Department of Legal Affairs

Director: Bryndís Helgadóttir

The Department of Legal Affairs handles complaints received by the Ministry as the ultimate administrative authority in most of the areas under its jurisdiction, and in most instances resolves such cases by issuing a ruling. Matters concerning the publication of the Official Journal of Iceland (Stjórnartíðindi) and the Legal Gazette (Lögbirtingablað) are included in the department's tasks. In addition, the department is responsible for various other areas, such as the courts and elections, and it is the ministry's contact channel with the Icelandic parliament Althingi and the Althing Ombudsman.

Functions and principal tasks

• Justice system, both civil and criminal justice
• Criminal law
• Lawyers
• The courts
• Legal aid
• Communications with the Althing Ombudsman
• Legal assistance in connection with composition
• Communications with the Icelandic parliament Althingi
• Ownership of and utilisation rights to real estate
• Tort
• Nordic and Nordic-Baltic legislative co-operation
• Official Journal of Iceland (Stjórnartíðindi)
• Legal Gazette (Lögbirtingablað)
• Elections and voting