Army Legal Services
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The Army Legal Services Branch (ALS) is a branch of the Adjutant-General's Corps (AGC) in the
British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
. Before 1992, the branch existed as the independent Army Legal Corps (ALC).


History

Many of the functions of the ALS were once carried out by the Judge Advocate General (JAG) whose own origins can be traced back to medieval times. Following
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, the growing demand for legal services within the army led in 1923 to the creation of the Military Department of the Office of the Judge Advocate General. The Directorate of Army Legal Services was formed from the JAG's office on 1 October 1948 and would go on to receive full corps status as the Army Legal Corps on 1 November 1978. It was always the smallest corps in the Army. On 6 April 1992, the corps became the Army Legal Services Branch of the Adjutant General's Corps, but retains a separate identity and its own
cap badge A cap badge, also known as head badge or hat badge, is a badge worn on uniform headgear and distinguishes the wearer's nationality and/or organisation. The wearing of cap badges is a convention commonly found among military and police forces, as w ...
.


Activities

Army Legal Services Branch is a group of qualified solicitors, barristers and Scottish advocates providing legal support to the Army.


List of directors general

The head of the Army Legal Services Branch is its Director. The Director General holds the rank of major general.


See also

* RAF Legal Branch * Judge Advocate General (United Kingdom)


References


External links


Army Legal Services
{{The British Army British administrative corps Legal organisations based in the United Kingdom United Kingdom military law Adjutant General's Corps Military units and formations established in 1978
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...