James Wolffe QC, Alison Di Rollo named as law officers

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has recommended the appointment of James Wolffe QC, Dean of the Facuty of Advocates, and Alison Di Rollo, solicitor and advocate depute, as Scotland’s new law officers.

Subject to the approval of the Scottish Parliament, Mr Wolffe will become Lord Advocate, replacing Frank Mulholland QC who stepped down following the Scottish parliamentary election, and Ms Di Rollo will become Solicitor General, succeeding Lesley Thomson who has informed the First Minister that she wishes to pursue new challenges.

Mr Wolffe was admitted to Faculty in 1992 and took silk in 2007. He was elected Dean of Faculty in 2014. He was First Standing Junior Counsel to the Scottish ministers from 2002 to 2007, and served as an advocate depute from 2007 to 2010. He has extensive experience of both commercial and public law, and was also called to the bar of England & Wales in 2013.

Ms Di Rollo, a senior advocate depute, joined the Crown Office & Procurator Fiscal Service in 1985 as a fiscal, and worked in the Policy Group at the Crown Office prior to being appointed deputy head of the High Court Unit and later Head of Operational Policy. In 2008 she was seconded from COPFS to take up an appointment as a trial advocate depute. She was appointed as deputy head of the National Sexual Crimes Unit in 2011 and became head of the unit in January 2013.

The First Minister commented: “I am extremely pleased to recommend the appointments of James Wolffe and Alison Di Rollo as Scotland’s senior law officers.

“James has an outstanding legal background and extensive experience at all levels, including the House of Lords, the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, the European Court of Human Rights and the Court of Justice of the European Union.

“Alison led the work of the groundbreaking National Sexual Crimes Unit (NSCU) for three years, having previously held the role of deputy. Her outstanding leadership in this most sensitive of areas has inspired confidence in all connected to it.”

Thanking the outgoing law officers, she added: “In his time as Lord Advocate, Frank has made a substantial contribution to both the law and to Scottish society. The creation of the National Sexual Crimes Unit was just one example of the increased specialisation of the Crown Office that Frank Mulholland presided over. In her role as Solicitor General, Lesley’s work, particularly around domestic abuse, was pivotal in moving towards a system that instils confidence in victims of abuse and ensures that their abusers are held to account. I thank both Frank and Lesley for their dedicated service to the Government, to justice and to Scotland as a whole.”