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Elish Angiolini

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The Right Honourable
Lady Elish Angiolini
LT DBE KC FRSA FRSE
Elish Angiolini (2021)
Lord Clerk Register
Incumbent
Assumed office
5 June 2023
MonarchCharles III
First MinisterHumza Yousaf
John Swinney
Preceded byThe Lord Mackay of Clashfern
Principal of St Hugh's College, Oxford
Incumbent
Assumed office
September 2012
Preceded bySir Andrew Dilnot
Lord Advocate
In office
12 October 2006 – 30 April 2011
MonarchElizabeth II
First Minister
Preceded byLord Boyd of Duncansby
Succeeded byLord Mulholland
Solicitor General for Scotland
In office
28 November 2001[1] – 12 October 2006
First MinisterJack McConnell
Preceded byNeil Davidson
Succeeded byJohn Beckett
Personal details
Born
Elish Frances McPhilomy

(1960-06-24) 24 June 1960 (age 64)
Govan, Glasgow, Scotland
SpouseDomenico Angiolini
Children2
Residence(s)Oxford, England, UK[2]
Alma materUniversity of Strathclyde
ProfessionLawyer

Lady Elish Frances Angiolini LT DBE KC FRSA FRSE (née McPhilomy; born 24 June 1960[3]) is a Scottish lawyer who is a Pro Vice Chancellor of the University of Oxford and has served as the Principal of St Hugh's College, Oxford since 2012;[4][5] she was a candidate in the 2024 University of Oxford Chancellor election.[6][7][8] In June 2023, she was appointed to the office of Lord Clerk Register by King Charles III, the first woman to hold the role since its creation in the 13th century.[9]

She was the Lord Advocate of Scotland from 2006 until 2011, having previously been Solicitor General since 2001. She was the first woman, the first procurator fiscal, and the first solicitor to hold either post. As Lord Advocate, Angiolini worked on cross-border issues alongside her counterpart Keir Starmer while he was Director of Public Prosecutions for England and Wales.[10][11][12] Since leaving office she has led several investigations and inquiries, including a review of deaths in police custody commissioned by the then-Home Secretary Theresa May[13] and the Angiolini Inquiry into the murder of Sarah Everard, which reported in February 2024.[14][15]

Since September 2012, Angiolini has been the Principal of St Hugh's College, Oxford. She has been a Pro Vice Chancellor of the University of Oxford since 2017 and is an Honorary Professor of the Chinese University of Hong Kong.[16][17] She also served as Chancellor of the University of the West of Scotland from 2013 to 2021. In June 2022, she was appointed a Lady of the Order of the Thistle by Queen Elizabeth II. Angiolini took part in the Coronation of Charles III, representing the Order of the Thistle.[18]

Lady Elish Angiolini as Lord Clerk Register, 2024

Early life and education

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Angiolini was born into a family of Irish Catholic descent on 24 June 1960, her parents being Mary (née Magill) and James McPhilomy.[3][19] She grew up in Govan, Glasgow; her father was a coal merchant and later worked for Rolls-Royce and then as a commercial driver.[19][20][21] As a child she wanted to be a ballet dancer.[22] One of her first summer jobs was working on a checkout at Marks & Spencer.[22] She 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, obtaining an LL.B. (Hons) degree in 1982 and a Diploma in Legal Practice in 1983.

Angiolini's first encounter with the legal profession came when, as a teenager, she was asked to give evidence in a burglary trial. Later, she recalled: "I was not terribly impressed. There were a lot of important people in gowns and witnesses were left a very long time in the witness room and not given any information... All the attention was focused on the permanent figures of the court, while ... witnesses, and those in the dock, seemed irrelevant". The experience inspired Angiolini to pursue a career in law.[22] Later as Regional Procurator Fiscal, Angiolini piloted a victim liaison scheme which was subsequently extended throughout Scotland.[23]

Career

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[edit]

Upon completing her legal studies, she joined the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service to train as a Procurator Fiscal (public prosecutor). Whilst a trainee, she survived the Polmont rail accident; two passengers sitting next to her were killed.[24]

Following her training, Angiolini spent eight years as a Depute Procurator Fiscal in Airdrie, prosecuting in Airdrie Sheriff Court. In 1992, she was seconded to the Crown Office where she worked in the Lord Advocate's Secretariat.[25] 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 promoted to Assistant Procurator Fiscal at Glasgow.[25]

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 for Grampian, Highland and Islands (based at Aberdeen) on 27 July 2000 – the first woman to hold such a post.[26] In this role she piloted a victim liaison scheme which was subsequently extended across the country.[23]

