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Crown Solicitor’s Office

The Crown Solicitor's Office is the Government of South Australia's legal service and provides advice to Cabinet, ministers and government agencies.

The Crown Solicitor’s Office (CSO):

  • represents the government before courts and tribunals
  • drafts legal documents
  • provides conveyancing and other property related services
  • resolves native title claim issues.

You cannot seek legal advice from the CSO as a member of the public.

For general legal enquiries contact: 

Areas of practice

Our services are similar to a large private law firm, but we only have one client - the Government of South Australia. 

The office is split into 4 main sections:

Civil Litigation
The Civil Litigation section primarily represents state government agencies in civil and commercial lawsuits, along with coronial inquiries and royal commissions. This includes: 
  • medical negligence claims
  • public liability claims
  • employment and worker's compensation claims
  • contractual and other commercial disputes.

The section also includes a team specialised in advising the Attorney-General on claims made under the Victims of Crime Act 2001. 

Public Law
The Public Law section provides advice and representation services to State government agencies relating to their powers, functions and governance. This includes:
  • statutory interpretation advice
  • advice and representation of the government in child protection matters
  • workplace safety and professional standards prosecutions.
Commercial, Environment and Native Title
The CENT section provides advisory, commercial drafting and representation services to state government agencies across commercial, property, environmental and native title matters. This includes:
  • planning and development advice
  • environmental advice and prosecutions
  • land acquisition
  • native title and Aboriginal heritage
  • government procurement and major projects
  • energy and resources
  • property and conveyancing
  • commercial negotiation and drafting.
Crown Counsel
The Crown Counsel section provides advice and advocacy services across the range of legal services delivered by the CSO, much like an in-house team of barristers, who regularly appear on behalf of the state government in state and federal courts and tribunals. 

See the CSO org chart (PDF 256KB) for more details. 

Contact the Crown Solicitor’s Office

GPO Box 464, Adelaide SA  5001

Level 15, 10 Franklin Street

Adelaide, SA  5000

Phone: 8207 1720

Email: CSO-BusinessServices [at] sa.gov.au