Dame Elish Angiolini appointed as Lord Clerk Register of Scotland

His Majesty the King, on the recommendation of the First Minister, has appointed Lady Elish Angiolini, L.T., as the new Lord Clerk Register of Scotland. A graduate of Strathclyde Law School, she is the first woman to be appointed to the role.

As reported on the Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service website, the office is the oldest of the remaining great officers of state. The other officers of state are the Keeper of the Great Seal (now the First Minister), the Lord Advocate, the Lord Justice-Clerk, and the Lord Justice General. Historically, the office has had three sets of functions: responsibility for public registers and records, Commissioner for the Regalia and Keeper of the Signet. Only the latter two remain.

Lady Angiolini graduated from Strathclyde in 1982 and was appointed Solicitor General of Scotland in 2001. Five years later, she was appointed Lord Advocate of Scotland – the country’s senior law officer – and was also the first woman to hold both of these posts. 

In 2011, following her term as Lord Advocate, she became a Dame and took up her post as Visiting Professor at Strathclyde. She has been Principal of St Hugh’s College, Oxford since 2012.