Army Legal Services Branch

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Army Legal Services Branch
Armylegal.png
Cap Badge of the former Army Legal Corps
Active1978, 1992 within AGC
Country United Kingdom
Branch British Army
SizeApprox. 120 Commissioned Officers
Part of Adjutant General's Corps
Garrison/HQ Marlborough Lines, Andover
Motto(s)Justitia in Armis
MarchScales of Justice
Commanders
DirectorRichard Allen
Insignia
Tactical Recognition Flash ALS TRF.svg

The Army Legal Services Branch (ALS) is a branch of the Adjutant-General's Corps (AGC) in the British Army. Before 1992, the branch existed as the independent Army Legal Corps (ALC).

Contents

History

Many of the functions of the ALS were once carried out by the Judge Advocate General (JAG) whose own origins can be traced back to medieval times. Following World War I, the growing demand for legal services within the army led in 1923 to the creation of the Military Department of the Office of the Judge Advocate General. [1]

The Directorate of Army Legal Services was formed from the JAG's office on 1 October 1948 and would go on to receive full corps status as the Army Legal Corps on 1 November 1978. It was always the smallest corps in the Army. On 6 April 1992, the corps became the Army Legal Services Branch of the Adjutant General's Corps, but retains a separate identity and its own cap badge. [1]

Activities

Army Legal Services Branch is a group of qualified solicitors, barristers and Scottish advocates providing legal support to the Army. [2]

List of directors general

Major General Alex Taylor, former Director Army Legal Services Branch Maj Gen Alex Taylor ALS.jpg
Major General Alex Taylor, former Director Army Legal Services Branch

The head of the Army Legal Services Branch is its director. The director general holds the rank of major general.

Directors General
Date of appointmentName
Major-General G. A. Whiteley CBE
13 July 1969Major-General H. Owen [3]
19 July 1971Major-General R. S. Marshall TD [3]
30 July 1973Major-General J. C. Robertson [4]
2 Jul 1976Major-General D. S. Appleby [5]
6 Nov 1978Major-General J. A. McIlvenna CB [6]
12 Nov 1980Major-General Sir David Hughes-Morgan Bt. CB, CBE [7]
24 Feb 1984Major-General J. F. Bowman [7]
3 Dec 1986Major-General T. Fugard [8]
8 Jan 1990Major-General D. H. D. Selwood [9]
4 May 1992Major-General Mike H. F. Clarke [10]
20 Apr 1994Major-General A. P. V. Rogers [11]
1 Apr 1997Major-General Gordon Risius CB [12]
20 Jan 2003Major-General David Howell CB, OBE [13]
1 Oct 2010Major-General Michael Conway CB [14]
30 Sept 2015Major-General Susan Ridge [15]
5 July 2019Major-General Alexander Taylor [16]
1 January 2024Major-General Richard A. Allen [17]

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 "ALS history". Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 9 May 2014.
  2. "ALS role". Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  3. 1 2 "No. 45427". The London Gazette (Supplement). 20 July 1971. p. 7764.
  4. "No. 46051". The London Gazette (Supplement). 14 August 1973. p. 9717.
  5. "No. 46953". The London Gazette (Supplement). 6 July 1976. p. 9289.
  6. "No. 47681". The London Gazette (Supplement). 7 November 1978. p. 13294.
  7. 1 2 "No. 49658". The London Gazette (Supplement). 27 February 1984. p. 2875.
  8. "No. 50740". The London Gazette (Supplement). 8 December 1986. p. 15868.
  9. "No. 52023". The London Gazette . 22 January 1990. p. 958.
  10. "No. 52917". The London Gazette (Supplement). 11 May 1992. p. 8159.
  11. "No. 53652". The London Gazette (Supplement). 25 April 1994. p. 6161.
  12. "No. 54745". The London Gazette (Supplement). 22 April 1997. p. 4766.
  13. "No. 56837". The London Gazette (Supplement). 3 February 2003. p. 1389.
  14. "No. 59565". The London Gazette (Supplement). 5 October 2010. p. 19215.
  15. "No. 61372". The London Gazette (Supplement). 6 October 2015. p. 18566.
  16. "No. 62706". The London Gazette (Supplement). 9 July 2019. p. 12170.
  17. "No. 64289". The London Gazette (Supplement). 16 January 2024. p. 770.