Legal Department

The Legal Department is run by the Fern.

It seems to deal with the full gamut of physical, metaphysical and metafictional, and civil (both real and canonical  ) law. In the matter of civil law, they are stated to be more proficient and to have more experience than the Discworld's pre-eminent lawyer, Mr. Slant.

The department head has stated that the purpose of Legal is to maintain the balance between order and chaos, as represented by their departmental logo, the Legal Chao. The Chao (pronounced "cow") resembles a yin-yang with order represented by the five-frond fern on one side and chaos by the antigravity apple on the other. Why the antigravity apple was chosen as the symbol for disorder is unknown&mdash;it is rumoured to represent the former head of the Physics Division, a former head of department, or something else entirely.

Location
The location of Legal is classified, although it is known to be within the bounds of HQ. It has at least two approaches.

One is a corridor that is wallpapered with wilver paisley patterns on urple, with blello sconces. This corridor has not been attested since the first experimental DMS/Legal team was active, in 2005.

Another is a cold, black corridor with the curious property of causing psychic "sound" (such as that used by the Flowers to communicate) to echo. Access to the body of the department through this corridor requires some form of portal or teleportation, in which an orb of light falls from the ceiling and engulfs the visitor. Visitors don't get to this stage very often at all.

Status Within the PPC
Legal enjoys a peculiar position within the PPC, both an integral part of its daily function and yet aloof from it. The Fern has indicated that they would be willing to leave entirely should something happen to HQ, and in one dystopian AU it is confirmed that Legal goes on doing its thing long after the rest of Headquarters has fallen.

To the agents, they are an unknown force, capable of pretty much anything&mdash;which has led some to view them in an almost religious light, making the sign of the Legal Chao to ward them off. This doesn't work.

Legal does its best to remain neutral in the affairs of the PPC and other organisations and keep all parties subject to the Narrative (and possibly mundane) Laws, the Fern stating that openly taking sides would destroy everything the PPC works for, but they are willing to bend the rules a little when an existential threat reveals itself, such as during the return of the DIS and Mysterious Somebody. That instance might or might not have been influenced by one of Legal's agents, Aspen, nearly having been murdered by the DIS before the Reorganisation.

History
In 2002 HST, Legal was (and may still be) involved in Despatch's dealings with author self-inserts. Details of the proceedings are unknown. Agent Meg contemplating that an Agent "Murphy from Legal" might claim responsibility for an event that looked like an application of Murphy's Law was probably just a joke. There is no evidence that "Agent Murphy" exists.

In 2005 HST, Agent Fin Sharkley (DMS) was partnered with Agent Aspen Green, a "field operative in the Legal Department," specializing in the laws of physics, in an experimental team. Fin may well be the only non-Legal agent who has ever seen the inside of the department.

Divisions
The known Divisions of Legal are:


 * The Physics Division
 * The Trans-Normal Accountancy Division
 * The Arbitrary Censorship Division
 * The Canon Laws Division
 * The Cosmic Irony Division

Known Agents
The only known agents in this department are Agents Aspen Green and Chiaroscuro.

An unnamed female lawyer appears in the AU Catastrophe Theory story "Bound and Gagged," but her existence in the prime timeline is unconfirmed.

Department Records

 * In "Tales from Despatch," an author self-insert is dropped off at Legal.


 * Agents Fin and Aspen were partners in RC 6.022*10^23.


 * Crashing Down features the only other known visit to the Legal Department.


 * They have also sent the Department of WhatThe a rather strange message.