Attorney General Career Information

Attorney Generals are the chief executive legal officers in local, state or federal governments. In this role, you are your municipality’s go-to Trial Lawyer, representing it when necessary and providing legal advice to every department and agency under its umbrella, including the President at the federal level.

To fulfill your duties as Attorney General, you need to be part Lawyer, part Manager. Your day-to-day functions require you to defend your government in actions brought against it, and file lawsuits on its behalf. When you are not in the courtroom, you interpret the state or federal Constitution to represent the public interest to the best of your ability. The National Association of Attorneys General call this job the intersection of law and public policy, and you can expect to handle diverse areas of law. Luckily, you won’t be going it alone.

Because governments are so big, it’s impossible for you to handle every legal issue personally. That’s why it’s your job to put together a staff of quality Attorneys in legal sub-divisions most important to your governing body, such as civil rights or juvenile law. They are your eyes and ears when you cannot be there in person to oversee legal proceedings and deal with issues of interpretation. Regular meetings ensure you are abreast of problems and are giving the best legal counsel across the board.

Natural born leaders do very well as Attorney Generals. If you possess a broad love of everything legal and have soft spot for watching government succeed, it’s worth your while to work your way up to this prestigious position.