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Please see current site for Office of the Legal Adviser

U.S. Department of State
Office of the Legal Adviser

The Office of the Legal Adviser, headed by Acting Legal Adviser James H. Thessin, furnishes advice on all legal issues, domestic, and international, arising in the course of the Department's work. This includes assisting Department principals and policy officers in formulating and implementing the foreign policies of the United States, and promoting the development of international law and its institutions as a fundamental element of those policies.

The Office is organized to provide direct legal support to the Department of State's various bureaus, including both regional and geographic offices (those which focus on specific areas of the world) and functional offices (those which deal with specific subject matters such as economics and business, international environmental and scientific issues, or internal management).

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