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 (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...

. 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 Britain and some former British colonies for a government prosecutor. In former British Colonies and certain British extraterritorial courts the title is (or was) used by the senior government advocate. Great Br ...

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 Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

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 Gim Del Villar KC.

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 Legislative Assembly of Queensland. The premier is appointed ...

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''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 Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, ...

, , - ,

Patrick Keane Patrick Anthony Keane (born 26 October 1952) is an Australian judge currently serving as a non-permanent judge of the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal since 6 April 2023, after his retirement as a Justice of the High Court of Australia. He is ...

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

High Court of Australia The High Court of Australia is the apex court of the Australian legal system. It exercises original and appellate jurisdiction on matters specified in the Constitution of Australia and supplementary legislation. The High Court was establi ...

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

, , - , Peter Dunning , 10 April 2014 , 10 April 2019 , , , - , Sandy 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