Patricia Scotland Facts for Kids

Junior ministerial offices

Advocate General for Northern Ireland
In office 12 April 2010 – 11 May 2010
Prime Minister	Gordon Brown
Preceded by	Office created
Succeeded by	Dominic Grieve
Attorney General for Northern Ireland
In office 28 June 2007 – 12 April 2010
Prime Minister	Gordon Brown
Preceded by	The Lord Goldsmith
Succeeded by	John Larkin
Minister of State for Criminal Justice and Offender Management
In office 12 June 2003 – 28 June 2007
Prime Minister	Tony Blair
Preceded by	The Lord Falconer of Thoroton
Succeeded by	The Baroness Browning (2011)
Parliamentary Secretary for Lord Chancellor's Department
In office 12 June 2001 – 13 June 2003
Prime Minister	Tony Blair
Preceded by	The Lord Bach
Succeeded by	The Lord Filkin
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
In office 28 July 1999 – 12 June 2001
Prime Minister	Tony Blair
Preceded by	The Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean
Succeeded by	Ben Bradshaw The Baroness Amos

Further offices held

Shadow Attorney General for England and Wales
In office 11 May 2010 – 7 October 2011
Leader	Harriet Harman (acting) Ed Miliband
Preceded by	Edward Garnier
Succeeded by	Emily Thornberry
Member of the House of Lords
Lord Temporal
Life peerage 6 November 1997

Personal details

Born

Patricia Janet Scotland

19 August 1955 (age 69)
Dominica, British Windward Islands

Political party

Labour

Alma mater

Anglia Ruskin University
University College London
Middle Temple

Profession

Barrister

Patricia Janet Scotland, Baroness Scotland of Asthal, born on 19 August 1955, is a well-known Dominican-British lawyer and politician. She served as the sixth Secretary-General of the Commonwealth of Nations from 2016 to 2025. She made history as the first woman to hold this important position.

Before her role in the Commonwealth, she worked as a lawyer in London. In 1997, she became a life peer, which means she was given a special title and a seat in the House of Lords for life. As a politician for the Labour Party in the UK, she held several government jobs. Her most notable roles included being the chief legal advisor to the government, known as the Attorney General for England and Wales, and also the Advocate General for Northern Ireland. She holds dual citizenship, meaning she is a citizen of both the United Kingdom and Dominica, where she was born.

Early Life and Education
Political Career
- Leading Legal Roles
Commonwealth Secretary-General
Awards and Recognition
Personal Life
Images for kids
See also

Early Life and Education

Patricia Scotland was born on 19 August 1955, in Dominica, which was then part of the British Windward Islands. She was the tenth of twelve children in her family. Her mother was from Dominica, and her father was from Antigua.

When she was two years old, her family moved to Walthamstow in north-east London. There, she attended Chapel End Primary School and Walthamstow School for Girls. She later studied at Mid Essex Technical College in Chelmsford. She earned a law degree from University College London. In 1977, she became a Barrister, a type of lawyer who can argue cases in court. She specialized in family law. The next year, she also became a barrister in Dominica.

In 1991, Patricia Scotland was appointed as a Queen's Counsel. This is a special title given to experienced lawyers. She also helped start a group of barristers' offices in London. In 1994, she became a Millennium Commissioner and was part of the Commission for Racial Equality. This group worked to promote fairness and equality for all people. On 30 October 1997, she was given the title Baroness Scotland of Asthal.

Political Career

From 1999 to 2001, Baroness Scotland worked at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. In this role, she helped manage the UK Government's relationships with countries like North America and the Caribbean. She also worked on issues related to Overseas Territories and helped with parliamentary work in the House of Lords. During this time, she introduced a law called the International Criminal Court Act 2001. This law helped the UK support the International Criminal Court, which deals with very serious international crimes.

In 2001, she became a Parliamentary Secretary for the Lord Chancellor's Department. She was also made a member of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom, a group of important advisors to the monarch. She was in charge of making changes to civil law, including new rules for land registration. She also worked on international matters for the department. Prime Minister Tony Blair chose her to represent the UK in discussions about the Charter of Rights, which were successfully completed in 2003.

Scotland in 2005

From 2003 to 2007, Baroness Scotland served as the Minister of State for the Criminal Justice System and Law Reform at the Home Office. In this role, she worked to improve laws about crime and justice. She worked under three different Home Secretaries during this period.

Leading Legal Roles

Scotland speaking at the Royal Courts of Justice (2007)

On 28 June 2007, Prime Minister Gordon Brown appointed Patricia Scotland as the Attorney General. This was a very important role, as she became the chief legal advisor to the government. She was the first woman ever to hold this position since it was created in 1315.

She was also the last person to be both the Attorney General for England and Wales and the Attorney General for Northern Ireland. After her time, Northern Ireland got its own Attorney General. Baroness Scotland then briefly became the Advocate General for Northern Ireland, advising the UK government on Northern Ireland law.

When the Labour government left office in May 2010, Baroness Scotland became the Shadow Attorney General. This meant she was the main legal spokesperson for the opposition party. She continued in this role until October 2011. In November 2012, she was appointed as a special envoy to promote trade with South Africa.

Commonwealth Secretary-General

Scotland in 2013

At a big meeting of Commonwealth leaders in 2015, Patricia Scotland was chosen to be the next Commonwealth Secretary-General. Her home country, Dominica, nominated her for the role. She won against other candidates to become the sixth Secretary-General and the first woman to hold the position. She started her first four-year term on 1 April 2016.

Her term was extended due to the postponement of the 2020 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. She was re-elected for a second term at the 2022 meeting. She promised to serve for two more years instead of a full four-year term, as her first term had already been extended.

As Secretary-General, Baroness Scotland gave a reading at the funeral of Elizabeth II in Westminster Abbey on 19 September 2022.

Awards and Recognition

Patricia Scotland has received many awards for her work. In 2003, she was honored by the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George. She was also voted "Peer of the Year" by Channel 4 and The House magazine. She received other awards for her contributions to law reform in the UK and other countries.

In 2005, she received an honorary degree from the University of East London. The Powerlist magazine recognized her as the most influential Black Briton in 2007, 2008, and 2010. In 2014, she became the Chancellor of the University of Greenwich. In 2015, she was named one of BBC's 100 Women.

Personal Life

Baroness Scotland lives in London and in Asthal, Oxfordshire, with her husband, Richard Mawhinney, who is also a barrister. They have two sons.

Patricia Scotland is a supporter of several organizations. She is a Patron of the Corporate Alliance Against Domestic Violence, Chineke! Foundation, Missio, and Children and Families Across Borders (CFAB).

Images for kids

Coronet of a British Baron
Baroness Scotland's Coat of Arms

Patricia Scotland facts for kids

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