The New South Wales Crown Solicitor's Office (CSO) is an
executive government agency of the
New South Wales
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, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
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, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
Department of Justice
A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...
in Australia that has the role of providing
legal services
In its most general sense, the practice of law involves giving legal advice to clients, drafting legal documents for clients, and representing clients in legal negotiations and court proceedings such as lawsuits, and is applied to the professi ...
to the government, its agencies, and its
statutory authorities. The Office practices in twelve areas of law, namely
administrative law
Administrative law is the division of law that governs the activities of executive branch agencies of government. Administrative law concerns executive branch rule making (executive branch rules are generally referred to as "regulations"), ad ...
,
child protection
Child protection is the safeguarding of children from violence, exploitation, abuse, and neglect. Article 19 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child provides for the protection of children in and out of the home. One of the ways to e ...
law,
commercial law,
community law
A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, town ...
,
constitutional law
Constitutional law is a body of law which defines the role, powers, and structure of different entities within a state, namely, the executive, the parliament or legislature, and the judiciary; as well as the basic rights of citizens and, in fe ...
,
coronial law and inquiries,
criminal law,
employment law
Labour laws (also known as labor laws or employment laws) are those that mediate the relationship between workers, employing entities, trade unions, and the government. Collective labour law relates to the tripartite relationship between employee, ...
,
government law,
native title law,
property law, and
tort law
A tort is a civil wrong that causes a claimant to suffer loss or harm, resulting in legal liability for the person who commits the tortious act. Tort law can be contrasted with criminal law, which deals with criminal wrongs that are punishabl ...
. The Office frequently instructs
barristers with regard to civil matters.
It was announced on 10 June 2015 that Lea Armstrong would be appointed as Crown Solicitor (to commence 13 July 2015); she became the first woman appointed to that role in New South Wales.
Previously John McDonnell followed by Richard Kelly were the Acting Crown Solicitor following the departure of Ian Knight.
History
In 1817, the position of Solicitor for the Crown, or Crown Solicitor, of the
colony of New South Wales was created with the appointment of
Thomas Wylde
Thomas Wylde (c. 1670 – 12 April 1740) was an English politician and administrator. His residence was The Commandery, Worcester.
He was the eldest son of Robert Wylde (c. 1622 – 1689) of The Commandery and his wife Elizabeth (née Dennis) ...
.
In 1839, a Crown Solicitor for civil matters and another for criminal matters were appointed; but, in 1856, with introduction of
responsible government, these roles were merged into that of a single New South Wales Crown Solicitor.
In 1902, the first Australian-born New South Wales Crown Solicitor, John Varnell Tillett, was appointed to the position.
During the 1990s, the operations of the Crown Solicitor's Office were commercialised, and the Office was required to compete with the private legal profession for untied government legal work.
In 1994, Ian Victor Knight, was appointed to the position; and, in 1996, he commenced a restructuring of the agency, converting its four branches into ten specialist practice groups.
Functions
The Office provides legal services with regard to:
*matters that have implications for the Government of New South Wales beyond an individual Minister's portfolio;
*matters that involve the constitutional powers and privileges of the State of New South Wales and/or the
Commonwealth of Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...
;
*matters that raise issues which are fundamental to the responsibilities of Government; and,
*matters that arise from, or relate to, matters falling within the
Attorney General's area of responsibility.
In addition to this, the Office competes with private legal firms and professionals to perform untied, general legal work for government agencies. Although it can act for individuals sued on behalf of the state, the Office cannot, however, provide legal services to the general public, which is the function of
LawAccess NSW, per Section 110 of the ''Legal Profession Act 2004'' (NSW).
List of Crown Solicitors
References
External links
*
{{New South Wales Government Departments
Government agencies of New South Wales
New South Wales law