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Welcome to the Attorney General’s Chambers
Welcome to the homepage of the Attorney General’s Chambers. We hope that you find the information provided on our website to be useful and informative. The Attorney General’s Chambers plays a pivotal role in enhancing the rule of law and strengthening the efficiency and integrity of Montserrat’s legal system.
As the Government’s chief legal adviser in all aspects of public administration law, international law, legislation and law reform, the Attorney General’s Chambers is able to provide a vast array of legal expertise for the good governance of Montserrat. The Department discharges its constitutional functions with fairness and efficiency. We will always continue to strive to do better.
We invite you to explore our website and submit any comments or queries you may have. You may submit electronically through our “Contact Us” section. We look forward to hearing from you.
Website Content and Layout
Acts, SRO, Revised Laws and Omitted Laws
Our website contains all of the laws in force in Montserrat including laws up to 3 months before today’s date. The laws are arranged under four distinct headings: ACTS, SRO, REVISED LAWS and OMITTED LAWS.You will find under the ACTS tab, all Acts or primary legislation which have been passed since publication of the last revised Edition of Laws.
The SRO section contains all subsidairy legislation which have been enacted since publication of the last revised edition. The REVISED LAWS section contains all laws which were published in the last revised edition of Laws. The OMITTED LAWS section contains all laws which excluded from the last revisied edition of laws. Those laws although omitted are still in force. The most recent revised edition was published in January 2013.
Statutory Instruments or SI’s are laws passed by Her Majesty in Council and are operational in Montserrat. The Montserrat Constitution Order No.2474 of 2010 is a Statutory Instrument. The list of SI’s is not exhaustive and will be supplemented regularly.
Bills
To facilitate review and consideration of Bills introduced in the Legislative Assembly, the Legal Department has created a section headed BILLS under which all draft laws will be posted until they have been passed by the Legislative Assembly. Interested persons may submit comments on drafts to the Legal Department either electronically or through regular post. All comments will be taken into account in finalizing Bills.
Forms
The section under the rubric FORMS was created to provide residents with ready access to forms which are used regularly in Government Departments for the purpose of transacting business. This section is under active review and will be updated from time to time.
Judgments
The judgements posted on this website all arise from cases initiated in the High Court in Montserrat. The decisions might be from the High Court, Court of Appeal or Privy Council.
Our Vision
The establishment of a legal department with career-building and retention capacity and staffed by highly experienced and motivated officers with a conviction for, and commitment to excellence in their legal service delivery to the Government and the people of Montserrat.
Our Mission
To provide high quality, timely and comprehensive legal service to the Government of Montserrat and related satellites.
Collaborate with Government to ensure a just and law abiding society with an accessible, fair and efficient system of justice, and to promote respect for rights and freedoms, the law and the constitution.
Services
The Legal Department, also known as the Attorney General’s Chambers, performs a wide range of functions, but is principally engaged in the:
- Provision of legal advice to the Governor, Ministers, Ministries and Departments of Government, Statutory Organisations etc;
- Representation of Government, its Ministries and Departments in all civil proceedings by or against the Government;
- Drafting of all primary and subsidiary legislation;
- Participation in national, regional and international initiatives and negotiations,on behalf of the Government of Montserrat;
- Advising on and drafting of most commercial agreements and contracts to which the Government of Montserrat is a party; and
- Participation in and supporting the work of the Cabinet and the Legislative Assembly.