Solicitor General of Spain

Solicitor General of the State
Abogado General del Estado
Coat of Arms of the Spanish Legal Service
Incumbent David Vilas Álcarez since 18 June 2024
Ministry of Justice Office of the Solicitor General
Style	The Most Illustrious (formal) Mrs. Solicitor General (informal)
Member of	General State Administration State Legal Service Council of State Solicitors
Nominator	Minister of Justice after hearing the Council of Ministers
Appointer	The Monarch
Term length	No fixed term
Constituting instrument	Royal Decree about the Directorate-General of the Contentious of 1849
Formation	28 December 1849;175 years ago (28 December 1849)
First holder	Ventura González Romero
Deputy	Director-General for Advisory Services
Website	Office of the Solicitor General of Spain

The Solicitor General of the State is a senior official of the Ministry of Justice who directs the Legal Service of the Spanish government and represents it when necessary before the courts of justice. The solicitor general is highest legal advisor to the central government, its agencies, and all State institutions or other public administration within its jurisdiction.

The solicitor general of the state is appointed by the monarch, on the advice of the minister of justice, and after hearing the Council of Ministers. To be appointed solicitor general its needed first to be a State lawyer. According to the law, in case of vacancy, absence or illness, it is the minister of justice who decides who should substitute him, if he do not do so, the law establishes that the senior director-general must to replace him, in this case it would be the director-general for advisory services.

Solicitor General's Office

The Office of the Solicitor General (Spanish : Abogacía General del Estado) is a department of the Ministry of Justice which assumes the direction of the State Legal Service; in such concept, corresponds to it the direction, coordination and inspection of the services entrusted to State attorneys, ensuring in all cases the maintenance of the principle of unity of doctrine in the exercise of the powers attributed to them. ^[1]

The Solicitor General's Office is assisted by a Technical Cabinet, two directorates-general, four deputy director-generals, and the different offices of the State Solicitor's before courts and other bodies, namely:

• The Solicitor General's Technical Cabinet, which is responsible for supporting the solicitor general.
• The Directorate-General for Advisory Services, which is responsible for the legal advice of the General State Administration and its different agencies, including State-owned companies, as well as giving legal advice to the autonomous communities and local administrations.
• The Directorate-General for Contentious Services, which is responsible for the representation and defense of the State and its autonomous agencies, as well as other public bodies and entities; state-owned companies and foundations with state participation; autonomous communities, local administrations and the constitutional bodies before any jurisdictions and jurisdictional organs, to the conflicts of jurisdiction and conflicts and questions of competence and to the preliminary and extrajudicial procedures in which the State is interested. It also corresponds to give legal advice on claims prior to the civil and labor court, in cases in which the opinion of the deputy general directorate is requested, and of the files for the payment of costs to be condemned by the State when it arises controversy. Likewise, it is responsible for ensuring the effectiveness of the principle of unity of doctrine in the scope of contentious functions, formulating general criteria for action in the trial for State attorneys.
• The Deputy Directorate for Human and Material Resources of the Solicitor General's Office, which assits the solicitor general regarding the internal policies of human and material resources, as well as those related to economic and budgetary affairs.
• The Deputy Directorate-General for Constitutional and Human Rights, which is responsible for the representation and defense of the State and its autonomous agencies as well as other bodies of the State in trial before the Constitutional Court. In the same way, it will develop the advice on procedural or substantive issues derived from the approach or processing of constitutional procedures; as well as, in particular, the advice, when requested by the Government or any of its members, on the constitutionality of the draft bills of any rank that have to be submitted for approval, and the legal examination and report, to petition of the Government or of any of its members, of the dispositions or resolutions of the autonomous communities that may be challenged before the Constitutional Court. Its also in charge of the representation of Spain before the European Court of Human Rights and the legal advice about European Convention on Human Rights issues and the legal advice about any other international treaty about human rights signed by Spain.
• The Deputy Directorate-General for European Union and International Affairs, which is responsible for the representation and defense of the Kingdom of Spain before the judicial bodies of the European Union and before the International Criminal Court. It also has competences, in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in legal assistance in the infringement proceedings opened by the European Commission against Spain. It also offers legal assistance in the field of European Union law.
• The Deputy Directorate-General for Internal Audit and Knowledge Management, which is responsible for the coordination of relations between State Solicitors Offices that perform advisory functions and State Solicitors Offices that perform contentious functions. Likewise, it corresponds to this Deputy General Directorate the promotion of research works and the organization of activities aimed at the knowledge and dissemination of legal issues of national or international scope, as well as the organization of training and improvement activities for the civil servants of the State Lawyers Corps.

