Law Courts Branch Files

This series consists of the surviving administrative files of the Law Courts Branch and, although some contain very little correspondence, they have been selected as a whole to show the type of work and problems which arose.

Unfortunately the record of the case files dealt with at the Branch has not survived but many of the files are to be found in TS 18 TS 27

In 1989 Treasury Solicitor

The Law Courts Branch was set up as a result of the recommendation of the Committee on the Legal Business of the Government 1888 that, as soon as the circumstances of the Solicitor's Department admit of change, all business of a contentious character then performed by the Treasury Agents, Messrs Hare & Co., should be carried on within the Department under the direct control of the Solicitor. A Treasury Minute of 1 May 1896 appointed a small Committee to consider how best this could be achieved and a Treasury Minute of 12 December 1896 authorised the creation of a branch which was established on 1 January 1897.

The first principal of the Branch was Mr A. T. Hare. Shortly afterwards the Chancery work of Messrs Wigan & Co. was transferred to the Branch. During the 1914-1918 war the Branch undertook Prize work and files relating to this period are to be found in TS 13.

In 1922-1923 the Branch was under the supervision of two Joint Directors, Mr J Rye and Mr R M Greenwood and, on Mr Rye's retirement, Mr Greenwood was appointed sole Director. In 1928 Mr Greenwood was appointed Taxing Master and the Law Courts Branch became under the direct control of the Solicitor. In January 1929 accommodation was found at Storey's Gate for the Litigation Division where the Treasury Solicitor's Department was located