The Attorney General is seeking to appoint new members to three civil panels of junior counsel, the London A, B and C panels, to undertake civil work for government departments.
Membership of the London panels is open to both barristers and solicitors with the appropriate qualifications.
The next round of recruitment starts at noon on Thursday 26 February 2026; the deadline for applications and supporting references will be noon Tuesday 7 April 2026. The appointments of successful candidates will commence on 1 September 2026. Appointments will be for a five-year term.
As is the case every year, the Attorney General is looking for applicants with experience in general public, commercial and administrative law, and in employment or personal injury.
Interested candidates can register their interest here. By registering, they will receive all candidate resources and a direct link to begin the application as soon as the competition opens.
The application pack will include the relevant application form and equality and diversity monitoring form as well as specific templates to be used for references, and an information sheet setting out core information on the process, the criteria and requirements for applicants and a range of frequently asked questions. Please note that application packs will not be available before 26 February.
Interested candidates are invited to join the online information event (also known as “Widening the Pool Event”) to find out more information about the work of a Panel Counsel and the application process. The event is scheduled for Wednesday 4 March 2026, 5pm to 6.30pm. For details, please visit Attorney General’s Civil Panel Counsel: appointments, membership lists and off panel counsel – GOV.UK and complete the event registration form.
In addition to this, the Panel Counsel Secretariat runs a light touch mentoring scheme programme in conjunction with competitions for appointment to the Attorney General’s panels. Provided that sufficient mentors are available, they can pair candidates with an existing panel member from a different Chambers with similar specialisms, to ask questions and gain advice. Prospective candidates are welcome to join the mentoring scheme. To request to join, please complete the MS Form – Request for a Mentor for the London ABC panel competition 2026 – Fill out form. Additionally, if there are any existing panel members who would like to volunteer to be a mentor to a prospective candidate, you can do so via this form: Mentoring scheme for London ABC competition 2026 – volunteer to be a Mentor – Fill out form