The following officies are also part of the Office of the Solicitor General:

• The Solicitor's Office before the Supreme Court.
• The Solicitor's Office before the Audiencia Nacional.
• The Solicitor's Office before the Court of Auditors.
• The Solicitor's Office in the different government departments.
• The Solicitor's Office in the different agencies of the Administration.

History

The Solicitor General's Office in Spain have received many names. In the year of its creation, 1849, the Office was called Directorate-General of the Contentious of the Ministry of Finance or Directorate-General of the Contentious of the Public Treasury. This denomination was maintained until 1854, when it started to be called General Advisor of the Ministry of Finance until 1877, when recovered its original name by being called Directorate-General of the Contentious of the State.

It remained that way until 1985, when the office was renamed Directorate-General of the State Legal Service. In 2000 it was renamed as "Office of the Solicitor General of the State-Directorate of the State Legal Service" and, since 2022, the name has been simplified to Office of the Solicitor General of the State.

In its origins, the solicitor general depended on the Minister of Finance and it required that its members to be students of law, administrative science and have experience in the Public Treasury's area. Its functions were limited to the powers of the Ministry of Finance and were responsible for issuing legal reports and supervising the prosecutors' actions in the courts. ^[2]

In the reform of 1881, that the State solicitors (or attorneys) assumed the two functions that they have today: the advisory function and the contentious function, in addition to the representation function. ^[3]