Solicitor General

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Angiolini was appointed Solicitor General for Scotland by First Minister Jack McConnell in 2001. Angiolini was the first solicitor, as opposed to advocate, to be appointed Solicitor General; this was not received favourably amongst all members of the legal profession.[20]

In 2006, McConnell praised Angiolini's work as Solicitor General, saying the decision to appoint her had been one of the best he had ever made.[27]

Lord Advocate

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Angiolini before the Scottish Parliament Justice Committee, September 2015

Following the resignation of Lord Boyd, McConnell nominated Angiolini for the post of Lord Advocate.[28] Her nomination was passed by Parliament on 5 October 2006, with 99 in favour, 0 against and 15 abstentions.[29] She was sworn in at the Court of Session on 12 October 2006 and one month later she was made a member of the Privy Council.[30]

Following the 2007 election, there was speculation that the new SNP administration might replace Angiolini. On the morning after the election, Angiolini had cleared her office and was preparing to leave when she received a phone call from Alex Salmond, the new First Minister. Angiolini congratulated Salmond on his election, and said that she had packed up her things. "Unpack your things, and come and see me", replied Salmond. Salmond decided that Angiolini should stay in post, and would continue not to attend Cabinet except to provide advice or to make representations about her own department as had been the case with the former administration following the departure of her predecessor. Her reappointment was agreed by Parliament on 24 May 2007.[31] This made her the first Lord Advocate to serve two different governments.[20]

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.[32][33]

Angiolini announced in October 2010 that she would step down from the role of Lord Advocate after the Scottish Parliament elections in May 2011.[34][35]

Salmond paid tribute to Angiolini, saying "her term as Lord Advocate has been marked by significant improvements and substantial success in the disposal of justice in Scotland".[36] She was succeeded on 19 May 2011 by Francis Mulholland.

Academic and charity work

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On leaving the post of Lord Advocate, Angiolini was unveiled as the first patron of LawWorks Scotland, a charity which helps people who cannot afford legal advice.[22]

In September 2011, it was announced that Angiolini was to become a visiting professor at Strathclyde Law School, her old university. As well as teaching undergraduates, she was to develop a masters course in advocacy studies.[37]

Angiolini is a member of Terra Firma Chambers, with a particular interest in public administrative law and professional negligence.[38]

Angiolini was headhunted by both the United Nations (to be a prosecutor to the International Criminal Court) and by the University of Oxford.;[39] in February 2012, it was announced that Angiolini would become Principal of St Hugh's College, Oxford in September that year, replacing Andrew Dilnot.[40]

Angiolini replaced Robert Smith, Baron Smith of Kelvin as Chancellor of the University of the West of Scotland in September 2013[41] until 2021.[42]

She was made a Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford in 2017.[42]

Later work

[edit]
Lady Elish Angiolini in 2024

Angiolini led an "investigation into the disposal of baby ashes at Mortonhall Crematorium" in 2013,[43] after it was revealed that the remains of babies were being cremated with unrelated adults. She was subsequently asked by the Scottish Government to carry out an investigation into the practices of all crematoria across Scotland.

In 2015, her review on how the Crown Prosecution Service and Metropolitan Police Service investigate and prosecute rape cases in London was published.[44]

Angiolini's report into deaths in custody in the UK, commissioned by the Home Office, was published at the end of October 2017.[45]

In 2018, she was appointed by the Scottish government to "review the processes for handling complaints against the police and investigating serious incidents and alleged misconduct."[46]

Angiolini was appointed as the chair of an independent inquiry into the murder of Sarah Everard (the Angiolini Inquiry),[47] and the report from the first phase of the inquiry was released in February 2024.[48][49][50]

Lord Clerk Register

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In 2023, she was appointed to the office of Lord Clerk Register.[51]

Decorations

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Insignia of the Order of the Thistle

In the 2011 Birthday Honours, she was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) for services to the administration of justice, and thereby granted the title dame.[52][53]

On 10 June 2022, she was appointed a Lady of the Order of the Thistle (LT), and thereby granted the title lady.[54]

Honours

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She holds honorary degrees of Doctor of Laws from the following universities:

She is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and the Royal Society of Edinburgh (2017).[3][20][58]

She is an honorary professor of the Chinese University of Hong Kong.[16][17]

Angiolini is a Master of the Bench of the Middle Temple, one of the four Inns of Court.

