Resources

Quick Links: Contacts / Organogram / Services / Stakeholders / Translation Unit

Services

The Office of the Chief State Law Adviser provides legal advice, representation and legislative drafting services to the Executive, all state departments at both national and provincial levels, municipalities, parastatals and independent or autonomous bodies that may refer work to it.

CHIEF STATE LAW ADVISER

• Provide expert legal advisory services to the Minister, DG, Premier and Provincial Cabinet and strategic management of the chief directorate legal services
• Oversees the strategic functioning of the Office of the Chief State Law Adviser

              
DEPUTY CHIEF STATE LAW ADVISERS

• Execute the programme management of OCSLA by strategically overseeing research with a view to advising government on the development, improvement, modernisation and reform of the law of South Africa
• Overhead control and line-function responsibilities in respect of the HRM process as stipulated by DOJ as head of the office, be responsible for the administration and accountable in terms of the Public Finance Management Act 1 of 1999
• Prepare and control the budget
• Liaise with Government departments, non-government organisations and relevant role players
•  Personnel assessment and human resource development
• Participate in the strategic planning of the department
• Duties assigned by the Chief State Law Adviser

PRINCIPAL LAW ADVISERS

• Provide the state with legal advise
• Drafting and revision of legislation (laws)
• Opinions, therefore, cover the field of statutory law, common law and international law and all its implications
• Advise the State President on whether or not the legislation under consideration is lawful
• Attend legal commissions of inquiry in an advisory capacity

LEGAL RESEARCHERS

• Provide research in support of Law Advisers and keep law Advisers informed of recent case law, legislation changes and developments
• Conduct research with view of lobby/advocating interests of OSCLA clients/potential clients
• Define, conceptualise, planning, initiating, managing and conducting research projects on behalf of OCSLA across disciplinary fields, including the development of good office practice with regard to legal research
• Manage stakeholder relations with legal fraternity, Magistracy, Judiciary, Research institutions and other relevant stakeholders
• Research that will help support arguments and evaluation of legal theories/precedents in court setting or in legal briefs, as well as maintaining appropriate records and systems for easy information retrieval
• Draft legal documentation pertaining to the work done by the Law Adviser
• Provide verbal and written opinion(s) after researching cases, drafting briefs, legal memos, as legal principles, statutes, journal, textbooks
• Maintaining files on any current cases (which contains opinions, analysis, recommendations)
• Advise on best legal approach and/or response on conducting litigation, including comparative law (domestic vs. foreign)
• Maintain legal and constitutional documents and ensure they are updated
• Locate and analyse foreign jurisprudence
• Dealing with queries and problems from client departments, the legal profession, offices and from within the Department

OFFICE MANAGER

• Oversees the administrative running of the Office
• Design and implement office policies
• Establish standards and procedures
• Organise office operations and procedures
• Plan, coordinate and also oversee various business functions which are performed by the other employees
• Selection and termination of employees
• Orient and train employees
• Evaluate staff performance
• Coaching and disciplining staff
• Ordering supplies, anticipate future need(s) and verify receipt
• Performing payroll duties
• Performing accounting duties
• Taking phone calls
• Monitor and record long distance phone calls
• Customer service including complaints
• Control correspondences
• Liaise with other agencies, organisations and groups
• Maintain office records (design and keeping filling systems up-to-date, define procedures for record retention, ensure protection and security of files and records and ensure effective transfer of files and records, transfer and dispose records according to retention schedules and policies, ensure personnel files are up to date and secure)
• Maintain office efficiency (plan, manage and implement office systems, layout and equipment procurement)

LEGISLATIVE LANGUAGE PRACTITIONERS (TRANSLATION UNIT)

• Translate Bills and Amendments, Regulations
• Translate Constitution and amendments
• Translate posters, policies and related documents
• Translate forms from the Master of the High Court
• Edit all translated documents
• Proofread all translated documents
• Accumulate and develop terminology
• Attend to all queries on language matters
• Interact with all relevant stakeholders in the field of multilingualism

INFORMATION SERVICES (Library and Records Registry)

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: INFORMATION SERVICES

• Handles the strategic operations of the library and registry
• Keep the Law Advisers informed of new legislative documents with Current Awareness and Judgement Alert updates
• Supervision of staff, managing the library, managing the library budget and facilitating information

PRINCIPAL LIBRARIAN

• Handles the day to day operations of the library
• Supervises the library personnel
• Generates weekly and monthly library statistics
• Develops and monitors law library programs and activities

LIBRARIANS

• Manages the collection development and weeding of library material
• Accessioning of newly acquired material (books, journals, government reports)
• Acquisition of books, journals, newspapers and database subscriptions
• Catalogue all library items (books, journals, government reports)
• Ensures binding of journals

ASSISTANTS

• Shelving of all library items
• Newspaper delivery and claiming
• Responsible for daily issuing of library items to staff members and weekly collection of overdue items
• Handling of telephonic and electronic information requests
• Sourcing of legislation from database (LexisNexis, Juta)
• Sending of newspaper and journal articles to the Law Advisers and Researchers
• Conduct internet research on foreign legislation as required by Law Advisers and Researchers
• Sends new journal content pages to Law Advisers as part of Current Awareness
• Maintain filing systems of official legal documentation (opinions, etc.)

REGISTRY

• Maintain filing systems of staff's HR documentation (leave, claims, etc.)

ADMINISTRATION

Assistant Director: Administration

• Ensure effective, efficient, financial management compliance with the PFMA, DFI and Treasury regulations
• Effectively and efficiently manage human resource in the office and implement related policies
• Supply chain management and facilities management
• MTSF and annual performance plan
• Manage the communication and information of the office
• Management of claims

Administrative Clerk

• Ensure employees receive their salary advices 1 day before the payment date
• Ensure that all employees sign the pay sheet
• Send pay-sheets to the National Office before the payment date
• Maintain and update the pay-sheet file
• Request quotations from the service providers
• Capturing RFQ's on JYP system
• Forward manual requisitions to Pretoria
• Follow up on outstanding requisitions/purchase orders
• Processing of payments
• Ensure the telephone account is printed every 2nd day of the following month
• Discuss the telephone expenditure with the ASD every 2nd day of the following month
• Distribute statements every 3rd day of the following month
• Submit telephone expenditure report
• Receive training requests
• Get all the correct documents for procurement procedures
• Make arrangements for in-house training
• Processing of payments

Assistant Administrative Clerk

• Request quotations from the service providers
• Capturing RFQ's on JYP system
• Compile a manual requisition and submit to the authoriser within one to two days
• Forward the manual requisitions to Pretoria
• Follow up on outstanding requisitions/purchase orders
• Processing payments
• Ensure that all approved leave forms are submitted to the Human Resources Office within the specified time limit
• Update leave register on a daily basis
• Day-to-day maintenance of the office