Solicitor General for England and Wales facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Solicitor General for England and Wales
The Royal Arms, representing the UK Government
Incumbent Vacant since 5 July 2024
Attorney General's Office
Style	Solicitor
Reports to	Attorney General for England and Wales
Appointer	The Monarch on the advice of the Prime Minister
Term length	At His Majesty's Pleasure
Formation	Before 1460
Salary	£142,106 per annum (2022) (including £84,144 MP salary)

His Majesty's Solicitor General for England and Wales, often just called the Solicitor General, is a very important legal advisor in the government of the United Kingdom. This person is one of the main "law officers of the Crown." They are the deputy, or helper, to the Attorney General.

The main job of the Solicitor General is to give legal advice to the King or Queen (the Crown) and the government's top team, the Cabinet. They can also use special powers that the Attorney General gives to them. Even though the title includes "Solicitor," this role is usually held by a barrister, which is a different type of lawyer.

There is also a Solicitor General for Scotland, who helps the Lord Advocate in Scotland. Sometimes, other members of the Royal Family, like the Prince of Wales or a Queen Consort, can also have their own legal advisors. Currently, the Prince of Wales has an Attorney General but no Solicitor General.

In court, people address the Solicitor General as "Mr Solicitor" or "Ms Solicitor." There is also a Shadow Solicitor General who belongs to the main opposition party in Parliament.

Right now, the position of Solicitor General is empty. This happened after Rishi Sunak resigned and the government changed following the Conservative Party losing the 2024 United Kingdom general election.

What is the Solicitor General's Role?

The Solicitor General is a key legal expert for the government. They work closely with the Attorney General to make sure the government follows the law. They help with important legal cases and advise on new laws.

Helping the Attorney General

The Solicitor General acts as the main deputy to the Attorney General. This means they can step in and do the Attorney General's job if needed. They have specific powers given to them by law.

Advising the Government

A big part of the job is giving legal advice to the government. This advice helps ministers make decisions that are fair and legal. They ensure that government actions are within the rules.

History of the Solicitor General

The role of Solicitor General has a very long history. It has existed for hundreds of years, helping the monarch and the government with legal matters. The position has changed over time but has always been about providing expert legal advice.

Solicitors General in the 20th and 21st Centuries

Here are some of the people who have held the important role of Solicitor General in recent times.

20th Century Solicitors General

Name		Portrait	Term of office		Political party	Prime Minister
	Sir Edward Carson		7 May 1900	4 December 1905	Irish Unionist Alliance		3rd Marquess of Salisbury
							Arthur Balfour
	Sir William Robson		12 December 1905	28 January 1908	Liberal		Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman
	Sir Samuel Evans		28 January 1908	6 March 1910
							H. H. Asquith
	Sir Rufus Isaacs		6 March 1908	7 October 1910
	Sir John Simon		7 October 1910	19 October 1913
	Sir Stanley Buckmaster		19 October 1913	8 November 1915
	Sir F. E. Smith		2 June 1915	8 November 1915	Conservative
	Sir George Cave		8 November 1915	10 December 1915
	Sir Gordon Hewart		10 December 1915	10 January 1919	Liberal		David Lloyd George
	Sir Ernest Pollock		10 January 1919	6 March 1922	Conservative
	Sir Leslie Scott		6 March 1922	19 October 1922
	Sir Thomas Inskip		31 October 1922	22 January 1924			Bonar Law
							Stanley Baldwin
	Sir Henry Slesser		23 January 1924	3 November 1924	Labour		Ramsay MacDonald
	Sir Thomas Inskip		11 November 1924	28 March 1928	Conservative		Stanley Baldwin
	Sir Boyd Merriman		28 March 1928	5 June 1929
	Sir James B. Melville		7 June 1929	22 October 1930	Labour		Ramsay MacDonald
	Sir Stafford Cripps		22 October 1930	24 August 1931
	Sir Thomas Inskip		3 September 1931	26 January 1932	Conservative
	Sir Boyd Merriman		26 January 1932	29 September 1933
	Sir Donald Somervell		29 September 1933	19 March 1936
							Stanley Baldwin
	Sir Terence O'Connor		19 March 1936	7 May 1940
							Neville Chamberlain
	Sir William Jowitt		15 May 1940	4 March 1942	Labour		Sir Winston Churchill
	Sir David Maxwell Fyfe		4 March 1942	25 May 1945	Conservative
	Sir Walter Monckton		25 May 1945	26 July 1945
	Sir Frank Soskice		4 August 1945	24 April 1951	Labour		Clement Attlee
	Sir Lynn Ungoed-Thomas		24 April 1951	26 October 1951
	Sir Reginald Manningham-Buller		3 November 1951	8 October 1954	Conservative		Sir Winston Churchill
	Sir Harry Hylton-Foster		18 October 1954	22 October 1959
							Sir Winston Churchill Sir Anthony Eden Harold Macmillan
							Harold Macmillan
	Sir Jocelyn Simon		22 October 1959	8 February 1962
	Sir John Hobson		8 February 1962	19 July 1962
	Sir Peter Rawlinson		19 July 1962	16 October 1964			Harold Macmillan Sir Alec Douglas-Home
	Sir Dingle Foot		18 October 1964	24 August 1967	Labour		Harold Wilson
	Sir Arthur Irvine		24 August 1967	19 June 1970
	Sir Geoffrey Howe		23 June 1970	5 November 1972	Conservative		Edward Heath
	Sir Michael Havers		5 November 1972	4 March 1974
	Peter Archer		7 March 1974	4 May 1979	Labour		Harold Wilson James Callaghan
	Sir Ian Percival		5 May 1979	13 June 1983	Conservative		Margaret Thatcher
	Sir Patrick Mayhew		13 June 1983	13 June 1987
	Sir Nicholas Lyell		13 June 1987	15 April 1992			Margaret Thatcher John Major
	Sir Derek Spencer		15 April 1992	2 May 1997			John Major
	Lord Falconer of Thoroton		6 May 1997	28 July 1998	Labour		Tony Blair
	Sir Ross Cranston		28 July 1998	11 June 2001

21st Century Solicitors General

Colour key (for political parties):
      Conservative       Labour

Name		Portrait	Term of office		Political party	Prime Minister
	Harriet Harman		11 June 2001	10 May 2005	Labour		Tony Blair
	Mike O'Brien		11 May 2005	29 June 2007
	Dame Vera Baird		29 June 2007	11 May 2010			Gordon Brown
	Sir Edward Garnier		13 May 2010	4 September 2012	Conservative		David Cameron
	Sir Oliver Heald		4 September 2012	15 July 2014
	Sir Robert Buckland		15 July 2014	9 May 2019
							David Cameron Theresa May
	Lucy Frazer		9 May 2019	25 July 2019			Theresa May
	Sir Michael Ellis		25 July 2019	2 March 2021			Boris Johnson
	Lucy Frazer		2 March 2021	10 September 2021
	Sir Michael Ellis		10 September 2021	16 September 2021
	Alex Chalk		16 September 2021	5 July 2022
	Edward Timpson		7 July 2022	7 September 2022
	Michael Tomlinson		7 September 2022	7 December 2023			Liz Truss
							Rishi Sunak
	Robert Courts		7 December 2023	Incumbent

See also

• Solicitor general
• Attorney General for England and Wales
• Law officers of the Crown