1997 Before the transfer of sovereignty to China, it was called the Legal Department or the Legal Department. After the transfer of sovereignty, the Department was renamed the Department of Justice.
The Ministry of Justice consists of five departments specializing in legal work:
Legal Policy Branch and the Office of the Secretary for Justice
To provide professional services to assist the Secretary for Justice in performing his duties and provide information on all legal and policy issues under consideration by the Government. The Division also provides advice on issues such as the judiciary, the legal system, the legal profession, human rights, the Basic Law and the laws of Chinese mainland. The secretariat of the Law Reform Commission is also under the Legal Policy Branch, which is responsible for conducting various studies for the Law Reform Commission and serving as a secretary.
Civil law section
Responsible for providing civil legal advice to the government, drafting commercial contracts and franchise documents, and representing the government in civil litigation, arbitration and mediation.
Law drafting section
Responsible for drafting all laws (including subsidiary legislation) in both Chinese and English, and assisting in submitting bills to the Executive Council and the Legislative Council for approval. The Division is also responsible for editing the laws of Hong Kong and updating the version of Hong Kong laws in the Bilingual Laws Information System. The public can get the information stored in the computer system for free on the Internet.
Prosecution division
Lawyers in the Prosecutions Division handle most criminal appeals, including appeals to the Court of Final Appeal. Most of the cases tried by the Court of First Instance and the District Court are prosecuted by them (major commercial crimes will be outsourced to workshop barristers). If necessary, they will be prosecuted in the magistrates' court. It is also responsible for providing legal guidance to law enforcement agencies and other government departments.
International law section
Responsible for providing legal advice to the government on public international law. Lawyers of the Division also participate in negotiating agreements with other jurisdictions and handling requests for international judicial cooperation from other places or the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.