The Role of the State Attorney General Resource 11 . 3 Top 10 Reasons to have a state Solicitor General, Dan Schweitzer, Director of the National Association of Attorneys General's Center for Supreme Court Advocacy.
While varying from one jurisdiction to the next due to statutory and constitutional mandates, the role of attorney general typically includes: Acting as public advocates in areas such as child support enforcement, consumer protections, antitrust and utility regulation. Representing the state and state agencies before the state and federal courts.
· The Pennsylvania attorney general is the state’s top lawyer. The office can bring down drug rings, investigate public corruption and it defends the state when it is sued. The attorney general is also a political figure, working with the governor and the Legislature to reform state drug laws, its prison system and to combat the state’s heroin epidemic.
· The state attorney general also has the higher purpose of protecting the people of the state and their interests. Attorney general duties include providing consumer protections from fraud, scams...
These efforts include narcotics investigations as well as many other criminal investigations that cross enforcement areas. Managing the data associated with these investigations is also the responsibility of the attorney general’s office.
The attorney general is the chief legal representative for the state and serves as general counsel for most of the state’s government agencies. Each state’s attorney general manages all legal representation of the state in civil and criminal matters on a state and federal level. Most attorneys general manage specific assistance programs ...
R. Kimball. The State's Attorney General is the head of the state's legal office and is responsible for enforcing the law. A state’s attorney general is responsible for enforcing the law in the state where he or she was elected.
Any time the state or a state agency is sued, the state’s attorney general represents the state or its agency in the case. These cases might be criminal or civil, depending upon the issue in the suit. In certain states, the state’s attorney general is responsible for representing the state penal system in an appeal to a federal court.
State attorneys general enforce both state and federal laws. Because they are sworn to uphold the United States' constitution and laws as well as the state's, they often decline to defend the state in federal lawsuits.
Elected attorneys general serve a four-year term, except in Vermont, where the term is two years. Seven states do not popularly elect an attorney general. In Alaska, Hawaii, New Hampshire, New Jersey, and Wyoming, the attorney general is a gubernatorial appointee. The attorney general in Tennessee is appointed by the Tennessee Supreme Court ...
The state attorney general in each of the 50 U.S. states, of the federal district, or of any of the territories is the chief legal advisor to the state government and the state's chief law enforcement officer.
Many states have passed term limits limiting the selection to 2 consecutive terms (9 states); 2 terms maximum (4 states), but 33 states still have no term limits.
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.
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.
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.
The attorney general’s office investigates crimes or schemes that span multiple counties. It also works with federal investigators on cases that span multiple states.
In addition to investigating criminal operations, the attorney general’s office looks into scams targeting seniors, violations of the state’s clean air and water laws and evaluates whether mergers break antitrust laws. On April 26, voters in both parties will have a choice for attorney general. Do the voters prefer a candidate with political ...
The criminal division investigates drug trafficking, child predators (more than 150 were arrested each of the past two years), organized crime and public corruption, according to the office’s 2015 annual report.
While Preate talked highly of being a district attorney, he felt that leadership experience was attainable from many places.
The attorney general’s office also defends the state when it is sued and can represent state agencies when they are named as a defendant in a lawsuit.
The attorney general’s office can also supersede a local district attorney if they can prove that the DA did not pursue a case he or she should have. The office is considering if they want to intervene in the case of a February Philadelphia bar fight that may have involved Buffalo Bills running back LeSean McCoy. Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams declined to prosecute the case.
The office works on criminal, civil and consumer protection cases and has 830 employees in offices across the state, according to the latest figures provided by the attorney general’s office. More than half of those employees work on criminal cases.
Each state's attorney general is charged with the responsibility of enforcing the laws, as well as the ability to pass new legislation. The state attorney general also has the higher purpose of protecting the people of the state and their interests. Attorney general duties include providing consumer protections from fraud, scams and dangerous products, people and situations, protection of the state's resources by upholding state and federal environmental laws, oversight or direct involvement in criminal court cases and appeals, enforcement of judgments, such as child support and victim's programs, and formal opinions to state and federal agencies.
There are only 50 U.S. states, and one attorney general in each. So, the opportunities to become a state attorney general are finite and limited. If you aspire to become one, start by going to law school. Practice law for a number of years, then try to become an assistant state attorney general first. It's a good way to learn on the job.
Then, prospective lawyers take the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) and apply to law schools. Finishing law school generally takes three years. Some states have minimum age requirements for their AGs, while others do not.
Many states set limits on how many years their AG can serve, with the norm being a maximum of eight years. Only Virginia does not set a limit on how long their AG can serve.
State AGs are usually lawyers who typically have trial experience, either as prosecutors or in private practice. By law, though, 19 states do not have provisions mandating that their AG must have a law degree. Nevertheless, all of the AGs in those states do have law degrees and experience as a lawyer.
The attorney general of each state also attends meetings where all the state attorneys convene, such as those of the National Association of Attorneys General, usually two to three times each year. They discuss issues relevant to all the attorneys general and listen to speakers talk about selected topics.
Of course, a state AG can't handle all of these tasks single-handedly. AGs rely on the heads of different divisions within the state's judicial system. These typically include civil, criminal, fraud and family divisions, in addition to the executive office and possibly other divisions depending on the state. The attorney general of each state also ...
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 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.
A State's Attorney, along with a phalanx of Assistant State's Attorneys, prosecutes criminal and civil cases for the people.
In general, State's Attorneys are elected by the people they represent. Their duties are spelled out in the laws of the local governments they represent, and they're held accountable by the voters for how well they do their jobs and how well their performance matches up with the local politics of the area. But a State's Attorney hardly ever does ...
About half the 50 states use grand jury indictments in criminal prosecutions. Grand juries hear cases brought by State's Attorneys, and only the evidence and witnesses presented by the State's Attorney are considered.
Grand juries are independent groups of citizens charged with reviewing evidence to determine if there'sprobable cause to proceed with an indictment on criminal charges.Feder al criminal prosecutions require a grand jury to find probable cause to return an indictment.
The State's Attorney can be the debt collector for local government, especially when it comes to property taxes and bankruptcy issues.The office also offers legal advice and representation for local government human service agencies when it comes to child protection and welfare, child support, and adult services, including civil commitment hearings, welfare assistance and vulnerable adult issues.
If the defendant is found guilty, the State's Attorney recommends a sentence for the judge to determine and may have to argue the case again in an appeal to a higher court.
Either a judge or a jury may decide the verdict on how well the State's Attorney proved the case. During the trial, the State's Attorney may make opening and closing statements, offer evidence, question witnesses and challenge the defense attorney's legal actions.
It is odd that the AG's office would be calling, unless it was in response to your contacting it first. If that were the case, it would presumably have the current information, which you provided.
It may be related to employment or business that you did with a company they are investigating that they either want information about, or there was a settlement and they are trying to find you as a result. The AG's office does not prosecute individuals.