After a legal apprenticeship in the early 1970’s under the direction of the legendary Lawrence Dowdall, it was inevitable that Frances McMenamin’s career would be focused on criminal law. After a period of over 8 years in the Procurator Fiscal Service, which included three years in the policy section of Crown Office from 1979 to 1982, which was an innovative time in the history of Scottish criminal justice and procedure, she became an Advocate in 1985. From the outset, she was well instructed and has gone on to become one of the busiest and most highly respected practitioners at the Criminal Bar.

In 1990-1991, she was Junior Counsel for the Crown in the Lockerbie Inquiry and in the following year was appointed a Temporary Sheriff, relinquishing that role on her appointment in 1997, on the invitation of the Lord Advocate, as an Advocate Depute, a position she held for the customary three years and in which she represented the Crown in many difficult and complex cases including those of murder, fraud and drugs offences. She continued to represent the Crown in order to complete the very lengthy, unique and well known series of appeals by four Dutchmen against their convictions for importation of cannabis.

She took silk in 1998, whilst still an Advocate Depute, but since resuming her practice as defence counsel in 2000, she has become recognised as the top female criminal defence counsel at the Scottish Bar, where she is now the senior woman.

Her services to the law as well as to her alma mater, the University of Strathclyde, were acknowledged in May 2009 when she was awarded the Honorary Degree of Doctor of the University.