45 Facts About Elish Angiolini

Lady Elish Frances Angiolini is a Scottish lawyer currently serving as Lord Clerk Register, the first woman to hold the role since its creation in the 13th century.

Elish Angiolini was the Lord Advocate of Scotland from 2006 until 2011, having previously been Solicitor General since 2001.

Elish Angiolini was the first woman, the first procurator fiscal, and the first solicitor to hold either post.

Since September 2012, Elish Angiolini has been the Principal of St Hugh's College, Oxford.

Elish Angiolini 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.

Elish Angiolini served as Chancellor of the University of the West of Scotland from 2013 to 2021.

Elish Angiolini took part in the Coronation of Charles III, representing the Order of the Thistle.

Elish Angiolini was born into a family of Irish Catholic descent on 24 June 1960, her parents being Mary and James McPhilomy.

Elish Angiolini grew up in Govan, Glasgow; her father was a coal merchant and later worked for Rolls-Royce and then as a commercial driver.

Elish Angiolini 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.

The experience inspired Elish Angiolini to pursue a career in law.

Later as Regional Procurator Fiscal, Elish Angiolini piloted a victim liaison scheme which was extended throughout Scotland.

Elish Angiolini was then appointed Senior Depute Procurator Fiscal at Glasgow, taking operational responsibility for Sheriff and Jury prosecutions.

In 1997, Elish Angiolini returned to the Crown Office as Head of Policy, with responsibility for the development of policy across all functions of the department.

Elish Angiolini was appointed Solicitor General for Scotland by First Minister Jack McConnell in 2001.

Elish 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.

Elish Angiolini's nomination was passed by Parliament on 5 October 2006, with 99 in favour, 0 against and 15 abstentions.

Elish Angiolini 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.

Elish Angiolini congratulated Salmond on his election, and said that she had packed up her things.

Salmond decided that Elish 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.

Elish Angiolini's reappointment was agreed by Parliament on 24 May 2007.

Later in 2007, Elish Angiolini clashed publicly with the head of Scotland's judiciary, Lord President Hamilton, over the collapse of the World's End murders trial.

Elish 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.

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

Salmond paid tribute to Elish Angiolini, saying "her term as Lord Advocate has been marked by significant improvements and substantial success in the disposal of justice in Scotland".

Elish Angiolini was succeeded on 19 May 2011 by Francis Mulholland.

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

In September 2011, it was announced that Elish Angiolini was to become a visiting professor at Strathclyde Law School, her old university.

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

Elish Angiolini was headhunted by both the United Nations and by the University of Oxford.

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

Elish Angiolini was made a Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford in 2017.

Elish Angiolini led an "investigation into the disposal of baby ashes at Mortonhall Crematorium" in 2013, after it was revealed that the remains of babies were being cremated with unrelated adults.

Elish Angiolini was asked by the Scottish Government to carry out an investigation into the practices of all crematoria across Scotland.

Elish Angiolini was appointed as the chair of an independent inquiry into the murder of Sarah Everard, and the report from the first phase of the inquiry was released in February 2024.

Elish Angiolini holds honorary degrees of Doctor of Laws from the following universities:.

Elish Angiolini is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and the Royal Society of Edinburgh.

Elish Angiolini is an honorary professor of the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

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

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

On 24 November 2022, Elish 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.

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

On 10 December 2024, it was announced that Elish Angiolini would succeed Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh, as Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.

Elish Angiolini married Italian Domenico Angiolini in 1985 and they have two sons together.

Elish Angiolini's hobbies include walking, picking wild mushrooms, and cinema.