The prosecution of criminal cases; providing legal advice to all agencies of Government; appearing in courts on behalf of Government in Civil matters and all other activities that touch on legal and judicial affairs.

The Ministry of Justice is responsible for all legal matters affecting the Lagos State government.

The Ministry of Justice was one of the first sets of ministries established by the first administration in the state under Brigadier Mobolaji Johnson in June 1967.

Other Ministries were Finance and Economic Development, Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Works and Transport, Health and Social Welfare, Agriculture and Natural Resources, Education and Community Development.

At inception, the Legal Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Justice selected the ministry's pioneer staff, junior and senior from officers then serving in the Federal Ministry of Justice. The Ministry was thus structured in a manner substantially like that of the Federal Ministry of Justice.

Additional staff came in from both the Federal and Western State Public Services with effect from April 1 1968 and was assigned responsibility for matters or group of matters listed under Lagos State notice No.44 of 1968.

By virtue of the States Creation and Transitional Provisions Decree No.14 of 1967, the delineation of Lagos State was from the former federal territory, Badagry, Epe and Ikeja divisions, which were otherwise known as the former colony province.

It meant that on creation of states, Lagos State inherited laws which were applicable in the former Federal Territory of Lagos and those laws in force in the former colony province.

The first pre-occupation of the new Ministry was to select those laws, which would apply in Lagos State. The Military Governor constituted a committee on uniform laws in Lagos State under the chairmanship of Mr. Justice G.B.A. Coker of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

The committee completed the assignment within one month and submitted the report in March 1968. The committee's recommendations formed the basis of the Lagos State Applicable Laws Edict No. 2 of 1968, which came into force on 1st May 1968.

Overtime and as a result of restructuring, the total staff strength of the Ministry as at 1st December 2003 has risen to 368.