Law officers of the Crown

rdf:langString Law officers of the Crown

rdf:langString The Law Officers are the senior legal advisors to His Majesty's Government and devolved executives of the United Kingdom. They are variously referred to as the Attorney General, Solicitor General 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. 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. The role of Attorney General for England and Wales and Advocate General for Northern Ireland are currently held by Rt Hon Michael Ellis KC MP. He is supported by the Solicitor General for England and Wales. Following devolution, a new position of Advocate General for Scotland was created to advise the UK Government on matters of Scots law. The devolved Scottish executive also has two law officers, the Lord Advocate and the Solicitor General for 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. 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.