The Solicitor General’s Office (SGO) provides legal advice to government departments, statutory authorities and government companies (SAGCs) and their respective boards in relation to a broad range of subjects. The SGO also represents those Government and public bodies in legal proceedings before all tiers of courts and statutory tribunals such as the Planning Appeals Tribunal and Civil Service Appeals Commission.  

The SGO team also assists with international matters arising under the Hague Conventions on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction (Child Abduction Convention) and the Taking of Evidence Abroad in Civil or Commercial Matters (Hague Evidence Convention), for which the Attorney General is the Central Authority. Requests for assistance under this Convention can be emailed to ciabduction@gov.ky

The Cayman Islands Constitution Order 2009 empowers Parliament to make laws for the peace, order and good governance of the Cayman Islands. The Legislative Drafting Department is responsible for the provision of an efficient legislative drafting service including related legislative advice for the Government of the Cayman Islands. The Department undertakes the drafting of primary legislation (Acts) and subordinate legislation including Regulations, Orders, Directions and Rules and also advises on proposals for legislation and statutory interpretation. Drafting instructions are provided to the Legislative Drafting Department through the Cabinet. Instructing offices may be Ministries, Portfolios and Government Departments. 

The Law Reform Commission was established by the Law Reform Commission Act, 2005 and commenced operation on 16 September 2005. In accordance with that Act, the Commission’s mandate is to study and keep under constant review the statutes and other laws comprising the law of the Cayman Islands with a view to its systematic development and reform, including in particular.

·    The modification of any branch of the law as far as that is practicable;

·    The elimination of anomalies in the law, the repeal of obsolete and unnecessary enactments and modernisation of the law;

·     Providing research papers on law reform topics;

·    The development of new areas in the law with the aim of making them more responsive to the changing needs of the society of the Cayman Islands;

·    The adoption of new or more effective methods for the administration of the law and the dispensation of justice; and

·    The codification of the unwritten laws of the Cayman Islands.

The work of the Commission is four-fold:

(a) conducting legal research

(b) carrying out public and governmental consultation

(c) preparing reports on law reform topics; and

(d) drafting reform and other legislation.

The Commission, in the performance of its functions, may

·     Review and consider any proposals for the reform of the law which may be referred to it by any person or authority;

·     Prepare and submit to the Attorney General from time to time, a programme for the study and examination of any branch of the law with a view to making recommendations for its improvement, modernisation and reform;

·     Initiate and carry out or direct the initiation and carrying out of, studies and research necessary for the improvement and modernisation of the law;

·     Undertake, pursuant to any such recommendation approved by the Attorney General, the formulation and preparation of drafts in the form of Bills or other instruments for consideration by the Governor in Cabinet and the Parliament;

·     Provide, at the instance of Government departments and other authorities concerned, advice, information and proposals for reform or amendment of any branch of the law; and

·     With the approval of the Attorney General, appoint or empanel committees, whether from among members of the Commission or from among persons outside the Commission or both, to study and make recommendations to the Commission on any aspect of the law referred to it by the Commission. Further information on the work of the commission can be found on their website. 

The role of the Law Revision Commission is to produce an annual revision and consolidation of all of the laws of the Cayman Islands that have been amended during the previous 12 months.  In addition, the Law Revision Commission produces annually, a consolidated index of laws and regulations containing additional legal measures, including United Kingdom statutory instruments.  The revisions and index referred to above are published as Supplements to the Official Gazette and are intended to supply information to the public in general and to the legal profession in particular.

The Truman Bodden Law School (TBLS) exists pursuant to section 20 of the Legal Practitioners Act (2022 Revision) which makes provision for the establishment by the Governor (in consultation with the Legal Advisory Council) of a local system of legal education.  The establishment of the TBLS followed a feasibility study (The Fairest Report) which had been commissioned in order to facilitate the legal training of Caymanian individuals interested in pursuing a career in legal practice. 

As the TBLS was originally established as a vocational school for the training of lawyers, it was deemed appropriate to form part of the Portfolio of Legal Affairs where it has since remained. The TBLS clients are its students, both local and international. TBLS staff also assist in other initiatives such as the Cayman Islands Legal Assistance Clinic and the delivery of legal training to other government entities.

The TBLS offers a Bachelor of Laws in conjunction with the University of Liverpool and the Professional Practice Certificate in conjunction with Oxford Brookes University. More details of the programmes available at the TBLS can be found on its website

The Financial Reporting Authority (FRA) is established by Part II of the Proceeds of Crime Act (2024 Revision) (PCA) to serve as the Cayman Islands Financial Intelligence Unit for the receipt and processing of financial information received from local entities and individuals who are required to report suspicions of money laundering and/or financing of terrorism under the PCA.  The role of the FRA is to receive, analyse and disseminate disclosures of financial information concerning proceeds of criminal conduct, suspected proceeds of criminal conduct, money laundering, suspected money laundering, or the financing of terrorism.  As a member of the EGMONT Group, the FRA is the contact point for international exchanges of financial intelligence with its overseas counterparts.  The FRA also makes disclosures where appropriate to local law enforcement agencies.  .

The FRA’s primary objective is to provide timely and high quality financial intelligence to local and overseas law enforcement agencies through their local financial intelligence units, in keeping with the statutory requirements of the PCA. More information about the work of the FRA and how to make a suspicious activity report can be found on the FRA’s website

The Anti-Money Laundering Unit (AMLU) was established in March 2014 in recognition of the need to assess money laundering and terrorist financing (ML/TF) risks nationally and to foster greater inter-agency cooperation and coordination.  The work of the AMLU can be found at their website.