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Head of Government Legal Department and interim Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman among nine new honorary King’s Counsel

The Treasury Solicitor, HM Procurator General and Permanent Secretary of the Government Legal Department (GLD), Susanna McGibbon, has been appointed an honorary King’s Counsel.

The Ministry of Justice said McGibbon was nominated for her legal advice on complex and sensitive issues within government, especially in public and administrative law and national security.

“Also, for her leadership in a range of high-profile cases and inquiries and for her advocacy for diversity and inclusion across the legal profession,” it added.   

Rebecca Hilsenrath, currently the interim Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, has also been appointed an honorary silk.

She has previously served as Chief Executive of the PHSO, Legal Adviser to the Attorney General, and Chief Executive of LawWorks. She was also the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Legal Officer of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC).   

Hilsenrath was nominated “for her efforts in promoting diversity in panel counsel appointments for the government and at the EHRC, increasing pro bono contributions in the legal sector, and leading international legal engagement in equality and human rights”, the MoJ said.

The other honorary King’s Counsel are:

  • Professor Martin Dixon, a legal scholar specialising in real property law at the University of Cambridge.
  • Rachel Horman-Brown, a solicitor focused on cases involving domestic abuse, stalking, coercive control, and forced marriage.
  • Dr Laura Janes, a solicitor specialising in complex cases involving people detained in the criminal justice and mental health systems.
  • Professor Renato Nazzini, a legal scholar at King’s College London focusing on competition law, commercial arbitration, and construction law.
  • Susan Willman, a solicitor specialising in public interest litigation, focusing on human rights, environmental justice, and migrants’ rights.
  • Douglas Wilson, a government lawyer currently serving as Director General and Head of the Attorney General’s Office.
  • Professor Adrian Zuckerman, a scholar in civil procedure and evidence law at the University of Oxford.

The Lord Chancellor will preside over the award ceremony at Westminster Hall in March 2025, where she will formally award the Honorary KC to the successful nominees.