Inside the courts: Angiolini joins the club – and may be hoping for place on the bench

ELISH Angiolini has a tendency to ruffle feathers, and to break new ground, within Scotland's legal establishment.

Much of this has little to do with her track-record as chief prosecutor – but more simply because of who she is and her background.

When she replaced Colin Boyd two years ago, Mrs Angiolini became the first female Lord Advocate in the post's illustrious 400-year history.

Only hours after her appointment, a spat had broken out between establishment figures.

One former judge branded her a "career civil servant" who lacked the independence of her predecessors, because she was the first non-advocate to land the job. This was countered by Crown counsel complaints about the "old boys' club".

Now she has broken yet more new ground, after being accepted into the Faculty of Advocates.

The faculty is a 470-year-old institution whose members have rights of audience in the High Court and Court of Session. That means they are allowed to don a wig and stand before a judge in the highest courts in the land.

To gain entry into this elite legal club, lawyers have to prove they have the required knowledge and experience. Exams have to be passed and nine months of "devilling" – being supervised by a senior advocate – completed.

But, in the case of Ms Angiolini's admission, these requirements have been waived – an unprecedented move that could see the rules of entry to the faculty loosened considerably, and about which, The Scotsman understands, a number of senior lawyers are unhappy.

Yesterday, the Crown Office issued a press release announcing that the Lord Advocate had been invited into the Faculty of Advocates by the dean, Richard Keen.

The short statement offered no explanation for the move, simply saying she was "honoured to have been invited to apply to join the Faculty of Advocates, which is highly respected for its central role in delivering independent legal services in Scotland".

The question remains: why?

The Scotsman understands that faculty membership is something Mrs Angiolini has been keen on for some time. That desire was signalled to the faculty during ground-laying talks with Crown officials and the faculty, paving the way for yesterday's "invitation" announcement.

As one senior lawyer put it to me: "The Lord Advocate has for some time expressed an interest in being a member, but wanted to be invited rather than apply and be turned down."

It is plausible she is preparing for life after being Lord Advocate. For now she will have rights of audience in the High Court – and, perhaps more importantly, become eligible to apply to become a judge.