England and Wales
The Attorney General for England and Wales is the chief legal adviser of the Crown in England and Wales, and a member of the Government. The Attorney General provides legal advice to the Government of the day. By convention, and unlike the papers of other ministers, this legal advice is available to subsequent governments.
The current Attorney General is Dominic Grieve, QC.
The Attorney General oversees the small Attorney General's Office and also has responsibility for the Treasury Solicitor's Department. The Treasury Solicitor acts on behalf of the Attorney General when representation in court is required.
The Attorney General also has supervisory powers over prosecutions, including those mounted by the Crown Prosecution Service, headed by the Director of Public Prosecutions); the Serious Fraud Office; and the Revenue and Customs Prosecutions Office.
The Attorney General has public interest functions, being, for example, the trustee of default where a sole trustee has died, and can also take cases to the Supreme Court where points of general legal importance need to be settled.
The Attorney General is assisted by the Solicitor General for England and Wales, currently Edward Garnier MP QC. Under the Law Officers Act 1997, the Solicitor General may do anything on behalf of, or in the place of, the Attorney General, and vice versa.
Under the Government of Wales Act 2006, the Counsel General for Wales is the chief legal adviser to the Welsh Government.
Read more about this topic: Law Officers Of The Crown
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