The Deputy Crown Solicitor's Office of the Australian Capital Territory was established in 1958 to represent the Commonwealth, within the territory, in all legal matters which had previously been dealt with by the Crown Solicitor's Office (CA 554). The Deputy Crown Solicitor's Office was essentially the regional or branch office of the Crown Solicitor and hence of the Attorney-General's Department (CA 5).
 
The ACT office of the Crown Solicitor was established to carry out legal work for the Commonwealth departments and instrumentalities. The legal work done by the office may be divided into two types: that of a governmental character and that found in a general legal practice. The governmental work included criminal prosecutions; charges under the Public Service Act (1922) or similar legislation and proceedings before disciplinary boards; courts-martial and courts-martial appeals; search warrants; extradition proceedings; administrative law matters; proceedings under the Compensation Act (1971); constitutional matters; taxation appeals and references to Boards of review; claims of privilege and objections to production of documents; matters arising under the Customs Act (1901); matters under the Conciliation and Arbitration Act (1904) and under the Commonwealth Electoral Act (1918); and intellectual property matters.  

The general practice work handled by the Deputy Crown Solicitor's Office included claims by and against the Commonwealth or
Commonwealth authorities; proceedings before coroners; the defence of Commonwealth drivers; bankruptcy and winding up proceedings; debt recoveries (including taxation and other revenue recoveries); post sequestration and post liquidation matters; dealings in real or personal property in which the Commonwealth or a Commonwealth authority had an interest (and litigation relating to such property); and contracts, agreements, guarantees, securities and other legal documents to which the Commonwealth or an authority of the
Commonwealth is a party or had a direct or indirect interest.  
The Deputy Crown Solicitor's Office was responsible for conducting litigation in such a way as to secure the best interests of the Commonwealth.
 
The functions and powers of the office were transferred to the Australian Government Solicitor's Office, Australian Capital
Territory (CA 4421) under the Judiciary Amendment Act (No. 2) 1984 and the Australian Government Solicitor (Consequential Amendments) Act 1984 which took effect on 1 July 1984.
 

SOURCES
 
Commonwealth Government Directory, 1982, p 91
Commonwealth Government Directory, 1983 Freedom of Information Statements, Attorney-General's portfolio, p 3
'Attorney-General's Department and Office of Parliamentary Counsel,
 Annual Reports 1982-3', Commonwealth Parliamentary Paper No. 362 of
 1983, p 66
Historical agency address
1958-1960: AMP Building, Petrie Street, Canberra City
1960-1965: Civic Offices, London Circuit, Canberra City
1965-1967: Kennard's Building, London Circuit, Canberra City
1967-1972: Moresby House London Circuit, Canberra City
1972-1983: Qantas House, London Circuit, Canberra City
1983-1984: Law Society Building, London Circuit, Canberra City