The Arizona Attorney General’s Office acts as legal counsel to State Agencies within Arizona and cannot provide legal advice to individuals. This means we are unable to provide legal advice, opinions, or interpretation of laws to individuals.
The Arizona Attorney General’s Office, through the Child and Family Protection Division, provides legal services to all the divisions of the Department of Economic Security (DES), including the Division of Child Support Services (DCSS). It also provides legal services to the Department of Child Safety. The Attorney General’s Office brings and defends lawsuits on behalf of the State …
The Arizona Attorney General’s Civil Rights Division (Division) enforces the Arizona civil rights laws known as the Arizona Civil Rights Act (ACRA). The ACRA protects Arizonans from unlawful discrimination in employment, housing, voting, and public accommodations.
United States Attorney General | |
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Reports to | President of the United States |
Seat | Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice Building Washington, D.C. |
Appointer | President of the United States with United States Senate advice and consent |
Term length | No fixed term |
The Attorney General serves as the chief legal officer of the State. The Attorney General is mandated by our constitution and elected to a four-year term by the people of Arizona. The Attorney General's Office represents and provides legal advice to most State agencies; enforces consumer protection and civil rights laws;
The Arizona Attorney General’s Office, through the Child and Family Protection Division, provides legal services to all the divisions of the Department of Economic Security (DES), including the Division of Child Support Services (DCSS). It also provides legal services to the Department of Child Safety.
Arizona law further requires the attorney general to have been a "practicing attorney before the supreme court of the state" for five years.
Term limits for the attorney general are defined by Article 5, Section 1, Version 2 of the Arizona Constitution, which prohibits an attorney general from serving more than two consecutive terms.
In 2020, the attorney general received a salary of $90,000, according to the Council of State Governments.
The budget for the Attorney General's Office in Fiscal Year 2021-2022 was $61,617,300.
The attorney general also represents some local government agencies, such as school districts or municipalities, in disputes related to conflicts of interest and antitrust/price-fixing activities.
The executive department shall consist of the governor, secretary of state, state treasurer, attorney general, and superintendent of public instruction, each of whom shall hold office for a term of four years beginning on the first Monday of January, 1971 next after the regular general election in 1970. No member of the executive department shall hold that office for more than two consecutive terms. This limitation on the number of terms of consecutive service shall apply to terms of office beginning on or after January 1, 1993. No member of the executive department after serving the maximum number of terms, which shall include any part of a term served, may serve in the same office until out of office for no less than one full term.
If no candidates receives a majority (over 50 percent) of the votes, a runoff election is held between the two candidates that received the largest amount. If the two candidates in the runoff receive an equal number of votes, the state legislature chooses a winner.
The Arizona Supreme Court stated that stare decisis is particularly applicable in cases of statutory interpretation, because the legislature could have changed the statute at any time.
McFate, 3 the Arizona Supreme Court held that the statute did not give the attorney general standing to sue another state agency for violating the state constitution. The McFate court based its holding on two grounds: first, that the attorney general is the legal advisor to state agencies, so he cannot take a position in conflict with the agency unless specifically authorized by statute to do so; and second, that the word “prosecute” in the authorizing statute did not include bringing an action, but only “litigating an existing one.”
The court also noted that since McFate was decided, the Arizona legislature has enacted more than 100 statutes “expressly empowering the Attorney General to take specified legal actions, including against state officers and agencies.”.
In the case of McFate, the precedent is 60 years old and overruling it would result in a “significant expansion in the Attorney General’s power that neither the constitution nor legislature contemplated.”.
The Supreme Court first discussed the Court of Appeals’ concurrence , in which the judges opined that the term “prosecute” should not exclude initiating cases from the attorney general’s statutory powers.
The court then turned to the attorney general’s statutory claim that the Board of Regents had illegally paid public monies by subsidizing in-state tuition for students who were unlawfully present in Arizona. The attorney general alleged that because in-state tuition does not cover the costs of providing a student’s education, the Board of Regents had spent public monies. The Board of Regents disagreed with the attorney general’s assertion, but the court held that the attorney general’s claims could survive a motion to dismiss and the trial court should allow discovery on the issue before considering a motion for summary judgment. State ex rel. Brnovich v. Ariz. Bd. of Regents, 476 P.3d 307 (Ariz. 2020).
The Arizona Supreme Court concluded that the attorney general could not challenge the actions of the state Board of Regents under the state constitution, although he could bring statutory claims.
If a lawsuit has been commenced, the goal is to get the quickest, most cost effective and painless resolution.
Experienced counsel can help determine what is at the core of the investigation and who the real targets are – which can help limit the investigation or point it in the proper direction.
Those who address these investigations or actions properly have the best chance of obtaining a positive outcome. An attorney general investigation can come in many forms, from a simple letter to a Civil Investigative Demand (“CID”) or subpoena.
If you are interested in ensuring that you are compliant with current regulations or if you are facing an investigation from a state attorney general or other regulatory agency, please e-mail us at [email protected], or call us at (212) 246-0900. Attorney Advertising. Related Blog Posts:
Finally, a penny of prevention is worth a pound of cure. The best way to succeed in an attorney general investigation is to never appear on their radar screen in the first place. Retaining counsel that is knowledgeable and experienced in Internet practices and online marketing, that knows the red flags Attorneys general will look for, could save you substantial time and money, as well as allow you to avoid the distraction of dealing with a regulatory inquiry or action.
The cover-up often is worse than the crime. Third, contact experienced counsel immediately. Attorneys general commence investigations for a wide variety of reasons. Perhaps they are seeking information about, or are investigating, your industry generally.
2. The management style is very heavy authoritarian. 3. The employees are treated like children. 4. Employees’ ideas? Hahahaha. 5. Managers YELL at employees who make mistakes. I’m not kidding. 6. Condescension, open mocking, and gaslighting are an art. 7. Gossip and cliques are the rage. 8. Zero employee development.
Very usual 8 to 5 work pace with minor strenuous instances. Great opportunity to network with other legal professionals. More generally, it is a place to expand and live a stable work life.
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The State does not pay anywhere near a private law firm salary. I was not aware they do not give raises when I was hired. And the pay is on the really low end. Benefits are not all that great and they take 12% out for retirement. Which you cannot opt out on. There are a lot of older attorneys that should retire. Attorneys have egos and think they are superior. Your hard work goes unnoticed so don't expect to receive any praise. Covered parking is a joke, its based on seniority and they have so many unused spaces that are not assigned. So get used to hoofing it a couple blocks on foot. Administrators and attorneys have their favorites. The secretary and legal assistants are all nice to work with. No overtime is allowed, so its 8-5 with an hour lunch and they are good about working with your schedule. They let you flex your time so you don't have to use your vacay or sick time. This is a great place to work that will help get your foot in the door anywhere.
It's okay if you land in the right Division/Section. Little to no raises. You must move Divisions/Sections to get paid more. Benefits are okay. People are ok.
The work environment was good, however, the case load is extremely high. Employees have the ability to transfer or apply for positions in other sections of the AG's Office.
some good some bad overall very good place to work. learn a lot but get paid a little but there are other benefits such as feeling of pride to help state.