Counsel General for Wales

Counsel General for Wales
Cwnsler Cyffredinol Cymru (Welsh)[1]
Incumbent Julie James MS since 17 September 2024 (2024-09-17)
Welsh Government
Style	Welsh Minister
Status	Law officer of the Crown
Abbreviation	Counsel General
Member of	the Senedd Cabinet
Reports to	the Senedd and the First Minister of Wales
Seat	Cardiff
Nominator	First Minister of Wales
Appointer	The Crown
Term length	Five years Subject to elections to the Senedd which take place every five years
Formation	19 July 2007
First holder	Carwyn Jones AM

This article is part of a series within the Politics of the United Kingdom on the
Politics of Wales
The Crown The Monarch Charles III Heir Apparent William, Prince of Wales Prerogative Royal family Succession Privy Council King-in-Parliament Lord-lieutenant Llwynywermod England and Wales Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542 Principality of Wales Welsh republicanism
Government Welsh Government Eluned Morgan government (list) First Minister (list) Rt Hon Eluned Morgan MS (L) Deputy First Minister Huw Irranca-Davies MS (L) Cabinet Civil Service Welsh Budget Taxation Directorates Sponsored bodies State-owned enterprises Crown Buildings, Cathays Park Counsel General-designate – Elisabeth Jones Chief Whip and Trefnydd – Jane Hutt MS (L) Permanent Secretary International relations Welsh Government international offices
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Wales and the United Kingdom HM Government Starmer ministry Prime Minister Rt Hon Keir Starmer MP (L) Secretary of State for Wales Rt Hon Jo Stevens MP (L) UK Parliament 59th Parliament House of Commons Wales Office Under-Secretary Welsh Grand Committee Welsh Affairs Select Committee Interministerial Standing Committee Government of Wales Act 2006 Elections Constituencies Current Westminster MPs Barnett formula Devolution Devolved matters Reserved matters Legislative consent motion Unionism Independence Politics of the United Kingdom
Law and justice Welsh law English law Wales-only laws Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542 Wales and Berwick Act 1746 Capital of Wales: Cardiff Supreme Court of the United Kingdom Courts of England and Wales President of Welsh Tribunals Police forces Police and crime commissioner (list)
Local administration History Subdivisions of Wales Historic counties (list) Preserved counties (list) Principal areas (list) Former districts list pre-1973 list 1974-1996 Communities (list) Local government Principal councils (leader list) Corporate Joint Committees Cities (list) Cardiff (Mayor / Council) Swansea (Mayor / Council) Newport (Mayor / Council) Wrexham (Mayor / Council) Community council (list) Communities with city status Bangor St Asaph St Davids Local twinning see also: Regional terms and Regional economy
Elections and referendums Senedd elections 1999 2003 2007 2011 2016 2021 Next United Kingdom Parliament elections 1801 co-option 1802 1806 1807 1812 1818 1820 1826 1830 1831 1832 1835 1837 1841 1847 1852 1857 1859 1865 1868 1874 1880 1885 1886 1892 1895 1900 1906 1910 (Jan) 1910 (Dec) 1918 1922 1923 1924 1929 1931 1935 1945 1950 1951 1955 1959 1964 1966 1970 1974 (Feb) 1974 (Oct) 1979 1983 1987 1992 1997 2001 2005 2010 2015 2017 2019 2024 European Parliament elections (1979–2020) 1979 1984 1989 1994 1999 2004 2009 2014 2019 Local elections 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1999 2004 2008 2012 2017 2022 Police and crime commissioner elections 2012 2016 2021 Referendums 1975 1979 1997 2011 2011 2016 1915–16 Anglican border polls 2004 Ceredigion mayoral Senedd constituencies and electoral regions UK parliamentary constituencies in Wales Political parties Represented in the Senedd (Labour Conservatives Plaid Cymru Liberal Democrats) Think tanks
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The Counsel General for Wales (Welsh: Cwnsler Cyffredinol Cymru)^[2] is the Welsh Government's Law Officer (akin to the role of Attorney general in other jurisdictions using the Common law), which means the government's chief legal adviser and representative in the courts. In addition to these "lawyer" roles the Counsel General also works to uphold the rule of law and integrity of the legal community in Wales, and has a number of important specific statutory functions, some of which are to be exercised independently of government and in the public interest.

The Counsel General is appointed by the sovereign on the recommendation of the First Minister of Wales. The recommendation of the First Minister to appoint or remove the Counsel General can only be made if approved by the Senedd. The Counsel General is a member of the Welsh Government and attends Cabinet meetings at the invitation of the First Minister. Although not a minister, the Counsel General is bound by the Ministerial Code which makes some specific provision in relation to the role.

Julie James is the current Counsel General in the Eluned Morgan government since September 2024.