What does an attorney general do?
Attorney generals are one of the most important legal advisers for their government, state, or country. They provide legal advice and may be called on to advise ordinary citizens who may or may not be within the country's jurisdiction. Their power varies depending on the laws of the state or country. Most of them have special executive power related to the enforcement of laws. Attorney Generals also provide legal services to state departments and agencies.
Attorney general responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real attorney general resumes:
- Perform extensive trial litigation, facilitate contract administrations, negotiations, and arrange mediation and counseling.
- Draft subpoenas and participate in investigations.
- Prepare subpoenas and arrange for process-servers and couriers.
- Prepare and participate as first chair at various administrative and arbitration hearings.
- Assist in preparing and responding to civil miscellaneous appeals, criminal miscellaneous appeals.
- Investigate and assist in the preparation of litigation cases concerning fraud by officers of charitable organizations.
- Handle all aspects of arbitration proceeding from fact gathering to witness testimony to, determination and authoring/rendering decision.
- Represent individual and institutional clients in all aspects of commercial and residential real estate acquisition, financing and leasing and foreclosure.
- Perform general notary work for individuals, corporate and municipal entities.
Attorney general skills and personality traits
We calculated that 24% of Attorneys General are proficient in Legal Advice, Litigation, and Appeals. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Interpersonal skills, and Problem-solving skills.
We break down the percentage of Attorneys General that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Legal Advice, 24%
Provided legal advice and representation to Internal Revenue Service, Small Business/Self-Employed Division.
- Litigation, 24%
Prepared unfair labor practice complaints for General Counsel's approval in preparation for litigation before the Authority.
- Appeals, 13%
Assisted in preparing and responding to civil miscellaneous appeals, criminal miscellaneous appeals.
- Legal Research, 6%
Conducted legal research and properly cited authority and conducted legal interviews.
- Legal Issues, 4%
Researched legal issues, including state sovereign immunity, independent contractor liability and workmen's compensation.
- Mediation, 3%
Completed mediation training and facilitated successful resolutions to contested custody matters.
Common skills that an attorney general uses to do their job include "legal advice," "litigation," and "appeals." You can find details on the most important attorney general responsibilities below.
Analytical skills. One of the key soft skills for an attorney general to have is analytical skills. You can see how this relates to what attorneys general do because "lawyers interpret the law as it applies to their client’s case." Additionally, an attorney general resume shows how attorneys general use analytical skills: "provided analytical support to 7 litigation lawyers in the regulated industries division. "
Interpersonal skills. Many attorney general duties rely on interpersonal skills. "lawyers must build relationships with current and prospective clients, as well as with their colleagues and other members of the legal community.," so an attorney general will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways attorney general responsibilities rely on interpersonal skills: "used interpersonal and persuasive skills in mediations, negotiations, and trials provided day-to-day legal advice department of human services"
Problem-solving skills. This is an important skill for attorneys general to perform their duties. For an example of how attorney general responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "lawyers must evaluate information to propose viable solutions, mediate disputes, and reach agreements or settlements for their clients." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of an attorney general: "practice of law, emphasizing family law, bankruptcy, criminal defense and conflict resolution. ".
Research skills. For certain attorney general responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "research skills." The day-to-day duties of an attorney general rely on this skill, as "lawyers need to find laws and regulations that apply to a specific matter in order to provide appropriate legal advice for their clients." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what attorneys general do: "trained interns in litigation, discovery, legal research, and brief writing. "
The three companies that hire the most attorney generals are:
- Pearson51 attorneys general jobs
- Undisclosed Location4 attorneys general jobs
- U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission3 attorneys general jobs
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Compare different attorneys general
Attorney general vs. Housing counselor
A Housing Counselor works directly with clients and organizations to support moderate and low-income clients in overcoming barriers to housing and financial stability. They represent the homeowner in interventions and/or mediation proceedings with the mortgage servicer, lender, and/or other stakeholders.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between attorneys general and housing counselor. For instance, attorney general responsibilities require skills such as "appeals," "mediation," "administrative law," and "federal agencies." Whereas a housing counselor is skilled in "in-house counsel," "social work," "regulatory compliance," and "crisis intervention." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Housing counselors tend to make the most money working in the manufacturing industry, where they earn an average salary of $91,338. In contrast, attorneys general make the biggest average salary, $77,839, in the government industry.The education levels that housing counselors earn slightly differ from attorneys general. In particular, housing counselors are 2.3% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than an attorney general. Additionally, they're 2.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Attorney general vs. Litigation associate
A Litigation Associate offers legal advice for individuals involved in lawsuits and represents them in court. They prepare pleading, collect evidence, defend depositions, and manage the client database.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real attorney general resumes. While attorney general responsibilities can utilize skills like "legal advice," "administrative law," "federal agencies," and "law enforcement," litigation associates use skills like "law firm," "discovery motions," "insurance coverage," and "pre-trial motions."
On average, litigation associates earn a higher salary than attorneys general. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, litigation associates earn the most pay in the professional industry with an average salary of $151,203. Whereas attorneys general have higher pay in the government industry, with an average salary of $77,839.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Litigation associates tend to reach similar levels of education than attorneys general. In fact, they're 3.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 2.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Attorney general vs. Legal extern
Legal externs are law students who took the opportunity to do on-the-job training at a law firm. Instead of monetary compensation, they receive academic credits. Legal externs primarily engage in job shadowing. They are usually assigned mentors in the law firm, and they would shadow their mentors in their daily routines. Legal externs are exposed to the actual work done by lawyers. Legal externs are involved in cases, providing insights while building a solid case for their client, giving advice to clients, and representing clients under the supervision of the actual lawyers in the firm. They are usually not given administrative or clerical tasks since they are expected to do more tasks directly related to being a lawyer.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, an attorney general is likely to be skilled in "appeals," "mediation," "federal agencies," and "law enforcement," while a typical legal extern is skilled in "legal memos," "pre-trial motions," "powerpoint," and "law firm."
Legal externs make a very good living in the professional industry with an average annual salary of $69,693. On the other hand, attorneys general are paid the highest salary in the government industry, with average annual pay of $77,839.When it comes to education, legal externs tend to earn similar degree levels compared to attorneys general. In fact, they're 0.0% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 6.3% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Attorney general vs. Lawyer
A lawyer is a legal practitioner who specializes in understanding and interpreting laws and other legal matters. Their responsibilities revolve around providing legal counseling and advice, representing clients in different kinds of court proceedings, conducting research, collecting evidence, and coordinating with various experts. A lawyer must also manage and oversee the performance of assistants, paralegals, and other team members. Furthermore, there are instances when a lawyer must draft or manage documents such as contracts, trusts, deeds, and wills, assisting clients as needed.
Types of attorney general
Updated January 8, 2025
