Portfolio of Judicial and Legal Affairs.
The Legal Department
The Legal Department is managed by the Solicitor General and is responsible for criminal prosecutions, civil litigation and judicial reviews on behalf of the Attorney General. The Legal Department also assists the Central Authority (the Chief Justice) under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty with the United States and handles extradition matters on behalf of the Attorney General.
The Legal Department is divided into three work units covering different areas of law, Criminal, Civil and International. It is responsible for the day-today handling of civil and criminal cases and legal advice to Government departments and statutory authorities. It is one of the five departments within the Portfolio of the Attorney General.
The International Division was formally implemented with the advent of the Criminal Justice (International Cooperation) Law (2004 Revision) (CJICL). This law enables mutual legal assistance to be provided at the investigative stage of matter where the conduct would constitute an offence in the Cayman Islands. The Attorney General, as the Central Authority under the Law, may provide assistance to those countries that are party to the Vienna Convention as well as those countries that are listed in the Schedule to the Law. The nature of the assistance offered may include assistance in the form of restrain/confiscation and forfeiture applications as well as gathering of evidence and extradition.
Judicial Administration
The administrative apparatus consists of the registries and offices that deal with the management of the court system. Administration of the court has traditionally been concerned with maintaining a proper registry of court proceedings, overseeing budgets, selecting jury pools, arranging the lists of court cases, creating court calendars, and supervising non-judicial personnel.
