Lord Advocate (Scottish Gaelic: Morair Tagraidh, Scots: Laird Advocat), is the chief legal officer of the Scottish Government and the Crown in Scotland for both civil and criminal matters that fall within the devolved powers of the Scottish Parliament. He or she is the chief public prosecutor for Scotland and all prosecutions on indictment are conducted by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, nominally in the Lord Advocate's name.
The officeholder is one of the Great Officers of State of Scotland. The current Lord Advocate is The Rt Hon. James Wolffe, QC.
The office of Advocate to the monarch is an ancient one. The first recognised Lord Advocate was Sir John Ross of Montgrenan, recorded in 1483 as serving King James III.
From 1707 to 1998, the Lord Advocate was the chief legal adviser of the British Government and the Crown for Scottish legal matters, both civil and criminal, until the Scotland Act 1998 devolved most domestic affairs to the Scottish Parliament. Her Majesty's Government is now advised on Scots law by the Advocate General for Scotland.
The Lord Advocate is not head of the Faculty of Advocates; that position is held by the Dean of the Faculty of Advocates.
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