Treasury Solicitor's Department
Encyclopedia
The Treasury Solicitor's Department (TSol) is the largest in-house legal organisation in the United Kingdom
's Government Legal Service
.
The Department is headed by the Treasury Solicitor. This office goes back several centuries. The office was enshrined in law by the Treasury Solicitor Act 1876, which established the Treasury Solicitor as a corporation sole
(an office with perpetual succession). Employees of the Department exercise legal powers which are vested in the corporation sole.
The department is a non-ministerial government department
and executive agency
. The Treasury Solicitor reports to the Attorney General for England and Wales
. The department employs more than 600 solicitor
s and barrister
s to provide advice and legal representation on a huge range of issues to many government departments.
Her Majesty's Procurator General and Treasury Solicitor is currently Paul Jenkins. He is also the Chief Executive of the Department as an Executive Agency.
The Treasury Solicitor's Department is the authorised address for service of proceedings on most Government departments, by virtue of the list published under the Crown Proceedings Act 1947
.
In England (with the exception of Lancashire, Manchester and Cornwall) the Treasury Solicitor is the Crown's nominee for the collection and disposition of ownerless property (bona vacantia
). This typically comprises the assets of dissolved companies and the estates of persons who die intestate and with no known kin.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
's Government Legal Service
Government Legal Service
The Government Legal Service is an umbrella group comprising around 1900 qualified lawyers working as civil servants in around thirty UK Government departments....
.
The Department is headed by the Treasury Solicitor. This office goes back several centuries. The office was enshrined in law by the Treasury Solicitor Act 1876, which established the Treasury Solicitor as a corporation sole
Corporation sole
A corporation sole is a legal entity consisting of a single incorporated office, occupied by a single man or woman. This allows a corporation to pass vertically in time from one office holder to the next successor-in-office, giving the position legal continuity with each subsequent office...
(an office with perpetual succession). Employees of the Department exercise legal powers which are vested in the corporation sole.
The department is a non-ministerial government department
Non-ministerial government department
A non-ministerial government department is a department or ministry of a government that is not headed by a Government Minister or Government Secretary, and answers directly to a legislature ....
and executive agency
Executive agency
An executive agency, also known as a next-step agency, is a part of a government department that is treated as managerially and budgetarily separate in order to carry out some part of the executive functions of the United Kingdom government, Scottish Government, Welsh Assembly or Northern Ireland...
. The Treasury Solicitor reports to the Attorney General for England and Wales
Attorney General for England and Wales
Her Majesty's Attorney General for England and Wales, usually known simply as the Attorney General, is one of the Law Officers of the Crown. Along with the subordinate Solicitor General for England and Wales, the Attorney General serves as the chief legal adviser of the Crown and its government in...
. The department employs more than 600 solicitor
Solicitor
Solicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...
s and barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
s to provide advice and legal representation on a huge range of issues to many government departments.
Her Majesty's Procurator General and Treasury Solicitor is currently Paul Jenkins. He is also the Chief Executive of the Department as an Executive Agency.
The Treasury Solicitor's Department is the authorised address for service of proceedings on most Government departments, by virtue of the list published under the Crown Proceedings Act 1947
Crown Proceedings Act 1947
The Crown Proceedings Act 1947 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that allowed, for the first time, civil actions against the Crown to be brought in the same way as against any other party...
.
In England (with the exception of Lancashire, Manchester and Cornwall) the Treasury Solicitor is the Crown's nominee for the collection and disposition of ownerless property (bona vacantia
Bona vacantia
Bona vacantia is a legal concept associated with property that has no owner. It exists in various jurisdictions, with consequently varying application, but with origins mostly in English law.-Canada:...
). This typically comprises the assets of dissolved companies and the estates of persons who die intestate and with no known kin.