List of Solicitors General

   Progressive Party

   Moderate Party

   Liberal Union

   Constitutional Party

   Liberal Party

   Conservative Party

   Military

  Royalist

   Coalition

   Radical Republican Party

   Republican Action

   Republican Left

   Republican Union

  Independent

   National Movement

   Democratic Centre Union

   Spanish Socialist Workers' Party

   People's Party

Status

  Denotes service as acting Attorneys General

No.	Portrait	Name	Took office	Left office	Prime Minister(s)
1º		Ventura González Romero (1796–1870)	28 December 1849	25 October 1853		Ramón María Narváez
						Juan Bravo Murillo
						Federico Roncali
						Francisco Lersundi Hormaechea
						Luis José Sartorius
2º		Pedro Jiménez Navarro (–1852)	25 October 1853	14 July 1854
3º		Jacobo Ulloa de las Riberas (–1877)	29 December 1854	18 October 1856		Luis José Sartorius
						Fernando Fernández de Córdova
						Ángel de Saavedra
						Baldomero Espartero
						Leopoldo O'Donnell
						Ramón María Narváez
						Francisco Armero Peñaranda
4º		Antonio Pérez Herrasti	18 October 1856	6 May 1858
5º		Francisco de Cárdenas Espejo (1817–1898)	6 May 1858	3 November 1863
						Leopoldo O'Donnell
						Saturnino Calderón Collantes
						Leopoldo O'Donnell
						Manuel Pando Fernández de Pinedo
6º		Juan Bautista Trúpita (1815–1873)	5 November 1863	17 January 1864
7º		Rafael Ramírez Arellano (1815–1873)	22 January 1864	28 August 1864		Lorenzo Arrazola
						Alejandro Mon y Menéndez
8º		Ambrosio González y Rodríguez	28 August 1864	22 February 1865
						Ramón María Narváez
9º		Felipe Vereterra	22 February 1865	15 October 1865
						Leopoldo O'Donnell
10º		Vicente Hernández de la Rua (1808–1890)	15 October 1865	15 July 1866
						Ramón María Narváez
11º		Benito Plá y Cancela (1812–1874)	15 July 1866	6 August 1868
						Luis González Bravo
12º		Ignacio Paez Jaramillo	23 August 1868	9 October 1868
						José Gutiérrez de la Concha
						Francisco Serrano
13º [note 1]		Antonio Ramos Calderón	5 November 1868	30 June 1869
						Juan Prim
Office suppressed between June 30, 1869 and July 26, 1874
14º		Justo Pelayo de la Cuesta Núñez (1823–1889)	26 July 1874	5 January 1875		Juan Zavala de la Puente
						Práxedes Mateo Sagasta
						Antonio Cánovas del Castillo
15º		Emilio Cánovas del Castillo (1832–1910)	15 January 1875	23 July 1877
						Joaquín Jovellar Soler
						Antonio Cánovas del Castillo
-		Juan de la Concha Castañeda Acting Solicitor General (1818–1903)	23 July 1877	23 August 1877
15º		Emilio Cánovas del Castillo (1832–1910)	23 August 1877	1 March 1878
16º		Antonio Sánchez de Milla	1 March 1878	18 August 1879
						Arsenio Martínez-Campos
-		Fernando Cos-Gayón Acting Solicitor General (1825–1828)	18 August 1879	19 September 1879
16º		Antonio Sánchez Milla	19 September 1879	22 June 1880
						Antonio Cánovas del Castillo
17º		Saturnino Arenillas Paredes	22 June 1880	14 February 1881
						Práxedes Mateo Sagasta
18º		José Gallostra y Frau (1833–1888)	14 February 1881	17 September 1881
19º		Manuel Nuñez de Haro	31 December 1881	11 January 1883
20º		Manuel Díaz Valdés	16 January 1883	12 March 1883
21º		Federico Pons y Montells (1838–1902)	12 March 1883	23 July 1883
-		Manuel Nuñez de Haro Acting Solicitor General	23 July 1883	20 August 1883
21º		Federico Pons y Montells (1838–1902)	20 August 1883	22 January 1884
						José Posada Herrera
						Antonio Cánovas del Castillo
22º		José de Cárdenas Uriarte (1846–1907)	29 January 1884	16 August 1844
-		Plácido de Jove y Hevia Viscount of Campo-Grande Acting Solicitor General (1823–1909)	16 August 1844	12 September 1884
22º		José de Cárdenas Uriarte (1846–1907)	12 September 1884	1 December 1885
						Práxedes Mateo Sagasta
23º		Fidel García Lomas	3 December 1885	13 March 1886
-		Manuel de Eguilior y Llaguno Acting Solicitor General (1842–1931)	13 March 1886	7 April 1886
23º		Fidel García Lomas	7 April 1886	21 October 1886
24º		Manuel Gómez Marín	21 October 1886	13 September 1888
25º		José María Jimeno de Lerma (?–1905)	30 September 1888	4 October 1890
						Antonio Cánovas del Castillo
26º		Francisco Javier González de Castejón y Elío Marquess of Vadillo (1848–1919)	4 October 1890	27 November 1891
27º		Fermín Hernández Iglesias (1848–1919)	27 November 1891	20 December 1892
						Práxedes Mateo Sagasta
28º		Juan Rosell y Rubert (1852–1925)	20 December 1892	22 March 1895
						Antonio Cánovas del Castillo
29º		Juan Armada y Losada Marquess of Figueroa (1861–1932)	11 July 1895	19 October 1897
						Marcelo Azcárraga Palmero
30º		Manuel García Prieto (1859–1938)	19 October 1897	31 May 1898
						Práxedes Mateo Sagasta
31º		Álvaro López Mora (1853–1917)	1 July 1898	9 March 1899
						Francisco Silvela
32º		Federico Arrazola y Guerrero (1846–1913)	9 March 1899	29 April 1899
