The Solicitor-General of Queensland, known informally as the Solicitor-General, is the state's Second Law Officer, and the deputy of the

Attorney-General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

. The Solicitor-General can exercise the powers of the Attorney-General in their absence. The Solicitor-General acts alongside the

Crown Advocate Crown advocate is a title used in some former British colonies (and until recently in Britain) for a government prosecutor. In former British Colonies and certain British extraterritorial courts the title is (or was) used by the senior government ...

and Crown Solicitor, and serves as one of the legal and constitutional advisers of the Crown and its government in the Australian state of

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

The Solicitor-General is addressed in court as "Mr/Ms Solicitor". Despite the title, the position may only be filled by a barrister of at least ten years standing, for a period of five years. The inaugural Solicitor-General was Thomas Byrnes, who served from 12 August 1890 to 13 March 1893. The position was then vacant until 1922, when William Webb was appointed. The current Solicitor-General is Gavin Thompson.

History and function

The relevant ''Solicitor-General Act 1985'' (Qld) (the Act) provides for the office of Solicitor-General. The Act provides for an appointment for a term not exceeding five years, with the possibility of renewal.''Solicitor-General Act 1985'' (Cth) s 5(2)(a)(b). A candidate for Solicitor-General must be a barrister of no less than 10 years. The Act provides the functions of the Solicitor-General are to act primarily for the Crown, state, or other person as requested by the Attorney-General for the benefit of the Government of Queensland.

Office-holders 1890-present

{, class="wikitable sortable" border="1" , , , - ! Name ! Appointed ! Concluded ! class="unsortable", Comments ! class="unsortable", Notes , - , Thomas Byrnes , 12 August 1890 , 13 March 1893 , Appointed Attorney-General of Queensland and then

Premier of Queensland The premier of Queensland is the head of government in the Australian state of Queensland. By convention the premier is the leader of the party with a parliamentary majority in the unicameral Legislative Assembly of Queensland. The premier is ap ...

, , - , colspan="5" ,

''position vacant 13 March 1893 to 11 April 1922''

, - , William Webb , 11 April 1922 , 16 April 1925 , Appointed a Justice of the Supreme Court of Queensland and then a Justice of the High Court of Australia , , - , Hubert Henchman , 5 August 1937 , 31 December 1945 , Former Crown Solicitor , , - , William Hamilton , 1 January 1946 , 31 December 1954 , Former Crown Solicitor , , - , William Ryan , 1 January 1955 , 19 March 1970 , , , - , Thomas Parslow , 21 January 1971 , 14 July 1980 , Former Crown Solicitor , , - , Denis Galligan , 14 August 1980 , 29 February 1984 , Former Crown Solicitor , , - , Kenneth Mackenzie , 20 June 1985 , 10 April 1989 , Appointed a Justice of the Supreme Court of Queensland , , - , Geoffrey Davies , 31 October 1989 , 13 December 1991 , Appointed a Justice the

Queensland Court of Appeal ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

, , - ,

Patrick Keane Patrick Anthony Keane (born 26 October 1952) is a former Justice of the High Court of Australia and a former Chief Justice of the Federal Court of Australia. He will soon join as a judge on the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal. Early life an ...

, 13 December 1992 , 17 February 2005 , Appointed a Justice of the

High Court of Australia The High Court of Australia is Australia's apex court. It exercises Original jurisdiction, original and appellate jurisdiction on matters specified within Constitution of Australia, Australia's Constitution. The High Court was established fol ...

, , - , Walter Sofronoff , 17 February 2017 , 13 March 2014 , Appointed a Justice of and President of the

, , - , Peter Dunning , 10 April 2014 , 10 April 2019 , , , - , Gavin Thompson , , , , 7 July 2022 , , , , , - , Gim Del Villar , 25 July 2022 , Incumbent , , {{Cite web , title=NEW SOLICITOR-GENERAL FOR QUEENSLAND , url=https://statements.qld.gov.au/statements/95678 , access-date=2023-02-28 , website=Ministerial Media Statements , language=en

References

Solicitors-General of Queensland Queensland law