Administration

2. Administration

The Duty Lawyer Service (formerly known as the Law Society Legal Advice and Duty Lawyer Schemes) was first introduced in 1978 and incorporated on 17 August 1993 as a company limited by guarantee. It operates the Duty Lawyer Scheme, the Free Legal Advice Scheme and the Tel Law Scheme, with the Care or Protection Scheme and Legal Assistance Scheme for Non-refoulement Claimants commencing on 1 October 2003 and 24 December 2009 respectively.

Governance

The Duty Lawyer Service is fully subvented by the Government but independently managed by the Council of the Duty Lawyer Service. Membership consists of 24 members, with the Council of the Law Society and the Bar Council each nominating 12 members. The Service Council comprises:

• Four Barristers nominated by the Bar Association
• Four Solicitors nominated by the Law Society
• Three lay members

The Chairmanship of the Council is rotated annually between nominees of the Bar Association and the Law Society. The Administrator, a qualified Barrister, is the CEO responsible for day-to-day operations.

Council Activity

The Council met four times during the year under review to receive reports from the Administrator. Three working committees operate under the Council:

• Human Resource Committee
• Finance Committee
• Legal Assistance Scheme for Non-refoulement Claimants Committee

Staff Subcommittees

Three staff subcommittees chaired by the Chief Court Liaison Officers continued to meet regularly. These subcommittees comprise representatives of senior grade Court Liaison Officers, general grade Court Liaison Officers and the secretaries grade, facilitating communication between Court Liaison Office staff and Head Office Administration.

Council Membership is listed at Appendix A-1, the Register of Members at Appendix A-2, and the Administrative Structure is set out at Appendix A-3. The list of the Duty Lawyer Service’s employees appears at Appendix A-4.