In 2002, she was made Alumnus of the Year by the University of Strathclyde.[59]

In June 2011, Angiolini received the Special Achievement Award from the International Association of Prosecutors in Seoul, South Korea.[38][60]

On 24 November 2022, Angiolini was awarded The Herald's 'Lifetime Achievement Award' at the newspaper's Scottish Politician of the Year Awards, for outstanding contributions to public life.[61]

In May 2023, Angiolini took part in the coronation of Charles III, representing the Order of the Thistle.[18]

On 10 December 2025, it was announced that Angiolini would succeed Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh, as Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.[62]

Personal life

[edit]

She married Italian Domenico Angiolini in 1985 and they have two sons together.[19][63] Her hobbies include walking, picking wild mushrooms, and cinema.[19]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Scots gets first woman in top legal post". The Daily Telegraph. London, UK. 28 November 2001.
  2. ^ "Elish Angiolini: Overview of Elish Angiolini". Scottish-places.info. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
  3. ^ a b c "Angiolini, Elish Frances" in Who's Who, A & C Black.
  4. ^ "Lady Elish Angiolini | Faculty of Law". www.law.ox.ac.uk. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  5. ^ "Inquiry Team – The Angiolini Inquiry". www.angiolini.independent-inquiry.uk. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
  6. ^ Croft, Ethan (5 March 2024). "Oxford dons plot to stop Rory Stewart getting top job". Evening Standard. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  7. ^ Silverman, Rosa (26 March 2024). "How Oxford's attempts to drag itself into the 21st century have backfired". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  8. ^ Wood, Poppy (18 August 2024). "Sarah Everard inquiry lawyer in running to become Oxford chancellor". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
  9. ^ "New Lord Clerk Register of Scotland". www.scotcourts.gov.uk. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  10. ^ hmacqueen (23 September 2009). "Lord Advocate's statement on assisted suicide". | Scots Law News. Retrieved 19 October 2024.
  11. ^ "'No guidance' on assisted suicide". 23 September 2009. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
  12. ^ "No change on assisted suicide". The Herald. 23 September 2009. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
  13. ^ "Deaths and serious incidents in police custody". GOV.UK. 30 October 2017. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
  14. ^ "Home Secretary announces review of deaths in police custody". Gov.uk. 23 July 2015. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
  15. ^ "Angiolini Inquiry Part 1". GOV.UK. 29 February 2024. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  16. ^ a b "Rt Hon Dame Elish Angiolini". The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Retrieved 8 October 2023.
  17. ^ a b "CUHK Faculty of Law Organises Mok Hing Yiu Visiting Professor Public Lecture on "Justice and the Misunderstood" by The Rt Hon. Dame Elish Angiolini". www.hk-lawyer.org. Retrieved 8 October 2023.
  18. ^ a b "The Coronation Service – Order of Service". The Royal Family. 6 May 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
  19. ^ a b c d Carrell, Severin (6 October 2006). "'She hasn't said she has to be more macho than the old dinosaurs and has gone her way quietly, with no agenda' | Scotland's first woman lord advocate symbolises the country's aspirations". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
  20. ^ a b c d Carrell, Severin (6 October 2006). "The Guardian profile: Scotland's first woman lord advocate Elish Angiolini". The Guardian. London, UK.
  21. ^ "Eye To Eye – Elish Angiolini". 16 April 2014. Archived from the original on 7 May 2014. Retrieved 22 July 2016 – via YouTube.
  22. ^ a b c d "Interview: Elish Angiolini, Lord Advocate". The Scotsman. Johnston Press. 19 March 2011. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
  23. ^ a b Mackenzie, Roger (1 January 2002). "Interview: Elish Angiolini". The Journal. Law Society of Scotland. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
  24. ^ "News: Angiolini tells of Polmont disaster survival : The Firm : Scotland's Independent Law Journal". Archived from the original on 13 August 2010. Retrieved 4 February 2012.
  25. ^ a b "The Rt Hon Dame Elish F Angiolini DBE QC FRSE, Principal of St Hugh's College". University of Oxford, Faculty of Law. 16 July 2015. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
  26. ^ "The Board of Directors". Scottish Opera. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
  27. ^ "Angiolini first non-advocate Lord Advocate". The Journal. Law Society of Scotland. 6 October 2006. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
  28. ^ "Angiolini choice for top law post". BBC News. 5 October 2006.
  29. ^ "The Scottish Parliament Official Report" Archived 12 March 2007 at the Wayback Machine, The Scottish Parliament, 5 October 2006. URL retrieved 12 October 2006
  30. ^ "Privy Council Appointment of Elish Angiolini". Archived from the original on 1 January 2007. Retrieved 20 December 2006.