33º		Federico de Arriaga y del Arco	29 April 1899	21 May 1901
						Marcelo Azcárraga Palmero
34º		Antonio Fidalgo Sánchez-Ocaña	21 May 1901	15 September 1910
						Práxedes Mateo Sagasta
						Francisco Silvela
						Raimundo Fernández Villaverde
						Antonio Maura
						Marcelo Azcárraga Palmero
						Raimundo Fernández Villaverde
						Eugenio Montero Ríos
						Segismundo Moret
						José López Domínguez
						Segismundo Moret
						Antonio Aguilar y Correa
						Antonio Maura
						Segismundo Moret
						José Canalejas
35º		Pablo de Garnica y Echevarría (1876–1959)	15 September 1910	13 June 1913
						Manuel García Prieto
						Álvaro de Figueroa
36º		Antonio Fidalgo Sánchez-Ocaña	30 June 1913	23 March 1915
						Eduardo Dato
37º		Nicanor de las Alas Pumariño (1870–1935)	23 March 1915	18 December 1915
						Álvaro de Figueroa
38º		Federico Marín y López	18 December 1915	27 September 1920
						Manuel García Prieto
						Eduardo Dato
						Manuel García Prieto
						Antonio Maura
						Manuel García Prieto
						Álvaro de Figueroa
						Antonio Maura
						Joaquín Sánchez de Toca
						Manuel Allendesalazar Muñoz
						Eduardo Dato
39º		Juan Díaz de la Sala	13 October 1920	3 January 1923
						Eduardo Dato
						Manuel Allendesalazar Muñoz
						Antonio Maura
						José Sánchez Guerra
						Manuel García Prieto
40º		Antonio Fidalgo de Solís (Son of the 34th and 36th Solicitor General)	30 January 1923	28 August 1926
						Miguel Primo de Rivera
41º		Vicente Santamáría de Paredes y Rojas Count of Santamaría de Paredes (?–1961)	23 August 1926	16 April 1931
						Dámaso Berenguer
						Juan Bautista Aznar-Cabañas
						Niceto Alcalá Zamora
42º		Valeriano Casanueva y Picazo (–1961)	16 April 1931	11 March 1933
						Manuel Azaña
43º		Luis Martínez Sureda	11 March 1933	13 June 1934
						Alejandro Lerroux
						Diego Martínez Barrio
						Alejandro Lerroux
						Ricardo Samper
						Alejandro Lerroux
44º		Baldomero de Campo-Redondo y Fernández	18 June 1934	27 February 1936
						Joaquín Chapaprieta
						Manuel Portela
						Manuel Azaña
45º		Luis de la Peña y Costa	27 February 1936	15 September 1936
						Augusto Barcia Trelles
						Santiago Casares Quiroga
						Diego Martínez Barrio
						José Giral
						Francisco Largo Caballero
46º		José Prat García (1905–1994)	15 September 1936	27 May 1937
						Juan Negrín
47º		Eleazar Huerta Valcárcel (1903–1974)	10 October 1937	8 February 1938
48º		Pedro Alfaro Alfaro (?–1969)	8 February 1938	3 September 1941		Francisco Franco
49º		José María de Lapuerta y de las Pozas (?–1970)	3 September 1941	16 October 1942
50º		Francisco Gómez de Llano (1896–1974)	16 October 1942	27 July 1951
51º		José Fernández Arroyo Caro	27 July 1951	8 March 1957
52º		José María Zabia Pérez	8 March 1957	15 November 1963
53º		Luis Peralta España	15 November 1963	25 February 1966
54º		Juan Antonio Ollero de la Rosa	25 February 1966	23 April 1968
55º		José María Tejera Victory (1917–1995)	5 May 1968	9 February 1973
56º		Alfonso Carrillo de Mendoza y Morales	9 February 1973	17 May 1974
						Luis Carrero Blanco
						Torcuato Fernández-Miranda
						Carlos Arias Navarro
57º		José Luis Gómez Dégano y Ceballos Zúñiga (?–)	31 May 1974	17 October 1986
						Adolfo Suárez González
						Leopoldo Calvo-Sotelo
						Felipe González
58º		Fernando Valdés Dal-Ré (1945–2023)	17 October 1986	2 November 1990
59º		Gonzalo Quintero Olivares	8 November 1990	18 September 1992
60º		Emilio Jiménez Aparicio	2 October 1992	24 May 1996
61º		José Javier Abad Pérez	24 May 1996	12 May 2000		José María Aznar
62º		Arturo García-Tizón López (1946–)	12 May 2000	23 April 2004
63º		Joaquín Fuentes Bardají (1953–)	23 April 2004	13 January 2012		José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero
64º		Marta Silva de Lapuerta (1969–)	13 January 2012	25 November 2016		Mariano Rajoy
65º		Eugenio López Álvarez (1953–)	25 November 2016	29 June 2018
66º		Consuelo Castro Rey (1964–)	29 June 2018	18 June 2024		Pedro Sánchez
67º		David Vilas Álcarez (1973–)	18 June 2024	Incumbent

References

1. Ministry of Justice (16 October 2024). "Real Decreto 1057/2024, de 15 de octubre, por el que se aprueba el Reglamento de la Abogacía General del Estado" [Royal Decree 1057/2024, of October 15, approving the Internal Rules of the Solicitor General of the State's Office.]. www.boe.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 September 2025.
2. "Royal decree about the General Directorate of the Contentious of 1849 (Spanish)" (PDF). Gazeta de Madrid (Official State Gazette).
3. "Royal order approving the Regulation of the State Lawyers Corps of 1881 (Spanish)" (PDF). Gazeta de Madrid (Official State Gazette).

Notes

1. Francisco García López was named the 13th Solicitor General on October 27, however he did not accept the office.