The Law Officers are the senior legal advisors to His Majesty's Government of the United Kingdom and devolved governments of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. They are variously referred to as the Attorney General, Solicitor General, Lord Advocate, or Advocate General depending on seniority and geography - though other terms are also in use, such as the Counsel General for Wales. Law Officers in these roles are distinguished by being political appointees, while also being bound by the duties of independence, justice and confidentiality among the other typical professional commitments of lawyers.[1] These roles do not have any direct oversight of prosecutions nor do they directly lead or influence criminal investigations. This is a distinguishing factor between Law Officers and the State Attorneys General of the United States or US Attorney General.
Each British Overseas Territory, apart from the British Indian Ocean Territory, also has its own Attorney General. Many Commonwealth countries or those with a history of British colonisation retain these titles, though their particular roles and responsibilities may differ from the roles in the United Kingdom.
There are eight Law Offices in the United Kingdom, though not all serve the Westminster Government.[1] The role of Attorney General for England and Wales and Advocate General for Northern Ireland, held by Rt Hon Victoria Prentis KC MP, since 25 October 2022.[2] She is supported by the Solicitor General for England and Wales. The Scottish Government has two law officers, the Lord Advocate and the Solicitor General for Scotland, with the Lord Advocate being the most senior law officer in Scotland and is the chief legal adviser to the Scottish Government. Following devolution, a new position of Advocate General for Scotland was created to advise the UK Government on matters of Scots law.[1] The office of the Advocate General for Scotland should not be confused with that of "His Majesty's Advocate", which is the term used for the Lord Advocate in Scottish criminal proceedings as the head of the systems of prosecution in Scotland. The Welsh Government has its own Law Officer: the Counsel General for Wales; as does the Northern Irish executive: the Attorney General for Northern Ireland.[1]
The two Attorneys General for the Duchies of Lancaster and Cornwall are non-political appointments. They are not typically being referred to when the term 'law officer' is used, as this tends to be reserved for political appointees.
^ abcdMcCormick, Conor (Queen's University Belfast); Cowie, Graeme (HoC Library) (28 May 2020). Briefing Paper - The Law Officers: a Constitutional and Functional Overview (PDF) (Report). House of Commons Library. Number 08919.
^"Attorney General's Office". UK Government. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
and 22 Related for: Law officers of the Crown information
TheLawOfficers are the senior legal advisors to His Majesty's Government ofthe United Kingdom and devolved governments of Northern Ireland, Scotland...
to the rule oflaw; or to the functions of executive (theCrown-in-council), legislative (theCrown-in-parliament), and judicial (theCrown on the bench)...
law officersoftheCrown. The attorney general is the leader ofthe Attorney General's Office and currently attends (but is not a member of) the Cabinet...
Reference LawOfficersoftheCrown Attorney General for England and Wales Attorney General for Northern Ireland "MSP salaries". parliament.scot. The Scottish...
Angiolini returned to theCrown Office as Head of Policy, with responsibility for the development of policy across all functions ofthe department. In particular...
Solicitor General for Scotland, both of whom are LawOfficers. The day-to-day running ofthe Service is carried out by theCrown Agent & Chief Executive and an...
TheLawOfficers Act 1997 is an Act of Parliament which allowed the Attorney General for England and Wales and for Northern Ireland to delegate powers...
the attorney general is one oftheLawOfficersoftheCrown. Along with the subordinate Solicitor General, Crown Advocate, and Crown Solicitor, the attorney...
law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions Justice ofthe peace, sometimes used with the same meaning LawofficersoftheCrown, the chief...
under the criminal law, and appears for the NSW Government in criminal proceedings of special significance Under the Act theCrown Advocate assists the Solicitor...
informally as the Solicitor General, is one ofthelawofficersoftheCrown in the government ofthe United Kingdom. They are the deputy ofthe Attorney General...
assistants who represent each ofthe state districts. In the United Kingdom, these individuals are known as lawofficersoftheCrown These are headed by an...
spending ofthe Ministry of Justice. In addition, the committee examines the work oftheLawOfficersoftheCrown, the Serious Fraud Office, and theCrown Prosecution...
outside the precincts ofthe Inns of Court in the late 20th century. During the 12th and early 13th centuries, law was taught in the City of London, primarily...
informally as the Solicitor General, is one oftheLawOfficersoftheCrown, and the deputy ofthe Attorney General. They can exercise the powers ofthe Attorney...
Global Information