The Government Legal Profession (GLP) is the collective network of qualified lawyers embedded across UK government departments and agencies, providing expert legal advice, litigation support, policy guidance, and compliance services to ensure the government operates within the rule of law.
As of 2025, the GLP operates under the Civil Service umbrella and serves as the government’s primary in-house legal resource. The Government Legal Department (GLD) serves as the principal legal adviser to the UK Government.
The Government Legal Profession (GLP) was formally known as The Government Legal Service (GLS).
Key Roles and Functions
The GLP comprises thousands of qualified lawyers (including solicitors, barristers, and chartered legal executives) embedded across government departments, agencies, and devolved administrations.
The government is our sole client.
Whether the government is creating new laws, buying goods and services, or defending its decisions in court, it needs significant levels of legal advice on a range of complex issues.
To carry out this work, the government needs its own lawyers and legal trainees who understand its business.
Government Legal Profession – About Us
Their work is diverse and spans advisory, legislative, litigation, commercial, and employment law. Unlike private practice, the government’s interests are their sole client, requiring lawyers to balance legal rigor with policy considerations, public interest and political sensitivity.
| Area of Work | Description | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Advisory & Policy Support | Providing legal advice on policy development, ensuring compliance with existing laws, and assessing risks for new initiatives. Lawyers collaborate with ministers, policymakers, and officials to implement manifesto commitments. | Advising on whether policies require new legislation; drafting secondary regulations (e.g., Statutory Instruments) that directly impact communities. |
| Legislative Work | Assisting in creating and scrutinising bills, guiding them through Parliament, and supporting ministers in debates. | Preparing proposals for primary legislation; working with the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel to ensure laws are enforceable and withstand judicial review. |
| Litigation | Representing the government in courts and tribunals, from employment disputes to high-profile constitutional cases in the Supreme Court. | Handling judicial reviews, human rights claims, national security matters, and public interest immunity cases; managing a high volume of cases with broader policy implications. |
| Commercial Law | Advising on procurement, contracts, intellectual property, and state aid to maximise value for public money and minimise spending risks. | Developing procurement strategies; negotiating supplier contracts for large-scale projects. |
| Employment Law | Supporting HR functions across government, including policy advice, compliance training, and tribunal representation. | Handling non-contentious issues like employment policies; litigating in Employment Tribunals and Appeals. |
Structure and Leadership
- Head of the Profession: The Treasury Solicitor Susanna McGibbon KC (Hon) also serves as Permanent Secretary of the Government Legal Department (GLD). The GLD are the largest provider of legal services within the GLP. The GLD advises nearly all major Whitehall departments (e.g., Home Office, HM Treasury, Ministry of Defence) and handles civil litigation, employment and commercial matters.
- Wider Network: Beyond the GLD, GLP lawyers are based in organisations like the Attorney General’s Office (AGO), HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC), intelligence agencies (MI5, MI6, GCHQ), Crown Prosecution Service and devolved bodies in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
- Recruitment and Training: Open to qualified professionals; the GLP emphasises intellectually demanding roles with opportunities to shape public policy and law which is unavailable in private practice.
Impact and Unique Aspects
GLP lawyers enable the government to “govern well within the rule of law” by ensuring policies are legally sound, legislation is robust, and disputes are resolved with public interest in mind.
Their work often involves high-stakes, public-facing issues and contributes to delivering public services efficiently. The rebranding from GLS to GLP highlighted a shift toward viewing government legal work as a unified profession, fostering collaboration across government. For more details, including career opportunities, visit the official GOV.UK page: Government Legal Profession.
Information on the Trainee Solicitor and Pupil Barrister opportunities available within government departments is published in the Legal trainee scheme guidance.
Information regarding the application and assessment process for the legal trainee scheme is published in the guidance Legal trainee scheme: how to apply.
Legal trainee recruitment enquiries
Recruitment Team
11th Floor, Lower Castle Street
Castlemead
Bristol
BS1 3AG
United Kingdom
Email : [email protected] / Tel : 0117 923 4417
The UK Government’s Government Legal Profession (GLP) also recruits qualified lawyers (barristers, solicitors and chartered legal executives) to provide legal services across departments, primarily through the Government Legal Department (GLD). Information regarding career development, flexible working, salaries and training opportunities is also published as guidance Working for GLP.
Qualified lawyer vacancies across government are advertised on the Civil Service Jobs Website.
The Civil Service is an equal opportunities employer.
Check out the related articles on the Government Legal Department (GLD), Attorney General, Solicitor General, Lord Chancellor, Justice Secretary, Rule of Law, Open Justice, Law, Is the Law Black and White ?, Government Legal Department, Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), Abuse of Process, What Does Lady Justice Symbolise ?, McKenzie Friend, Can a Judge Direct a Jury to Find a Defendant Not Guilty ?,Law Society, Law Commission, McKenzie Friend Right of Audience, Solicitors, Solicitors Regulation Authority, Barristers, Bar Council of England and Wales, Bar Standards Board, R v Sussex Justices, Police Impartiality and the highly questionable Sussex Family Justice Board.
The Ministry of Injustice is not the Ministry of Justice nor is it affiliated in any way with the justice system, legal profession, police or any other law enforcement agencies.
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You should always seek formal legal advice from a qualified and reputable lawyer (solicitor or barrister).
There are a number of links to Free and Paid For Legal Resources and Legal Organisations on the Free Legal Advice , Legal Aid and Pro Bono pages.
[post_title] was last updated on the 2nd June 2026
