In the earliest period on record, i.e. prior to 1925, the preparation of legislation was the responsibility of the Attorney-General who functioned under the Legal Secretary. In 1925 however the post of Deputy Solicitor - General was created and the holder of this office was entrusted with the task of assisting the Attorney-General in the drafting of legislation. The post of Legal Draftsman was created in 1927, in anticipation of the new Constitution that was proposed by the Donoughmore Commission and Mr.Arthur Dyer-Ball who assumed duties as Legal Draftsman in September 1927, was the first person to be appointed to the newly created post of Legal Draftsman. However the Legal Draftsman continued to function under the Attorney-General.

The functions of the Legal Draftsman were described as the drafting of new Bills and amending legislation, the preparation of Statements of Objects and Reasons for such Bills, the preparation of all Proclamations, Notifications, Orders-in-Council, By-Laws, Rules and Regulations, conducting of interviews with Heads of Departments and the attendance of meetings of the Legislative Council and at Select Committees of the Council when Bills were being discussed.

A separate Department of the Legal Draftsman was created in July 1931 under the Legal Secretary. After the death in 1931 of the first Legal Draftsman, Mr.Dyer-Ball, no permanent appointment to the post appears to have been made till December 1933, during which time Mr.C.C.A. Britto Muthunayagam an Assistant Legal Draftsman was appointed to act as the Legal Draftsman. He was assisted by Mr.H.H.Basnayake, who was seconded for such purpose from the Attorney-General's Chambers. I December 1933 Mr.Mervyn Fonseka was appointed to the post of Legal Draftsman. Mr.P.C. Villavarayan and Mr.H.L.Wendt, who were the First Assistant Legal Draftsman and the Second Assistant Legal Draftsman, respectively, assisted the Legal Draftsman. With the appointment of Mr.Mervyn Fonseka as the Solicitor - General in 1943, Mr.P.C. Villavarayan was appointed as Legal Draftsman and he functioned in such office until his retirement in 1949.

Mr.H.N.G.Fernando succeeded him as Legal Draftsman and he continued as such until he was appointed a Judge of the Supreme Court in 1955. He was succeeded by Mr.A.W.H.Abeysundere Q.C. and functioned as Legal Draftsman until he was appointed a Judge of the Supreme Court in 1962. Mr.Percy de Silva then succeeded Mr.Abeysundere as Legal Draftsman. Having held office for over a decade, Mr.de Silva died in office in 1972. Mr.O.M.de Alwis succeeded Mr.de Silva as Legal Draftsman and he functioned as Legal Draftsman until 1978 when Mr.P.N.K.Rodrigo in turn succeeded him. Mr.Rodrigo functioned as Legal Draftsman till 1984. He too died in office. Mr.N.J.Abeysekere was appointed Legal draftsman in 1984 and he held office for a period of sixteen years until his retirement in December 2000. He was succeeded by Mr.Malwattege Edmund Walter Peeris who held office as Legal Draftsman for a brief period of one month. On his retirement in January 2001, Mrs. T.R.Perera succeeded him as Legal Draftsman and was the first woman to be appointed to the post during the seventy year history of the Department of the Legal Draftsman.