Advisory Counsel

The Advisory side of the Attorney General's Office is comprised of lawyers who specialise in specific areas of law. There are three grades of Advisory Counsel Grade I (Assistant Secretary), Grade II (Principal Officer) and Grade III (Assistant Principal Officer). The Director General and Deputy Director General are also Advisory Counsel.

The principal duty of the Advisory Counsel in the Office is to assist the Attorney General in performing his functions, powers and duties. The range of subjects covered is broad, but the activities themselves fall broadly into three categories: (1) the provision of advice, (2) the direction of litigation and (3) legal advice in the provision of a drafting service to Government Departments.

Advisory Counsel work closely with lawyers in both the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel in relation to advising on legal issues in the drafting of legislation and the Chief State Solicitor's Office in relation to advising on the conduct of litigation and other legal advice.

The Director General of the Office of the Attorney General, who is also the most senior Advisory Counsel, is the head of the Office of the Attorney General as a whole within the meaning of the Public Service Management Act 1997 and has responsibility for the management of the Office.