LADY DORRIAN, who is expected to preside over the Salmond prosecution, is the first woman in 692 years to be appointed Lord Justice Clerk, as Scotland's second most senior judge. The first Lord Justice Clerk – William de Camera – was appointed to the post in 1324. Lady Dorrian was born Leeona Dorrian in June 1957 in Edinburgh. She attended Cranley Girls' School in the city and studied for a law degree at Aberdeen University before being admitted to the Faculty of Advocates in 1981.
She became Queen's Counsel in 1994 and was appointed as a full-time high court judge in 2005 after Mr Salmond's predecessor as First Minister Jack McConnell recommended her to the Queen.
Lady Dorrian is currently leading a review of which courts deal with cases relating to serious sexual offences, including rape, which is due to report early next year. She is also chair of the sentencing council which has been criticised for delays in producing guidelines on sentencing for sexual assaults.
She was one of the three appeal judges who recently cut the punishment part of Aaron Campbell's sentence by three years to 24 years from 27, after the 17-year-old was convicted of abducting, raping and murdering Alesha MacPhail in March 2019 at the High Court in Glasgow.
Lead responsibility for presenting the case against Mr Salmond will be taken by Alex Prentice QC. He currently holds the position of Home Advocate Depute – the most senior court room prosecutor – within the Crown Office.
He qualified as a solicitor in 1983. He became a solicitor advocate – the term for a solicitor who is able to practice in the High Court – in 1994.
He has prosecuted a number of high profile cases. including the 2010 prosecution of former MSP Tommy Sheridan in the case which saw him convicted of
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