The Lord Chancellor is the chief law officer within the Government and as such sits on the British Cabinet. However, this strange position also allows the Lord Chancellor to be the speaker of the House of Lords and a privy councillor. A privy councillor is now a largely ceremonial position but one which still has powers to sort out legal issues in disputes arising in British overseas dependencies.
This position is almost unique in the world, since the legal system and the Cabinet are supposed to be separate. However, the Lord Chancellor is the Chief of the legal system and sits on the Cabinet. Ironically, within the House of Lords, the Lord Chancellor sits in a specific place, known as the 'woolsack'. Again, the position of being in the Cabinet and a senior figure within the House of Commons as well as being the speaker in the House of Lords, is also unique. Consequently, the position is an important one although little interest is usually shown in the activities of the Lord Chancellor.