This week, Scotland has named Lady Dorrian QC as lord justice clerk, the country's second highest legal posting. In addition to being the first women to ever hold the position, Lady Dorrian can now also boast to be the most senior woman legal official in Scottish history.

A graduate of the University of Aberdeen, Lady Dorian became a QC in 1993 and served as a member of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board between 1997 and 2001. In 2005 she was appointed as a supreme court judge, before being called to the inner house at the end of 2012.

Law Society of Scotland president Christine McLintock has praised Lady Dorrian's appointment as a 'significant step forward' towards achieving equality and diversity in the Scottish judiciary, which has decidedly lackluster credentials in issues of representation. Just 21 of Scotland’s 113 QCs are women, and only 9 of the country's 31 judges in post.

Source: The Guardian