AGRICULTURAL LAW specialist Margo McGill has been appointed as the new Clerk of Lieutenancy for the Lord-Lieutenant of Ayrshire and Arran, Sheriff Iona McDonald OBE.

Ms McGill is a Solicitor and is currently head of the Agriculture and Estates team with Lockharts Law LLP in Ayr. She is Ayrshire's only lawyer to be accredited as a specialist in Agricultural Law by the Law Society of Scotland. and is particularly well known within the farming community, having won awards for her work in this area. Margo, who is married to a local farmer, Robbie Scott, with two sons Rory and Kyle, succeeds Nigel Martin who has been the clerk since 1987 and has served under four Lord Lieutenants, previously serving under Sir Bryce Knox, Sir Richard Henderson and John Duncan.

The Lord Lieutenant said: "I cannot thank Nigel enough for his loyalty, support and dedication to the Lieutenancy. His intimate knowledge of royal protocols and procedures will be sadly missed. I look forward to working with Margo and I am sure that she will be a great asset to the Lieutenancy."