What does your job involve?
The AGO’s mission is to make law and politics work together at the heart of the UK constitution. Together with Doug, the DG, and our executive board, I’m responsible for making sure we’re in a position to respond to whatever comes up, advise the law officers, and enable the government lawfully to react. In practice, that means a lot of liaison across government and the criminal justice system.
To do your job well, you need...
Flexibility. We’re a really small team of 70 or so, which means everyone needs to be at the top of their game and ready to pivot at short notice. And our office can only do its work by relying on a huge network across government.
First job in government
I joined from commercial litigation, so assumed I would be doing something commercial. I found myself in the immigration litigation team in the Government Legal Department. A full caseload of judicial reviews was a bit of a shock to the system.
Proudest achievement to date
We can’t talk much about a lot of the things we work on. But in terms of the actual impact on people, my work in a previous role on the Horizon scandal. A small team of us were able to shape a policy that went some small way to repairing a terrible injustice.
Most bizarre thing that’s happened to you at work
Being put up at short notice to brief the media lobby in No.10. I can’t describe the terror of saying the wrong thing and becoming the story. The feedback afterwards was that the journalists were confused that I kept on giving detailed constitutional law answers to their questions about political issues. I wasn’t invited back.
If you weren’t a civil servant, you’d be...
Probably a very bored lawyer in the City!
What’s the best piece of professional advice you’ve ever been given?
Don’t take the job home with you. Our jobs can be difficult enough and during a crisis or a period of sustained political pressure, they can be intensely stressful. Being able to do your job to the best of your professional ability but then to go home and see your family, friends, or just switch off and read a book or watch a film, is such a crucial way to survive.
Since this interview took place, Michael Padfield has stepped up as acting director general at the Attorney General's Office