what is a general attorney

by Levi VonRueden 9 min read

The United States attorney general (AG) leads the United States Department of Justice

United States Department of Justice

The United States Department of Justice, also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the U.S. government, responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice in the United States, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of o…

, 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.

Full Answer

What is the main job of the 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 ...

What can a general attorney do for You?

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. Attorney General Powers and Responsibilities

Does Attorney General have to be an attorney?

Mar 24, 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 are the powers of the Attorney General?

Jun 11, 2020 · A general practice attorney or a general practice lawyer is a legal professional with the ability to handle a wide range of legal matters without necessarily being specialized in a specific area of the law. The term “general practice” is used to refer to general areas of the law as opposed to specialized areas of the law.

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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 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 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".

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 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 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 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.

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 did Barr do to preserve the power of the Trump presidency?

In addition, Barr has indicated he is willing to do whatever it takes to preserve the power of the Trump presidency, even if constitutional violations occur. Barr began his tenure last year by lying about the content of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report.

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.

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 ...

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.

Why should the Justice Department not be politicized?

The Department of Justice should be arguing to uphold the law and the office should not be politicized due to presidential influence or pressure. The Justice Department is supposed to be an independent agency and not subject to the pressure of the executive branch.

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.

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 a general practice attorney

A general practice attorney or a general practice lawyer is a legal professional with the ability to handle a wide range of legal matters without necessarily being specialized in a specific area of the law.

What does a general practice attorney do

General practice attorneys handle general and common types of legal issues.

Benefits of working with a general practice attorney

In some cases, you will have an advantage in working with a general practice attorney as opposed to a specialized attorney.

When to hire a general practice attorney vs a specialized attorney

You want to hire a general practice attorney when you have a common and routine legal matter to deal with.

How do general practice lawyers work

General practice lawyers will often work as a sole legal practitioner or form a small law firm with a few other general practitioners.

How to assess if a general practice attorney is qualified

If a general practice lawyer handles many areas of the law, how can you tell that he or she is a qualified person to handle your case.

Takeaways

A general practice attorney is a lawyer able to handle a wide range of legal matters.

Why is GPA important?

GPAs are mostly used to delegate financial powers while the principal is away. That’s why it’s important to define them first. About half of U.S. states follow the Uniform Power of Attorney Act that outlines powers given to attorney-in-fact, including: Gifts. Taxes.

What is a POA?

What Is the Power of Attorney? A power of attorney (POA) is a legal document that gives the authority to an individual or organization to act on another person’s behalf regarding important matters —property, finances, or medical and personal affairs. Solve My Problem.

When should I use a GPA?

People usually opt for a GPA when they have to travel or move out of the country for several years. A GPA cannot be used when you need to authorize someone to act on your behalf because you’re mentally or physically incapable. In those cases, you should choose a durable (lasting) power of attorney.

Does DoNotPay help with taxes?

From getting you ready for various government tests to helping you reduce your property taxes, DoNotPay offers valuable assistance with the tasks that make most people at least roll their eyes. Dealing with bureaucracy isn’t fun, but it also doesn’t have to be as difficult as it is.

Can a power of attorney be used for a person who is mentally incapable?

A power of attorney is not only for mentally or physically incapable individuals. You can authorize a person to handle legal issues that you might find complicated or take care of financial and personal matters while you’re away.

Do I need to sign a power of attorney before a notary?

Even if it doesn’t, it is best to sign your general power of attorney before a notary and two witnesses. File the letter. In some states, you are required to file the power of attorney letter with the court to make it legally valid.

Should I transfer power of attorney to another person?

Transferring powers to another individual or organization is not something you should take lightly. Making a power of attorney should be taken with precaution—you wouldn’t want to make a mistake or forget an important section. That is why you should leave creating a POA to pros!

What is a general power of attorney?

A General Power of Attorney is a legal document whereby one person called the Principal gives another person called the agent or attorney-in-fact the power to manage the Principal�s assets and financial affairs while the Principal is alive.

Can a power of attorney be revoked?

