Staff establishment of the Department of Justice

(as at 31 December 2025)

Headcount of Department of Justice as at 31 December 2025. This table consists of 6 columns and 8 rows. The first column is 'DIVISION', the second column is 'Directorate Counsel', the third column is 'Non-directorate Counsel', the forth column is 'Para-legal Staff #', the fifth column is 'Other staff', the sixth column is 'Total'. The first row is 'Secretary for Justice's Office', the second row is 'Civil', the third row is 'International Law', the forth row is 'Law Drafting', the fifth row is 'Legal Policy', the sixth row is 'Prosecutions', the seventh row is 'Administration & Development', the eighth row is 'Total number of posts'. End of summary
  DIRECTORATE NON-DIRECTORATE

TOTAL		 99+[3] 1 409
1 508+[3]

[ ] Supernumerary post created under the approval of Finance Committee.

Civil Division

Advisory Units. This table consists of 3 columns and 2 rows. The first column is 'Number of pieces of advice given', the second column is '2024' and the third column is '2025'. End of summary
2024 2025
Number of pieces of legal advice given 16 050 15 951
Number of contracts, tenders and other legal documents drafted / vetted 721 694
Advisory Units. This table consists of 3 columns and 8 rows. The first column is 'Number of pieces of advice given', the second column is '2024' and the third column is '2025'. End of summary
2024 2025
Total number of current civil litigation cases 43 657 43 271
Number of civil proceedings instituted by government 1 882 2 077
Number of civil proceedings instituted against government 2 384 3 498
Civil litigation cases with hearing(s) at all levels of court 2 547 2 733
(a) Court of Final Appeal 6 6
(b) Court of Appeal 28 28
(c) Court of First Instance 277 256
(d) Other Courts, Tribunals, Council and Boards 2 236 2 443

Constitutional and Policy Affairs Division

Constitutional and Policy Affairs Division. This table consists of 3 columns and 5 rows. The first column is 'Number of pieces of legal advice given', the second column is '2024' and the third column is '2025'. End of summary
Number of pieces of legal advice given 2024 2025
Overall legal policy affairs matters 2 729 2 988
Basic Law matters 1 077 820
Human rights issues 762 704
Constitutional development and election matters 256 479
Mainland law and related matters 816 1 002
Total 5 640 5 993

International Law Division

International Law Division. This table consists of 3 columns and 3 rows. The first column is 'none', the second column is '2024' and the third column is '2025'. End of summary
2024 2025
Number of international agreements on legal co-operation in criminal matters initialled 10 8
Number of pieces of legal advice provided 42 179 48 367
Number of new requests dealt with in various categories of mutual legal assistance 344 337

Law Drafting Division

Law Drafting Division. This table consists of 3 columns and 6 rows. The first column is 'Legislative drafting work', the second column is '2024' and the third column is '2025'. End of summary
Legislative drafting work 2024 2025
Drafts of legislation released1 2 732 2 509
Number of pieces of legal/professional advice given (including written and oral advice) 4 155 3 613
Papers prepared2 160 207
  1. This includes all drafts of legislation (whether gazetted or not), including draft Committee Stage Amendments.
  2. This includes all drafts (other than legislation) prepared by Law Drafting Division counsel (whether issued in the name of individual counsel or otherwise) for consideration by parties outside the administration. Examples are papers explaining legal points submitted to Bills Committees, legal reports to the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress and Law Draftsman's certificates for private Bills, etc.
Law Drafting Division. This table consists of 3 columns and 4 rows. The first column is 'Volume of legislation drafted', the second column is '2024' and the third column is '2025'. End of summary
Volume of legislation gazetted 2024 2025
Number of Bills gazetted 33 31
Number of pages of bilingual text (as gazetted) 4 790 3 960
Number of pieces of subsidiary legislation 194 219
Number of pages of bilingual text (as gazetted) 3 822 5 952
Law Drafting Division. This table consists of 3 columns and 2 rows. The first column is 'Volume of legislation enacted', the second column is '2024' and the third column is '2025'. End of summary
Volume of legislation enacted 2024 2025
Number of Ordinances enacted 35 43
Number of pages of bilingual text of Committee Stage Amendments incorporated into Ordinances 360 323

Prosecutions Division

Prosecutions Division. This table consists of 3 columns and 1 row. The first column is '', the second column is '2024' and the third column is '2025'. End of summary
2024 2025
Number of pieces of legal advice given 17 740 18 085
Prosecutions Division. This table consists of 3 columns and 8 rows. The first column is 'Criminal cases / appeals at all levels of court', the second column is '2024' and the third column is '2025'. End of summary
Criminal cases / appeals at all levels of court 2024 2025
Court of Final Appeal and related applications

Court of Appeal

Court of First Instance (Magistracy Appeals)

Court of First Instance

District Court

Magistrates' Courts

Prosecutions Division. This table consists of 3 columns and 6 rows. The first column is 'Percentage of criminal cases conducted in Chinese', the second column is '2024' and the third column is '2025'. End of summary
Percentage of criminal cases conducted in Chinese 2024 2025
Application for certificate in the Court of Appeal or the Court of First Instance for appeal to the Court of Final Appeal 89.5% 86.7%
Court of Appeal (criminal appeals) 54.8% 46.2%
Court of First Instance (Magistracy appeals) 89.5% 88.6%
Court of First Instance (criminal trials) 22.4% 27.7%
District Court (criminal trials) 84.0% 82.0%
Magistrates' Courts (criminal trials) 84.3% 82.6%
Prosecutions Division. This table consists of 3 columns and 4 rows. The first column is 'Briefing out (number of court days)', the second column is '2024' and the third column is '2025'. End of summary
Briefing out 2024 2025
No of cases No of court days No of cases No of court days
Appeals



Court of First Instance (criminal trials) 108 987 122 1 138
Magistrates' Courts (criminal trials)



* Lawyers instructed in place of Court Prosecutors are briefed to attend to all cases on the basis of the daily cause list before a particular magistrate.