George Witynski was late yesterday appointed as a Commonwealth Senior Counsel, federal Attorney General Robert McClelland announced.

Witynski is the Deputy Chief General Counsel of the Australian Government Solicitor, and the new appointment is a recognition of his expertise in commonwealth law, the A-G said.

Witynski has been one of the Commonwealth’s most senior legal counsel for years, having established a position as one of the most eminent Commonwealth legal advisers of his generation, the A-G said in a statement.

Witynski’s expertise is in the fields of constitutional and public law, which McClelland said have been relied upon by successive governments, particularly in relation to public finance and taxation.

During his career, he has also been directly involved in a number of significant constitutional cases in the High Court of Australia and other superior courts.

Witynski is a graduate of the Australian National University and Columbia University in the United States.

This is the first Commonwealth Senior Counsel appointment following the replacement of the Queen’s Counsel title in Australian States.