{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/naval-courts-martial-general-orders-royal-navy-1991/article-19",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/naval-courts-martial-general-orders-royal-navy-1991/article-19.json",
  "legislation": "uksi/1991/2737",
  "legislation_title": "The Naval Courts-Martial General Orders (Royal Navy) 1991",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/naval-courts-martial-general-orders-royal-navy-1991",
  "path": "article/19",
  "kind": "article",
  "number": "19",
  "heading": "Judge advocate generally",
  "text": "–\n(1) On the assembly of the court the judge advocate shall advise the court of any defect in the constitution of the court or in the charge sheet, and during the trial he shall advise the court (whether or not his advice is requested) upon all questions of law or procedure which may arise. The court shall accept his advice on all such matters unless in their opinion there are compelling reasons for rejecting it, in which event these reasons shall be recorded in the proceedings.\n(2) After the closing speeches by the prosecution and the defence the judge advocate shall, before the court close to consider their finding, advise the court upon the law relating to the case and sum up the relevant evidence.\n(3) Should the court require further advice on the law during their deliberation on the finding, they shall suspend their deliberation and seek and be given such further advice by the judge advocate in open court.\n(4) If the court reach a finding of guilty or a special finding under sections 67 or 68 of the Act and the judge advocate is of the opinion that such finding or special finding is contrary to the law relating to the case, he shall advise the court of the findings which are, in his opinion, open to them. The court shall then reconsider their finding in closed court.\n(5) The judge advocate shall be present whenever the court is sitting whether in open or closed court, except when the court is deliberating on the finding or on a submission of no case to answer.\n(6) The judge advocate has the duty of ensuring that the accused, particularly if he is not represented, does not suffer any disadvantage in consequence of his position as such or of his ignorance or of his incapacity to examine to cross-examine witnesses, or to make his own evidence clear and intelligible, or otherwise.\n(7) The judge advocate shall be responsible for seeing that a proper record of the proceedings is made in accordance with Order 63 and shall be responsible for the safe custody of the record of proceedings under Order 66.",
  "extent": null,
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1991/2737/article/19",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T14:33:13.386859+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}