Jocelyn Ledward KC appointed to lead Treasury Counsel

Jocelyn Ledward KC will become the first woman to lead the Treasury Counsel team at the Central Criminal Court after being appointed First Senior Treasury Counsel to the Crown.

The Attorney General, Ellie Reeves KC MP, announced the appointment, which will take effect on 1 April 2027. Jocelyn Ledward KC will succeed Tom Little KC, who has served in the role since April 2024.

Treasury Counsel are based at the Old Bailey, where they take on many of the most demanding prosecutions in England and Wales. They also advise and appear on behalf of the Law Officers, government departments and principal prosecuting authorities.

As First Senior Treasury Counsel, Jocelyn Ledward KC will lead the team and oversee the operation of the Treasury Counsel system, while continuing to prosecute cases herself.

The Attorney General, Ellie Reeves KC MP, said:

Jocelyn Ledward KC will bring considerable experience, leadership and judgement to one of the most important roles in our criminal justice system.

Her appointment is also a significant moment. For the first time, a woman will lead the Treasury Counsel team.

I would like to thank Tom Little KC for his dedicated service as First Senior Treasury Counsel.

Jocelyn Ledward KC said:

I am honoured to be appointed First Senior Treasury Counsel. Treasury Counsel play a vital role in the criminal justice system, and I am proud to be the first woman to lead the team.

I look forward to working with colleagues across the system and continuing the high standards of those who have held this role before me.

Jocelyn Ledward KC was appointed Junior Treasury Counsel in 2014 and Senior Treasury Counsel in 2022.

She has practised in serious and complex criminal law from QEB Hollis Whiteman Chambers since 1999. She was appointed as a Recorder of the Crown Court in 2022 and King's Counsel in 2024.

Notes to editors

• Treasury Counsel are appointed by the Attorney General in consultation with the Director of Public Prosecutions. They are divided into Senior Treasury Counsel and Junior Treasury Counsel.
• The First Senior Treasury Counsel leads the Treasury Counsel team and oversees the operation of the Treasury Counsel system. They work with the Law Officers, the Director of Public Prosecutions, the judiciary, HM Courts and Tribunals Service and other stakeholders. The appointment is for three years.
• The title "Treasury Counsel" derives from the period when all Crown Counsel at the Central Criminal Court were instructed by the Treasury Solicitor. That procedure changed in 1908, after which the Director of Public Prosecutions instructed the permanent counsel based there.