What is "lord advocate"

Advocate \Ad"vo*cate\, n. [OE. avocat, avocet, OF. avocat, fr. L. advocatus, one summoned or called to another; properly the p. p. of advocare to call to, call to one's aid; ad + vocare to call. See Advowee, Avowee, Vocal.]

1. One who pleads the cause of another. Specifically: One who pleads the cause of another before a tribunal or judicial court; a counselor.

   Note: In the English and American Law, advocate is the same as ``counsel,'' ``counselor,'' or ``barrister.'' In the civil and ecclesiastical courts, the term signifies the same as ``counsel'' at the common law.

2. One who defends, vindicates, or espouses any cause by argument; a pleader; as, an advocate of free trade, an advocate of truth.

3. Christ, considered as an intercessor.

   We have an Advocate with the Father.
   --1 John ii. 1.

   Faculty of advocates (Scot.), the Scottish bar in Edinburgh.

   Lord advocate (Scot.), the public prosecutor of crimes, and principal crown lawyer.

   Judge advocate. See under Judge.

Her Majesty's Advocate, known as the Lord Advocate (, ), is the chief legal officer of the Scottish Government and the Crown in Scotland for both civil and criminal matters that fall within the devolved powers of the Scottish Parliament. He or she is the chief public prosecutor for Scotland and all prosecutions on indictment are conducted by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, nominally in the Lord Advocate's name.

The officeholder is one of the Great Officers of State of Scotland. The current Lord Advocate is The Rt Hon. James Wolffe, QC.