Jonathan Jones (civil servant)


Sir Jonathan Guy Jones is a British government lawyer, serving since March 2014 as HM Procurator General, Treasury Solicitor and Head of the Government Legal Service, and so the Permanent Secretary of the Government Legal Department.

Career

Jones attended Llandovery College in Carmarthenshire before attending St Chad's College at Durham University where he read a BA in Law, graduating in 1984. He then was called to the Bar in 1985 and served as a legal advisor to the Motor Agents Association for three years before joining the government in the Office for Fair Trading in 1989. In 1993 Jones transferred to the Treasury Solicitor's Department, briefly into the division working with the Department for Transport, then as Legal Secretariat to the Law Officers from 1994 until 1998. In 1998, Jones became deputy legal advisor to HM Treasury.
In 2002, Jones was promoted to be a director, initially serving as the Legal Director of the Department for Education and Skills, and two years later promoted again to be the Director-General of the Attorney General's Office. In 2009 Jones became the Deputy Treasury Solicitor, and after three years moved to the Home Office as their Director-General for Legal Affairs from 2012 until 2014.
In 1 March 2014, Jones was appointed the Treasury Solicitor, replacing Sir Paul Jenkins on his retirement. In April 2015, the Treasury Solicitors' Department was renamed to be the Government Legal Department, and with it, parts of Jones's job title. As of 2015, Jones was paid a salary of between £160,000 and £164,999, making him one of the 328 most highly paid people in the British public sector at that time.
In January 2019, Her Majesty approved Jones's appointment as one of 6 new Honorary Queen's Counsel.
Jones was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in the 2020 New Year Honours for public service.