Government Legal Department
(asked on 15th January 2024) - View Source
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, pursuant to the Answer of 18 December 2023 to Question 6413 on Government Legal Department, what the composition is of (a) her Department's Legal Advisers and (b) the Government Legal Department Litigation Group; and what (i) their legal qualifications and (ii) the professional standards to which they are required to adhere are.
The composition of the Ministry of Justice Legal Advisers Team, a division of the Government Legal Department (GLD), is as follows:
Description | Staff numbers |
Head of Division/Director (Senior Civil Service Pay Band 2) | 1 |
Deputy Director (Senior Civil Service Pay Band 1) | 6 |
Senior Lawyer (Grade 6) | 23 |
Lawyer (Grade 7) & Junior Lawyer (Legal Officer) | 37 |
Senior Executive Officer, Higher Executive Officer | 0 |
Legal Trainee, Executive Officer, Administrative Officer | 10 |
The composition of the GLD's Litigation Group is as follows:
Description | Staff numbers |
Head of Division/Director (Senior Civil Service Pay Band 2) | 1 |
Deputy Director (Senior Civil Service Pay Band 1) | 30 |
Senior Lawyer (Grade 6) | 136 |
Lawyer (Grade 7) & Junior Lawyer (Legal Officer) | 336 |
Senior Executive Officer, Higher Executive Officer | 51 |
Legal Trainee, Executive Officer, Administrative Officer | 203 |
These civil servants act on behalf of and in the name of the Treasury Solicitor, and pursuant to section 88 of the Solicitors Act 1974 are not required to be admitted or enrolled as a legal practitioner. They predominantly comprise of solicitors and barristers, the majority of which are admitted to practice in England and Wales, although some are qualified to practice in other jurisdictions.
The Costs Litigation Team includes qualified costs lawyers, in addition to which a small number of qualified legal executives are also employed in the Litigation Group. The balance of staff comprises legal trainees, apprentices, paralegals, and business support staff.
Qualified lawyers are required to adhere to the professional standards of their respective profession (solicitor, barrister, costs lawyer, or legal executive), and all staff are required to comply with the Civil Service Code.