United Nations Office of Legal Affairs (OLA) provides a unified central legal service for the Secretariat and the principal and other organs of the United Nations and contribute to the progressive development and codification of international public and trade law.
It was established in 1946 as the Legal Department in the United Nations Secretariat and was headed by an Assistant Secretary-General, and consisted of the Office of this official, the Division of General Legal Problems, the Division for the Development and Codification of International Law, the Division of Immunities and Registration of Treaties.
In 1954, the Legal Department was reorganized into the Office of Legal Affairs (OLA), to more accurately reflect its role in providing legal advice to the Secretary-General and acting on the Secretary-General’s behalf in legal matters. The International Trade Law Branch within OLA was established in 1967, and in 1992 the Office for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea was integrated into OLA.
Today, the OLA is headed by the Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs with seven Offices and Divisions: the Office of the Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs, the Office of the Legal Counsel, the General Legal Division, the Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea, the Codification Division, the International Trade Law Division and the Treaty Section.
See more at: https://www.un.org/ola/en/history
