全国首家司法分立机构

清光绪三十二年(1906),清政府“仿行宪政” ,参照日本的司法制度，改革中央官制，将刑部改为法部，专任司法； 大理寺改为大理院，专掌审判，实行政审分离； 并设总监察厅，为全国最高检察机关。地方由直隶先行试办，袁世凯便择定先在天津府、天津县试办，令天津知府凌福彭负责办理。
凌福彭一面制定审判章程，一面筹办审判厅。光绪三十二年(1906)十月，《天津府属试办审判厅章程》拟成，并刊登在是年十一月出版的《北洋法政学报》第10期。章程共分四编146条，为当时全国第一个地方性试办审判厅法规。
光绪三十三年(1907)二月十日，成立了天津府高等审判分厅、天津县地方审判厅，并举行了开厅典礼。两厅厅长分别由知府和知县兼任。在天津城乡分设了乡谳局4处： 杨柳青、赵家场、咸水沽、永丰屯，并同时开局。天津民间刑事案件，开始由审判厅审理。两个审判厅设在一处，厅址开始设在城内水月庵； 后在南马路天津县署之西； 此后，因为办公房不敷使用，又在李公祠旁勘建新厅，是年十一月，迁至新厅。
两厅合设检事局(即检察局),高等审判分厅之内，设检事长、检事官(即检察官)、书记官及书记生、检验吏； 地方审判厅之内，设检事官、书记官、书记生、检验吏； 乡谳局之内设检事官、书记官。这是天津地方检察机构的正式设立，在全国也是最早的检察机关。
同时，撤销原有府、县旧司法发审人员。凡是审判厅的民事、刑事部长及审判官、检事长、检事官，都要报经总督袁世凯签署委任； 书记人员，一律由天津知府兼天津府高等审判厅厅长凌福彭委派。
同时，还将旧时差役改造为司法巡警，负责暗查、搜查、逮捕、押解人犯和巡守任务等。司法警察的设立，天津在全国也是最早之举。
在封建统治长达数千年的情况下，搞一点试验改革，远不能实现法治，何况又徒具形式。改革后，司法裁判，仍权出多门。审判厅以外，各级官府公堂仍然裁判民刑诉讼，司法并不能独立，其改革仍旧囿于封建统治之内。
即使如此，从具体内容上来看，由于诉讼费和承发吏规费有了限制，打官司的费用减少了许多； 并且派人到日本考察后，制定了监狱制度，改善了犯人的生活条件，使罪犯有学习工业、技艺的机会。
从司法改革来看，这种地方司法机构的分立，毕竟是全国的首创，天津也成为全国司法改良的试验地。因此，全国各府、县来天津参观学习者甚众。

·1928年2月天津地方法院法庭及办公厅

In 1906 (the 32nd year of Emperor Guangxu),theQing government carried out Constitutional Monarchy.Taking the Japanese Judicial system for the reference,it reformed its central official system. It restructuredDepartment of Justice to the Board of Jurisdiction,responsible solely for judicial matters. Bureau of Dali(the Court of Judicial Review) was changed into DaliCourt,responsible for trial. In this way,it separatedadministrative power from legislative power. It alsoset up Supreme Procuratorate which was the highestprocuratorial organ. Among those local governments,this new legal system was tried out first in Zhili. YuanShikai then tried it out first in Tianjin County and thePrefecture of Tianjin. He ordered the Tianjin prefectLing Fupeng to be responsible for the trying out of thenew system.
Ling Fupeng drafted trial rules and prepared for thebuilding of court at the same time. In October 1906,theRules and Regulations of Tianjin Pilot Court was drawnout and published in the 10th issue of Beiyang Politicaland Legal Journal of November. It had 4 chapters and146 items,which was the laws and regulations of thefirst local court.
On February 10,1907,the Highest Court of Tianjinand the Local Court of Tianjin County held the openingceremony. The heads of the two courts were the mayorand the magistrate respectively.Four township courtswere open at Yangliuqing,Zhaojiachang,Xianshuigu,and Yongfengtun. Civil cases were heard by the HighestCourt of Tianjin and the Local Court of Tianjin County.The offices of the two courts were in Shuiyue Temple inthe city,and then moved to the west of Tianjin CountyYamen at Nanmalu. Later,because the offices were notsufficient,they moved to new offices built near Ligongciin November.
A Procuratorate was set up for the two courts.There were chief procurator,procurators,chief clerk,clerks,and examiners in the highest court. There wereprocurators,chief clerk,clerks,and examiners inthe county court. In the township courts,there wereprocurators and clerks. This was the first procuratoratesystem in China.
Meanwhile,the previous trial positions werecancelled. The chief judge of civil cases,the chief judgeof criminal cases,the chief judge,the chief procuratorand the chief examiner were appointed by Yuan Shikai.The clerks were appointed by Ling Fupeng.
The bailiffs were reformed to judicial policemenresponsible for investigation,arrest,escorting criminals,and patrolling. The set up of policemen was for the firsttime in China.
However,this reform in such a feudal sociely likeChina was far from the implementation of the rule oflaw. After the reform,there was still no independentjudiciary. Besides the court,the Yamen of differentlevels heard civil cases as before.
As to the achievements,the cost of legal cases wasreduced because of the restriction of legal cost and thepayment for the officials. After the inspection in Japan,prison system was set up,which improved the prisoners`living standards and provided them with opportunitiesto study skills. From the perspective of judicial reform,the set-up of local judicial institutions was for the firsttime in China. Tianjin became the experiment field ofnational judiciary reform,which attracted many peoplearound China to visit and learn from Tianjin.