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).
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.
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.
Activities Army Legal Services Branch is a group of qualified solicitors, barristers and Scottish advocates providing legal support to the Army.
List of directors general
The head of the Army Legal Services Branch is its director. The director general holds the rank of major general.
+ Directors General Date of appointment Name Major-General G. A. Whiteley CBE 13 July 1969 Major-General H. Owen 19 July 1971 Major-General R. S. Marshall TD 30 July 1973 Major-General J. C. Robertson 2 Jul 1976 Major-General D. S. Appleby 6 Nov 1978 Major-General J. A. McIlvenna CB 12 Nov 1980 Major-General Sir David Hughes-Morgan Bt. CB, CBE 24 Feb 1984 Major-General J. F. Bowman 3 Dec 1986 Major-General T. Fugard 8 Jan 1990 Major-General D. H. D. Selwood 4 May 1992 Major-General Mike H. F. Clarke 20 Apr 1994 Major-General A. P. V. Rogers 1 Apr 1997 Major-General Gordon Risius CB 20 Jan 2003 Major-General David Howell CB, OBE 1 Oct 2010 Major-General Michael Conway CB 30 Sept 2015 Major-General Susan Ridge 5 July 2019 Major-General Alexander Taylor 1 January 2024 Major-General Richard A. Allen
See also RAF Legal Branch Judge Advocate General (United Kingdom)
References
External links Army Legal Services