Jonathan Jones

Jonathan Jones

Senior Consultant, Litigation, Arbitration & Investigations, London

"I have unique experience of public and constitutional law, after 30 years as a government lawyer including almost 7 as Treasury Solicitor & Permanent Secretary of the Government Legal Department – the most senior legal official in the UK Civil Service."

Overview

Professional experience

Education and qualifications

Overview

From his work at the heart of government, Jonathan has deep experience of all aspects of public and constitutional law, the workings of government and Parliament, and the development and implementation of policy, including: judicial review, public inquiries, primary and secondary legislation, EU and international law.

He is based in Linklaters’ London Litigation, Arbitration & Investigations practice, where his work includes judicial review and public law generally, advice on legal, policy and constitutional developments, the workings of government and parliament, and public & parliamentary inquiries.

Work highlights

Jonathan’s recent matters include:

  • Acting for Bulb in the administrators of Bulb in a judicial review of the first energy administration transfer scheme under the Energy Act.
  • Acting for Annington Property Ltd in a judicial review against the Ministry of Defence relating to its enfranchisement of residential military properties.
 

Professional experience

Previous experience includes:

  • Legal Adviser to HM Treasury, Department for Education and Home Office; Director General of the Attorney General’s Office
  • Appointed honorary Queen’s Counsel, now King’s Counsel (KC) in 2019
  • Appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in 2020, for public service
  • Master of the Bench, Middle Temple
  • Honorary Professor, Durham Law School
  • Senior Fellow, Institute for Government

He has given many lectures and presentations on public, constitutional and statutory law to (among others) the Administrative Law Bar Association, Durham and Cambridge Universities, the Institute for Government, the Society of Legal Scholars and the Statute Law Society.

He is frequently interviewed by, or writes for, the media on current legal and policy issues, including BBC television and radio, Sky news, Times Radio, the Times newspaper, Guardian, Independent, Prospect Magazine, New Statesman and others.

He has blogged on legal and constitutional issues for the Institute for Government: Jonathan Jones QC | The Institute for Government.

He recently contributed this article for the New Statesman on proposed reforms to the Human Rights Act 1998.

And this article in Prospect magazine on the House of Commons Privileges Committee inquiry into Boris Johnson.

Education and qualifications

BA (Law), University of Durham.

Called to the Bar by the Middle Temple. Elected a Master of the Bench.

Appointed Queen’s Counsel (now King’s Counsel) Honoris Causa.