The appointment may be for a fixed period and can be revoked at any time by the Principal provided the principal still has the legal capacity to do so. A power of attorney ceases when the principal dies.

What is a life circumstance power of attorney?

Life circumstances may place an individual in a position (or location) where they are unable to make or execute key business, personal, legal or financial decisions for themselves and a power of attorney should squarely addresses such circumstances.

What is durable power of attorney?

In short, a general durable power of attorney is about your ability to have your property, legal affairs, business dealings and financial matters handled effectively, conveniently and quickly in the event of difficult or unforeseen personal circumstances.

What should a power of attorney consider?

A properly prepared and implemented power of attorney should consider and reduce potential risks to the individual and their family. Of course, appointing the "right" person as an agent is key. Characteristics such as trustworthiness, honesty, aptitude, experience and loyalty are important to consider. However, the manner in which ...

Is a non-durable power of attorney always preferable?

There are some instances in which someone might prepare a non-durable power of attorney ( which would terminate when the person giving the authority loses mental competence) but in the context of estate planning, it is almost always preferable to have a "durable" power of attorney.

Can a power of attorney be broad?

A power of attorney can be prepared in such a way so as to be as narrow or as broad as you would like. For example, an individual could sign a power of attorney granting to someone else authority to manage one particular piece of property for a limited period of time.

Is it wise to exclude powers from a power of attorney?

For example, it may be wise to exclude certain more "sensitive" powers from a power of attorney (such as the ability to revise estate planning or beneficiary designations).

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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

In regard to the etymology of the phrase Attorney General, Steven Pinker writes that the earliest citation in the Oxford English Dictionary is from 1292: "Tous attorneyz general purrount lever fins et cirrographer" (All general attorneys may levy fines and make legal documents). The phrase was borrowed from Anglo-Norman French when England was ruled by Normans after the conquest of Englandin the 11th-century. As a variety of French, which was spoken in the law courts, schools, …

Attorneys-general in common law and hybrid jurisdictions

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.
In Australia, the Attorney-General is the chief law officer of the Crown and a member of the Cabinet. The Attorney-General is the minister responsible for legal affairs, national and public security, and the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation. Michaelia Cashis the current Attorney-General. …

Similar offices in non-common law jurisdictions

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.
The state attorney (ríkislögmaður) represents the state in civil lawsuits. The state attorney is appointed by the Prime Ministerfor a period of 5 years and must have the same qualifications re…

External links

• Quotations related to Attorney general at Wikiquote

What Is The Role of The Attorney General?

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The Attorney General is the Head of the Justice Department and the attorney for the United States in all legal matters. They dispense legal advice to the president and the heads of other governmental agencies when requested. The Attorney General may support important cases that go to the Supreme Court of the United …
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How Does One Become Attorney General?

  • The position of Attorney General is an appointed one, nominated by the president and confirmed by the United States Senate. 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 …
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What Are The Most Important Powers of The Attorney General?

  • The Attorney General will provide advice and guidance to the president and other high ranking officials regarding the law and how it should be implemented. This provides the Attorney General with a great deal of power, as they would have the ability to shape how laxly or punitively the law is to be applied. As the Justice Department has such wide-reaching tentacles of power in matter…
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Who Is The Current Attorney General?

  • William Barr is the current Attorney General of the United States. He replaced Jeff Sessions in 2019 after President Trump fired Sessions. 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 a…
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What Agencies Are Under 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: 1. Antitrust 2. Civil 3. Civil Rights 4. Criminal 5. Environmental and Natural Resources 6. Tax Each division is headed up by an Assistant Attorney General, and man…
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History of The Attorney General

  • The Office of the Attorney General was createdin 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. The work quickly grew, requiring the addition of multiple assistants and private attorne…
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List of Attorneys General

  1. William Barr, 2019 – Present
  2. Jeff Sessions, 2017 – 2018
  3. Loretta Lynch, 2015 – 2017
  4. Eric Holder, Jr., 2009 – 2015
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The Rantt Rundown

  • The Department of Justice, created in 1789, has grown from a part-time, one-person office to become the world’s largest law office, encompassing sixty different agencies and offices. 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 tr…
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