A law commission, law reform commission, or law revision commission is an independent body set up by a government to conduct

law reform Law reform or legal reform is the process of examining existing laws, and advocating and implementing change in a legal system, usually with the aim of enhancing justice or efficiency. Intimately related are law reform bodies or law commissions, ...

; that is, to consider the state of laws in a

jurisdiction Jurisdiction (from Latin 'law' + 'declaration') is the legal term for the legal authority granted to a legal entity to enact justice. In federations like the United States, areas of jurisdiction apply to local, state, and federal levels. J ...

and make recommendations or proposals for legal changes or restructuring. The first term is prevalent in the United Kingdom, the second is prevalent in the Commonwealth, and the third one is prevalent in the United States.

Work

The functions of a law commission body include drafting revised versions of confusing laws, preparing consolidated versions of laws, making recommendations on updating outdated laws and making recommendations on repealing obsolete or spent laws. Law commissions often undertake projects focusing on legislation, although their mandates may be narrower or broader.

List of law commissions

Australian Law Reform Commission The Australian Law Reform Commission (often abbreviated to ALRC) is an Australian independent statutory body established to conduct reviews into the law of Australia. The reviews, also called inquiries or references, are referred to the ALRC by ...

*: the Law Commission of Canada was established by the

Law Commission of Canada Act Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...

on July 1, 1997 and was eliminated in 2006. It replaced the Law Reform Commission of Canada, which was created in 1971 and was dissolved in 1993 by the

Mulroney government The Twenty-Fourth Canadian Ministry was the cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Brian Mulroney. It governed Canada from 17 September 1984 to 25 June 1993, including the 33rd Canadian Parliament The 33rd Canadian Parliament was in session fro ...

. On September 25, 2006, funding to the Commission was eliminated by the Harper government. **:

Alberta Law Reform Institute Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

**:

British Columbia Law Institute British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

, formed to replace the

British Columbia Law Reform Commission British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

, which had been disbanded due to lack of funding **: Manitoba Law Reform Commission **: Law Reform Commission of Nova Scotia **:

Law Commission of Ontario Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...

**: – Law Reform Commission of Saskatchewan *:

Fiji Law Reform Commission The Fiji Law Reform Commission is independent publicly funded commission, which helps develop and review legislation in Fiji. The Fiji Law Reform Commission Act established the Commission in 1979, to serve as an advisory body to the government ...

Samoa Law Reform Commission Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands ( Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands ( Manono and Apolima); ...

, established under the Law Reform Commission Act 2008 *: Law Reform Commission of Hong Kong, established in 1980 *: Law Commission of India *: Bangladesh - Law Commission of Bangladesh established in 1976. *: The Law Reform Commission, established under the

Law Reform Commission Act 1975 The Irish Law Reform Commission was established undeof th Activities The Commission an independent body which examines areas of the law and proposes reforms or changes. Most of their recommendations are adopted through legislation. According t ...

*
Jersey Law Commission
established by the States of Jersey in 1996 *: Nepal Law Commission established by the Nepal Law Commissions Act 2007 *: New Zealand Law Commission established by the Law Commission Act 1985 *: Nigerian Law Reform Commission *: South African Law Reform Commission *: Uganda Law Reform Commission, established by Article 248 of the Ugandan Constitution * **

England and Wales England and Wales () is one of the three legal jurisdictions of the United Kingdom. It covers the constituent countries England and Wales and was formed by the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. The substantive law of the jurisdiction is En ...

: The Law Commission **

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...

: the Scottish Law Commission, established by the

Law Commissions Act 1965 The Law Commissions Act 1965 (1965 c. 22) was an Act which created the Law Commission of England and Wales and the Scottish Law Commission, tasked with reviewing English and Scots law respectively. Background During the Victorian era, successive ...

at the same time as the Law Commission in England and Wales **

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label=Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is #Descriptions, variously described as ...

, the

Northern Ireland Law Commission The Northern Ireland Law Commission was a Law Commission in Northern Ireland created under section 50 of the Justice (Northern Ireland) Act 2002, implementing recommendations following the Good Friday Agreement. It replaced the non-statutory L ...

(formerly the

Law Reform Advisory Committee The Law Reform Advisory Committee was a body that reviewed the civil law in Northern Ireland, with a view to making recommendations for law reform. It was the equivalent in Northern Ireland of the Law Commission in England and Wales or in Scot ...

) was established in 2007, but has been "non-operational" since 2015. **Other bodies concerned with law reform in the United Kingdom included the Law Revision Committee (1934 to 1939) and the Law Reform Committee (1952 - ) The Solicitors Journal. 1952. Volume 96. Page 285. *:

Office of the Law Revision Counsel The Office of the Law Revision Counsel of the United States House of Representatives prepares and publishes the United States Code, which is a consolidation and codification by subject matter of the general and permanent laws of the United States ...

of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

: California Law Revision Commission **

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

: New York Law Revision Commission **

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delawa ...

New Jersey Law Revision Commission New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

References

{{Reflist

External links

Scottish Law CommissionLaw Commission of CanadaBritish Columbia Law InstituteLaw Reform Commission of SaskatchewanCalifornia Law Revision CommissionLaw Commission of OntarioNepal Law CommissionSouth Africa Law Reform CommissionLaw Commission of Bangladesh
Law reform

Work

List of law commissions

See also

References

External links