what is a attorney general:

What are the requirements to become an attorney general?

115 rows · The United States attorney general (AG) leads the United States Department of Justice, and is the chief lawyer of the federal government of the United States.The attorney general serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States on all legal matters. The attorney general is a statutory member of the Cabinet of the United States. ...

What can a general attorney do for You?

Apr 07, 2022 · Definition of attorney general : the chief law officer of a nation or state who represents the government in litigation and serves as its principal legal adviser Examples of attorney general in a Sentence

What is the main job of the Attorney General?

The attorney general is head of the u.s. justice department and chief law officer of the federal government. He or she represents the United States in legal matters generally and gives advice and opinions to the president and to other heads of executive departments as requested.

Does Attorney General have to be an attorney?

As chief legal officers of the states, commonwealths, District of Columbia, and territories of the United States, the role of an attorney general is to serve as counselor to state government agencies and legislatures, and as a representative of the public interest.

What is an attorney general?

Attorneys-General in common law jurisdictions, and jurisdictions with a legal system which is partially derived from the common law tradition, share a common provenance.

What is the second type of attorney general?

The second type of attorney-general ("procureur-generaal", while their replacements are called "advocaat-generaal") is an independent advisor to the Supreme Court . These people give an opinion on cases (called "conclusies") in any field of law (not just criminal law), supported by a scientific staff.

What is the main legal advisor to the government?

In common law jurisdictions, main legal advisor to the government. In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enforcement, ...

What is a non common law office?

Non-common law jurisdictions usually have one or more offices which are similar to attorneys-general in common law jurisdictions, some of which use "attorney-general" as the English translation of their titles.

What is the office of the Attorney General of the Philippines?

The Office of the Solicitor General is the law firm of the Republic of the Philippines. It is tasked with representing the Philippines, the Philippine Government, and all its officials in any litigation or matter requiring the services of a lawyer especially before appellate courts. It is an independent and autonomous office attached to the Department of Justice for budgetary purposes.

What is the mission of the Attorney General of Ireland?

The Mission of the Office of the Attorney General is to provide the highest standard of professional legal services to Government, Departments and Offices. The Attorney General of Ireland is the legal adviser to the Government and is therefore the chief law officer of the State.

What is the role of the Attorney General in Fiji?

In Fiji, the role of the Attorney General is defined as "providing essential legal expertise and support to the Government". More specific functions include "legislative drafting", "legal aid", "the prerogative of mercy" (advising the President), "liquor licensing" and "film censorship".

Examples of attorney general in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The state attorney general declined to file charges against the officer and said the force was justified but the officer’s actions before the fight led to the altercation. — NBC News, 6 Feb.

Legal Definition of attorney general

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What is the job of an attorney general?

Attorney General. The chief law enforcement officer of the United States or of a state government, typically serving in an Executive Branch position. The individual represents the government in litigation and serves as the principal advisor to government officials and agencies in legal matters.

When was the Attorney General created?

The office of the attorney general was created by the First Congress in the Judiciary Act of 1789 (An Act to Establish the Judicial Courts of the United States, ch. 20, § 35, 1 Stat. 73, 92–93). The First Congress did not expect the attorney general—a part-time employee with scant pay, no staff, and little power—to play a major role in ...

What is the role of the Chief Law Officer of the Crown?

He represents the public interest in many matters and regularly represents the government or government departments in litigation. He may also refer matters of law to the Court of Appeal after an acquittal. The same term is used for a senior law officer in many other jurisdictions, notably the USA, where the Attorney General is head of the Department of Justice, and also in the bailiwick of Jersey.

Why did Congress create a solicitor of the Treasury?

For example, in the early 1800s, Congress created a solicitor of the treasury to handle all suits for the recovery of money or property in the United States— a move that further complicated the attorney general's efforts to fully look after the interests of the government.

What is the role of the Solicitor General?

The June 22, 1870, law created a new position, that of Solicitor General, whose holder is in charge of representing the government in suits and appeals in the Supreme Court and in lower federal trial and appellate courts, in cases involving the interests of the United States.

When did the Attorney General's Office begin to be remedied?

The lack of centralized authority and the lack of basic institutional support for the office of the attorney general began to be remedied by Congress in the early nineteenth century.

Who was the first attorney general to understand the need for administrative structure?

Attorney General Wirt (1817–29), under Presidents James Monroe and John Quincy Adams, was the first to comprehend fully the officeholder's need for administrative structure. During his tenure, the attorney general was finally given government office space, a transcribing clerk, and a small fund for office supplies.

What is the role of an attorney general?

As chief legal officers of the states, commonwealths, District of Columbia, and territories of the United States, the role of an attorney general is to serve as counselor to state government agencies and legislatures, and as a representative of the public interest.

What is the People's Lawyer podcast?

The People’s Lawyer is a biweekly podcast from NAAG that explores the role of state and territory attorneys general as chief legal officers and their work protecting the rule of law and the U.S. Constitution.

What is the role of a public advocate?

Issuing formal opinions to state agencies. Acting as public advocates in areas such as child support enforcement, consumer protections, antitrust and utility regulation. Proposing legislation. Enforcing federal and state environmental laws. Representing the state and state agencies before the state and federal courts.

When was the Office of the Attorney General created?

The Office of the Attorney General was created in 1789 and was intended to be a one-person position. The person in the position was supposed to be “learned in the law” and was tasked with conducting all suits in the Supreme Court and advising the president and cabinet in law-related matters.

What happens if there is no Attorney General?

There is also a succession plan in place in the event there is no Attorney General due to absence or death, which allows the Deputy Attorney General to assume all powers and duties of the office. While the Deputy Attorney General would not be a confirmed Attorney General, they would have all of the powers of the office at hand as interim Attorney ...

How many times has Barr been Attorney General?

Barr has served as Attorney General twice, once during the George H.W. Bush administration from 1991 to 1993, and currently in the Trump administration. Barr has been consistent in his determination that the Executive branch claims absolute executive authority, contrary to our system of checks and balances.

What is the Department of Justice?

The Department of Justice is responsible for most of the legal business of the government, and therefore, many of the law enforcement agencies throughout the country . There are six litigating divisions in the department: Antitrust.

Who is in charge of the Justice Department?

The Attorney General is in charge of the Department and is responsible for all aspects of the Justice Department. The head of this vast bureaucracy has enough impact to shape the way laws are treated by law enforcement professionals across the country.

What was the name of the department that was created after the Civil War?

To mitigate the situation, Congress created the Department of Justice , an executive department with the Attorney General as its head.

How many employees does Attorney General Garland have?

As the chief law enforcement officer for the United States and career public servant, Attorney General Garland leads the Department of Justice’s 115,000 employees dedicated to the fair and impartial administration of justice on behalf of the American people.

How long has Attorney General Garland been on the bench?

He served as Chief Judge from February 12, 2013 until February 11, 2020 and remained on the bench until his confirmation as Attorney General. In addition to being a published author in the Harvard Law Review and Yale Law Journal, Attorney General Garland has taught as a professor at Harvard Law School, served as the president of the Board ...

When did Garland return to the Department of Justice?

He returned to the Department of Justice as Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia from 1989 to 1992. After briefly returning to Arnold & Porter in 1992, Attorney General Garland continued his career in public service as Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Criminal Division.

Overview

In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen ) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enforcement, prosecutions or even responsibility for legal affairs generally. In practice, the extent to which the attorney general personally provides legal advice to the government varies betwee…

Etymology

Attorneys-general in common law and hybrid jurisdictions

Similar offices in non-common law jurisdictions

External links