The Crown Law Office is organised along similar lines to today's private law practices to ensure that the service provided to its clients is focused, responsive, timely and of high quality.

The Office is organised into three practice groups, which are focused on the delivery of specialist legal services to government covering the following core areas of business:

• Constitutional advice and litigation including Treaty of Waitangi work and constitutional conventions
• The supervision and conduct of Crown prosecutions and criminal appeals and advice on international human rights obligations and Bill of Rights
• Public law issues which, for example, arise out of the exercise and control of governmental power and public sector governance.

The practice group structure is designed to enable better co-ordination of work, and to enable improved sharing of resources across teams and improved capacity to serve Ministers and clients. Each group is led by a Deputy Solicitor-General who reports to the Solicitor-General and is responsible for the professional leadership and management of the client service teams within the group. A Crown Counsel, in the role of Team Leader, has responsibility for the development and management of staff in each team and is also the principal contact point for clients of the team. Each team is staffed with further Crown Counsel, Associate Crown Counsel, Assistant Crown Counsel, and Litigation and Secretarial Support staff.

The current group/team structure comprises:

Constitutional Group

• Law Officer Team
• Natural Resources Team
• Treaty Issues & International Law Team

Criminal & Human Rights Group

• Criminal Law Team & Crown Solicitors
• Human Rights Team

Public Law Group

• Social Services and Employment Team
• Tax and Commercial Team

A profile of the group/team activities and senior management contacts follows:

Constitutional Group (Deputy Solicitor-General: Cheryl Gwyn)

The Constitutional Group is comprised of the following teams:

Law Officer Team (Team Leader: Peter Gunn)

The Law Officer Team provides specific legal and administrative support for the statutory functions of the Attorney-General and Solicitor-General. This includes supporting the Attorney-General as protector of charities and facilitating a number of international functions such as extradition and letters of request for taking overseas evidence. The team also administers the appointments of Queen’s Counsel and Judges to the High Court and Court of Appeal.

Particular expertise and strengths within the team include constitutional law, charitable trust law, Attorney-General functions, extraditions and letters of request.

Natural Resources Team (Team Leader: Bronwyn Arthur)

The Natural Resources team advises and represents the government on its land and environment interests. This includes Conservation land, reserves, the administration of the Public Works Act 1981, Crown minerals and resource management, land title issues, land valuation and land rental arbitration. The team regularly appears in specialist courts such as the Land Valuation Tribunal and Environment Court.

Particular expertise and strengths within the team include resource management law, environmental law, valuation law, land, construction and property law and local government law.

Treaty Issues and International Law Team (Team Leader: Virginia Hardy)

The Treaty Issues and International Law team works on the legal and historical issues arising from claims made under the Treaty of Waitangi. It represents the government before the Waitangi Tribunal and the courts. In recent years, developments in the impact of New Zealand's international obligations on New Zealand law have provided another area of responsibility for the team.

Particular expertise and strengths within the team include the Treaty of Waitangi and international law.

Criminal & Human Rights Group (Deputy Solicitor-General: Cameron Mander)

The Criminal & Human Rights Group is comprised of the following teams:

Criminal Law Team & Crown Solicitors (Team Leader: Brendan Horsley)

The Criminal team has responsibility for the supervision and management of the prosecution of indictable crime through the national Crown Solicitor network. The team also provides advice, legal research and support to these Crown Solicitors.

As well, the team discharges the statutory responsibility of the Solicitor-General in representing the Crown in criminal appeals before the Court of Appeal. It advises the Solicitor-General on Crown appeals against sentence, and also advises on stays of prosecution, consents to prosecute, witness immunities and contempt of court issues.

The team is responsible for bringing applications in respect of proceeds of crime, advising on mutual assistance in criminal matters, representing the Crown in judicial review matters arising from the criminal prosecution process and acting for NZ Police and Department for Corrections in civil litigation.

Particular expertise and strengths within the team include issues relating to the criminal law such as rules of evidence, court practice, witness fees, use of video appearance in court by satellite, televising court proceedings and conduct of prosecutions involving child witnesses.

Human Rights Team (Team Leader: Austin Powell)

The Human Rights Team is concerned with matters relating to the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990, and general human rights issues. This team frequently works with other Crown Law Office teams on such matters as well as providing advice directly to government departments and ministries. It is responsible for representing the government in relation to any challenges brought under the Human Rights Act 1993 in relation to government policy, legislation or conduct.

Particular expertise and strengths within the team include an ability to address complex constitutional issues covering the Bill of Rights and Human Rights.

Public Law Group (Deputy Solicitor-General: Matthew Palmer)

The Public Law Group is comprised of the following teams:

Social Services and Employment Team (Team Leader: Una Jagose)

Social Services and Employment team has a particular responsibility for services related to the government's social services, including health, social security, education. It provides advice on powers and functions, both statutory and non-statutory, representation in judicial review proceedings, statutory appeals and common law claims against the Crown. It also acts for the government on employment matters including providing advice and representation in employment proceedings.

Particular expertise and strengths within the team include employment law and industrial relations, human rights and public law issues, privacy law and official information, accident compensation, medico-legal issues, torts and contracts. The team also has experience in alternative disputes resolution and the management of large scale litigation.

Tax and Commercial Team (Team Leader: Maria Deligiannis)

The Tax and Commercial Team advises and represents the Crown on matters concerning the protection of the revenue and is responsible for advising and providing representation on services related to the Crown infrastructure, its commercial interests and the regulation of those interests. The Team provides advice on powers and functions, both statutory and non-statutory, and is involved in a wide range of litigation including tax challenge proceedings, judicial review, appeals and common law claims against the Crown. The Team represents its clients in all jurisdictions including Tribunals, the High Court, the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court.

The Team has a broad client base across the major departments and ministries, including the Commissioner of Inland Revenue, the Treasury, the Ministry of Economic Development, the Ministry of Transport and Customs.

Particular expertise and strengths within the Team include the conduct of large civil trials, public law (including judicial review), the interpretation and application of the inland revenue statutes, companies, securities and competition law, intellectual property, trusts law, public finance and superannuation.