The Lord Wolfson of Tredegar | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2022 | |
| Shadow Attorney General for England and Wales | |
| Assumed office 6 November 2024 | |
| Leader | Kemi Badenoch |
| Preceded by | Jeremy Wright |
| Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice | |
| In office 22 December 2020 – 13 April 2022 | |
| Prime Minister | Boris Johnson |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | The Lord Bellamy |
| Member of the House of Lords | |
| Life peerage 30 December 2020 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1968-07-19)19 July 1968 (age 57) |
| Party | Conservative |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater | |
David Wolfson, Baron Wolfson of TredegarKC (born 19 July 1968) is a British politician,barrister andlife peer who has beenShadow Attorney General since November 2024 and is a member of theWelsh Conservatives.[1] He wasParliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice from December 2020 to April 2022, when he resigned from the post after Prime MinisterBoris Johnson and others werefound to have broken COVID-related laws by attending parties.
Born inLiverpool on 19 July 1968,[2], Wolfson's great grandparents lived inTredegar,Wales, with his one ancestor witnessing the1911 South Wales anti-Jewish riots.[3]
Wolfson himself was educated inKing David High School, Liverpool, and then spent a year atYeshivat HaKotel in Jerusalem.[4] He read Oriental studies and law atSelwyn College, Cambridge, graduating with aBachelor of Arts (BA) degree in 1991.[5][4] As per the custom of the university, his BA was advanced to aMaster of Arts (MA Cantab) degree in 1994.[2] His father was a solicitor who later became adistrict judge; his mother attended university as amature student and taught law infurther education colleges.[4].
He later attended theInns of Court School of Law during when he was awarded an Inns of Court Scholarship. He was called to the bar atInner Temple, one of theInns of Court that had given him a Major Scholarship, in October 1992, where he remains, as of 2023, abencher.[5][6]
Wolfson practised in commercial law atOne Essex Court inTemple, London.[4]
Wolfson was instructed in many of the major banking and commercial disputes in recent years, and his practice extended over a broad range of commercial law, both in litigation and international arbitration. He also sat as an arbitrator in both domestic and international disputes. Wolfson says the high point of his career was convincing theCourt of Appeal that a case that he successfully argued at theHigh Court five years prior was incorrectly decided.[4]
Prior to joining theUK government, Wolfson was awarded Commercial Litigation Silk of the Year 2020 by The Legal 500, and also Commercial Litigation Silk of the Year in the Chambers UK Bar Awards 2020.[5]
Wolfson was appointedParliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice at theMinistry of Justice on 22 December 2020. He was later created Baron Wolfson of Tredegar, ofTredegar in theCounty of Gwent, on 30 December 2020, and was introduced to theHouse of Lords on 7 January 2021.[7][8]
On 13 April 2022 Wolfson resigned from the government overPartygate afterBoris Johnson andRishi Sunakwere fined. Wolfson stated the "scale, context and nature" of Government COVID breaches were "inconsistent with the rule of law". Wolfson claimed it would be wrong for "that conduct to pass with constitutional impunity, especially when many in society complied with the rules at great personal cost, and others were fined or prosecuted for similar, and sometimes apparently more trivial, offences." He maintained he had "no option" except resignation due to his "ministerial and professional obligations" in this field.[9][10]
On 6 November 2024 Wolfson was appointedShadow Attorney General for England and Wales byConservative party leaderKemi Badenoch.[11] On 30 December 2025, Wolfson was criticized for acting as a lawyer for sanctioned Russian billionaireRoman Abramovich byJustice MinisterJake Richards.[12]
Wolfson is a practisingOrthodox Jew.[4] He married Louise in 1995, who is a former partner atAllen & Overy and currently runs a legal consultancy and occasionally sits as atribunal judge.[2][4] Together they have three children, Sam, Zara, and Abi.[2]
When asked why he chose the Welsh town of Tredegar to appear in his title he said: "I thought it quite right to recognise the welcome which by and large these immigrants [my great grandparents] received [in Tredegar]."[13]
This article incorporates text published under the BritishOpen Government Licence v3.0:| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Office established | Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice 2020–2022 | Succeeded by |
| Orders of precedence in the United Kingdom | ||
| Preceded by | Life Peer Baron Wolfson of Tredegar | Followed by |