Solicitors flourish in reshuffle

Mike O'Brien and Hazel Blears were the big solicitor winners in last week's government reshuffle which also saw another non-lawyer join the Lord Chancellor's Department (LCD).

Mr O'Brien returned to the fold by being named the Foreign Office minister with responsibility for the Middle East.

He lost his job as a Home Office minister after last year's election, which many people thought resulted from the Hinduja passport affair.

He was a criminal solicitor-advocate for five years until his election to the marginal Labour seat of Warwickshire North in 1992.

Ms Blears, who spent most of her legal career in local government before being elected in Salford in 1997, has been promoted from a junior minister in the health department to public health minister.

Former health minister Yvette Cooper has taken over from Michael Wills as one of the three junior LCD ministers.

Mr Wills briefly left government before being appointed to the Home Office.

Ms Cooper, who is an economist and is married to Gordon Brown's adviser Ed Balls, is seen as a high-flyer.

There has been some speculation that she has joined the low-profile department to handle the legislation that would be needed for a referendum on the Euro.

She will assume Mr Wills' responsibilities, including the briefs for criminal justice, the Court Service, IT, the magistracy, and constitutional issues, such as human rights.

Paul Boateng, who qualified as a solicitor in 1975 before requalifying as a barrister six years later, became the first black cabinet minister as chief secretary to the Treasury.

Solicitor-General Harriet Harman QC and junior work and pensions minister Maria Eagle are the other solicitors in government.

Labour has 11 solicitors in total among its MPs.