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The Royal Air Force Legal Branch (RAFLB) or Directorate Legal Services (DLS) – as it is better known – is the uniformed legal service provider for the Royal Air Force. It consists of solicitors and barristers qualified in a Commonwealth jurisdiction. DLS is headquartered at Air Command RAF High Wycombe. The Directorate is currently staffed by a mixture of members of:

History

The RAF Legal Branch was formed on 1 October 1948. Its predecessor was the Air Force Department of the Office of Judge Advocate General.[1]

Role

It is open to men or women; those that have been recruited vary from NQ to 10 years PQE. DLS has around 50 legal officers. Around 30% of DLS officers are based in overseas billets. The type of work undertaken by legal officers depends on the billet they are working at. Around 50% of the billets are discipline / criminal law, 30% of the billets are operations law and 20% of the billets are administrative law. The RAF also provides 4 Legal Officers to the Service Prosecuting Authority.

The head of the RAF Legal Branch is titled the Director of Legal Services RAF. The current holder is Air Vice Marshal T N Jennings.

  • Air Commodore John Bankes Walmsley (1950 - 1957)[2]
  • Air Commodore Marshall William Palmer (1957 - 1961)[3]
  • Air Vice-Marshal John Ernest Allen-Jones (1961 - 1970)[4]
  • Air Vice-Marshal Aubrey Sidney-Wilmot (1970 - 1978)[5]
  • Air Vice-Marshal Peter Furniss (December 1978 to April 1982)[6]
  • Air Vice-Marshal Graham Neil Forman (1982 - 1989)[7]
  • Air Vice-Marshal Reginald Thomas Dawson (1989 - 1992)[8]
  • Air Vice-Marshal Geoffrey W Carleton (1993 - 1997)[9]
  • Air Vice-Marshal John Weeden (1997 - 2002)[10]
  • Air Vice-Marshal Richard Anthony Charles (2002 - 2009)[11]
  • Air Vice Marshal Lindsay J Irvine (April 2009 to April 2017)[12]
  • Air Vice Marshal Alison Mardell (April 2017 to 29 September 2018)[13]
  • Air Vice Marshal Tamara Jennings (29 September 2018 to present)[14]

Deputy Directors

  • Air Commodore Lindsay Irvine (2002 to April 2009)
  • Air Commodore William H Boothby (April 2009 to July 2011)[12]
  • Air Commodore S J Kell (July 2011 to July 2014)[15]
  • Air Commodore Alison Mardell (2014 to 2017)
  • Air Commodore T N Jennings (2017 to 2018)
  • Air Commodore K J Sanders (2018 to present)[16]

References

  1. ^ "No. 38795". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 December 1949. p. 6168.
  2. ^ "No. 41266". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 1957. p. 7596.
  3. ^ "No. 42721". The London Gazette (Supplement). 3 July 1962. p. 5302.
  4. ^ "No. 45228". The London Gazette (Supplement). 10 November 1970. p. 12330.
  5. ^ "No. 47745". The London Gazette (Supplement). 15 January 1979. p. 670.
  6. ^ "No. 48885". The London Gazette (Supplement). 8 February 1982. p. 1786.
  7. ^ "No. 51840". The London Gazette (Supplement). 14 August 1989. p. 9449.
  8. ^ "No. 53164". The London Gazette (Supplement). 5 January 1993. p. 107.
  9. ^ "No. 54820". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 June 1997. p. 7559.
  10. ^ "No. 56668". The London Gazette (Supplement). 20 August 2002. p. 10042.
  11. ^ a b "AIR RANK APPOINTMENTS LIST 09/08". raf.mod.uk. Retrieved 12 March 2009.
  12. ^ "AIR RANK AND COMMAND APPOINTMENTS LIST 3.17". raf.mod.uk. 9 March 2017. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
  13. ^ "AIR RANK AND COMMAND APPOINTMENTS LIST 3.17". raf.mod.uk. 10 July 2018. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
  14. ^ "Air Rank Appointments List 01/11". raf.mod.uk. Retrieved 9 January 2015.
  15. ^ "AIR RANK AND COMMAND APPOINTMENTS LIST 3.17". raf.mod.uk. 10 July 2018. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
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