Staff establishment of the Department of Justice

(as at 31 December 2023)

Headcount of Department of Justice as at 31 December 2021. 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
98+[3] 1 410
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 '2021' and the third column is '2022'. End of summary
2022 2023
Number of pieces of legal advice given 14 631 14 085
Number of contracts, tenders and other legal documents drafted / vetted 726 805
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 '2021' and the third column is '2022'. End of summary
2022 2023
Total number of current civil litigation cases 42 123 42 187
Number of civil proceedings instituted by government 1 619 1 807
Number of civil proceedings instituted against government 1 981 2 208
Civil litigation cases with hearing(s) at all levels of court 2 437 2 783
(a) Court of Final Appeal 13 11
(b) Court of Appeal 32 27
(c) Court of First Instance 287 348
(d) Other Courts, Tribunals, Council and Boards 2 105 2 397

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 '2021' and the third column is '2022'. End of summary
Number of pieces of legal advice given 2022 2023
Overall legal policy affairs matters 2 670 2 843
Basic Law matters 1 539 1 028
Human rights issues 594 830
Constitutional development and election matters 537 550
Mainland law and related matters 625 707
Total 5 965 5 958

International Law Division

International Law Division. This table consists of 3 columns and 3 rows. The first column is 'none', the second column is '2021' and the third column is '2022'. End of summary
2022 2023
Number of international agreements on legal co-operation in criminal matters initialled 0 9
Number of pieces of legal advice provided 34 552 40 074
Number of new requests dealt with in various categories of mutual legal assistance 346 311

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 '2021' and the third column is '2022'. End of summary
Legislative drafting work 2022 2023
Drafts of legislation released1 2 610 2 232
Number of pieces of legal/professional advice given (including written and oral advice) 3 719 3 612
Papers prepared2 110 140
  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 '2021' and the third column is '2022'. End of summary
Volume of legislation gazetted 2022 2023
Number of Bills gazetted 25 42
Number of pages of bilingual text (as gazetted) 3 224 4 644
Number of pieces of subsidiary legislation 239 170
Number of pages of bilingual text (as gazetted) 4 816 5 750
Law Drafting Division. This table consists of 3 columns and 2 rows. The first column is 'Volume of legislation enacted', the second column is '2021' and the third column is '2022'. End of summary
Volume of legislation enacted 2022 2023
Number of Ordinances enacted 17 35
Number of pages of bilingual text of Committee Stage Amendments incorporated into Ordinances 53 153

Prosecutions Division

Prosecutions Division. This table consists of 3 columns and 1 row. The first column is '', the second column is '2021' and the third column is '2022'. End of summary
2022 2023
Number of pieces of legal advice given 14 610 15 486
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 '2021' and the third column is '2022'. End of summary
Criminal cases / appeals at all levels of court 2022 2023
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 '2021' and the third column is '2022'. End of summary
Percentage of criminal cases conducted in Chinese 2022 2023
Application for certificate in the Court of Appeal or the Court of First Instance for appeal to the Court of Final Appeal 95.0% 81.8%
Court of Appeal (criminal appeals) 41.0% 53.5%
Court of First Instance (Magistracy appeals) 84.8% 83.6%
Court of First Instance (criminal trials) 20.3% 21.1%
District Court (criminal trials) 83.7% 83.9%
Magistrates' Courts (criminal trials) 80.0% 83.3%
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 '2021' and the third column is '2022'. End of summary
Briefing out 2022 2023
No of cases No of court days No of cases No of court days
Appeals




Court of First Instance (criminal trials) 126 931 82 1072
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.