Government Law Officers are Parliamentarians with a legal background appointed by the Prime Minister to give legal advice to Ministers.
By convention, their advice, or the fact of their having given or not given advice, is not revealed except in extreme circumstances.
The Attorney General is the Cabinet’s top legal adviser. The holder of the office is, as such, responsible for the Treasury Solicitor’s Department, and oversees the Crown Prosecution Service and the Serious Fraud Office. Law Officers may also undertake prosecutions in the public interest, give advice on Bills and on devolution matters.
The Solicitor General is the government’s second prominent legal advisor.