  31. ^ "Law officer Angiolini reappointed". BBC News. 24 May 2007. Retrieved 26 May 2007.
  32. ^ "Top judge enters World's End row". BBC News. 27 September 2007. Retrieved 14 January 2011.
  33. ^ Carrell, Severin (28 September 2007). "Leading judge steps into legal row over murder trial". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 14 January 2011.
  34. ^ "Lord Advocate announces she will step down at the next Scottish election" (Press release). Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service. 1 October 2010. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
  35. ^ MacQueen, Hector L; Scott Wortley (1 October 2010). "Elish Angiolini moves on". Scots Law News. Archived from the original on 25 October 2010. Retrieved 14 January 2011.
  36. ^ "Scottish Law Reporter: Lord Advocate Elish Angiolini to step down 'at next election' as suitors circle for Law Chief's job". Scottishlaw.blogspot.com. 1 October 2010. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
  37. ^ "Elish Angiolini to teach law at Strathclyde University". BBC News. 19 September 2011.
  38. ^ a b "Terra Firma – Our Advocates – Members of our Scottish Faculty of Advocates". Terrafirmachambers.com. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
  39. ^ Dame Elish Angiolini: First 100 Years Biography. Retrieved 2 April 2024 – via www.youtube.com.
  40. ^ "Dame Elish Angiolini elected next Principal of St Hugh's" (Press release). St Hugh's College, Oxford. Archived from the original on 23 February 2012. Retrieved 20 February 2012.
  41. ^ Callaghan, Carla (6 February 2013). "Dame Elish Angiolini to take role of chancellor at University of West of Scotland". Daily Record. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
  42. ^ a b "Lady Elish Angiolini LT DBE PC QC FRSE", St Hugh's College, University of Oxford
  43. ^ "Dame Elish to lead ashes inquiry". BBC News. 2013. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
  44. ^ "Report of the Independent Review into The Investigation and Prosecution of Rape in London by Rt Hon Dame Elish Angiolini DBE QC". cps.gov.uk. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
  45. ^ Allison, Eric; Hattenstone, Simon (2 November 2017). "Now we know the shocking facts of deaths in custody, will Theresa May act? – Eric Allison and Simon Hattenstone". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  46. ^ "Police conduct review". Scottish Government News. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
  47. ^ "The Angiolini Inquiry". www.angiolini.independent-inquiry.uk. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  48. ^ "Sarah Everard: First phase of independent inquiry to conclude this year". BBC News. 2022. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
  49. ^ Dodd, Vikram (29 February 2024). "Police should never have employed Wayne Couzens, report finds". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  50. ^ "The Angiolini Inquiry". 29 February 2024. Archived from the original on 29 February 2024. Retrieved 29 February 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  51. ^ "New Lord Clerk Register of Scotland". Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service. 5 June 2023.
  52. ^ "No. 59808". The London Gazette (Supplement). 11 June 2011. p. 7.
  53. ^ "Main list of the 2011 Queen's birthday honours recipients" (PDF). BBC News UK. Retrieved 11 June 2011.
  54. ^ "New appointments to The Order of The Thistle". Royal.uk. The Royal Household. 10 June 2022. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
  55. ^ "Elish F Angiolini DBE QC". law.ox.ac.uk. 16 July 2015. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
  56. ^ "Former Lord Advocate collects honorary doctorate for criminal justice contribution". Napier. 4 July 2024. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
  57. ^ Cameron, Lucinda (4 July 2024). "Former Lord Advocate Dame Elish Angiolini honoured by university". Evening Standard. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  58. ^ "RSE Welcomes 60 New Fellows". rse.org.uk (Press release). Royal Society of Edinburgh. 15 February 2017. Retrieved 28 March 2017.
  59. ^ "Alumnus of the Year – University of Strathclyde". Archived from the original on 26 October 2012. Retrieved 9 April 2012.
  60. ^ "Advisory Board – Institute of Legal and Constitutional Research". ilcr.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
  61. ^ "St Hugh's Principal presented with Life-Time Achievement Award". St Hugh's College, University of Oxford. 28 November 2022.
  62. ^ "Lady Elish Angiolini appointed as Lord High Commissioner to the 2025 General Assembly". 10 December 2024.
  63. ^ Siddique, Haroon. "Profile | Elish Angiolini: Sarah Everard inquiry chair who's held Scotland's top legal roles | Law | The Guardian". amp.theguardian.com. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
[edit]
Legal offices
Preceded by Solicitor General for Scotland
2001–2006 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Lord Advocate
2006–2011 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Lord Clerk Register
2023–present 		Incumbent
Academic offices
Preceded by Principal of St Hugh's College, Oxford
2012–present 		Incumbent
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