New Director and Deputy Head of the Attorney General's Office
Doug Wilson OBE, Director General of the Attorney General's Office, is pleased to announce Kelby Harmes has been appointed Director and Deputy Head of the AGO.
Doug Wilson OBE, Director General of the Attorney General’s Office (AGO), is pleased to announce Kelby Harmes has been appointed Director and Deputy Head of the AGO following an open competition with a strong field of candidates.
The appointment comes following Kelby’s stint as interim Director and Deputy Head from October 2020 to July 2021.
Kelby was admitted as a barrister and solicitor in New Zealand in 1998 and worked there in various legal roles in the public and private sectors until 2003. He then moved to London and was admitted as a solicitor here in 2004. In 2003, Kelby joined the former Department for Constitutional Affairs, now known as the Ministry of Justice, before working as the Private Secretary to the Lord Chief Justice in 2005. He then moved to DCMS Legal Advisers where he was a senior lawyer advising on the London Olympics and Paralympics from 2005-2012.
After a stint as a Deputy Director back in New Zealand at the Ministry of Justice, Kelby returned to the UK and joined Cabinet Office Legal Advisers in 2015, before coming to the AGO in November 2018.
Commenting on the appointment, Doug said “I’m absolutely delighted to announce Kelby as my deputy at the AGO. Kelby is an inspiring leader and consummate professional whose advice and expertise is respected by the Law Officers and across Whitehall. I look forward to working with him and supporting AGO in making law and politics work together at the heart of government.”