SCOTLAND'S two top legal posts are expected to be held by women for the first time after Nicola Sturgeon recommended them to the posts.
Dorothy Bain QC, who has worked at all levels of the legal system, was recommended to take on the role of Lord Advocate.
She has extensive experience in both criminal and civil law and secured serial killer Peter Tobin's first conviction for murder.
She is expected to take on the dual role of leading Scotland's prosecution service and chief legal adviser to the Scottish Government, according to the BBC, as James Wolffe QC steps down amid a debate over the role's dual mandate.
Ruth Charteris QC is set to take the second most senior role in Scotland’s prosecution service as Solicitor General, replacing Alison Di Rollo QC who also announced her resignation last month.
First Minister Sturgeon made the nominations that are subject to approval by the Scottish Parliament.
READ MORE: How the roles of Lord Advocate could be split and why it could help pursuit of indy
Sturgeon said: “I am extremely pleased to be seeking Parliament’s agreement to recommend Dorothy Bain QC and Ruth Charteris QC as Scotland’s law officers.
“Dorothy has extensive experience in both civil and criminal law. She has appeared in cases at all levels, including the Court of Session (Inner and Outer House), the Court of Criminal Appeal, the High Court of Justiciary, the United Kingdom Supreme Court and the European Court of Human Rights.
“Dorothy was the first woman to be appointed as principal advocate depute and has conducted many complex and high-profile criminal prosecutions and appeals. She is currently counsel to the investigatory powers tribunal in Scotland and a serving chair of the police appeals tribunal.
“Ruth was a standing junior to the Scottish Government from 2012 and was second standing junior to the Scottish Government from 2016 to 2020. On taking silk, she moved into Crown Office to become a full-time advocate depute.”
In 2007, Bain led the prosecution case against Peter Tobin over the murder of Polish student Angelika Kluk at the High Court in Edinburgh.
Two years later she became the first woman to be appointed principal advocate depute at the Crown Office, the most senior courtroom prosecutor in Scotland.
She left the Crown Office in 2011 and later represented the family of one of the victims in the tragic 2014 bin lorry crash in Glasgow.
Wolffe has been in the position of Lord Advocate since 2016 and it was announced in May of this year that he would be stepping down from the dual role.
His resignation follows a spate of controversies during his tenure and came amid calls from opposition parties to have the Lord Advocate role divided in two.
In February, Wolffe issued a public apology to two men wrongfully prosecuted after a fraud investigation relating to the sale of Rangers Football Club.
He referred to it as a “very serious failure” in the prosecution system and the men were awarded more than £10 million each in damages.
READ MORE: Nicola Sturgeon says care must be taken in reforming Lord Advocate's dual role
Former First Minister Alex Salmond also criticised the Crown Office, headed by Wolffe, over demands that his evidence to the Committee on the Scottish Government Handling of Harassment Complaints be redacted.
As Bain takes on the role, she will have to deal with the fallout of the failure in the Rangers trial but also have an important role in certifying whether Holyrood has the legal power to legislate for an independence referendum.
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