In most jurisdictions attorney general (or attorney-general) is considered as a main attorney of the state that provides legal advice to government, holds a power of law enforcement and is responsible for public prosecutions. Sometimes this term is used to define any person that represents the state in criminal prosecutions, but most often attorney general is referred to a certain person who is appointed or elected to represent the state. The status and exact responsibilities of attorney general depend on the jurisdiction and the country
US attorney general
In the United States attorney general is the head of the Department of Justice and is regarded as a main advisor to the government and its chief lawyer. US attorney general is appointed by the President of the United States with the confirmation of the Senate.
While US attorney general represents in legal matters the United States in the whole, individual US states, such as Texas and Florida and so on, have their own institutions of attorney general too. As opposed to US attorney general who is the appointee of the President, in most of the US states attorney general is elected by popular election. The responsibilities of attorney general in a local state are mostly the same that has the US attorney general: advising to the state government, representing the state department of justice, overseeing local prosecutions.
The main idea is that attorney general can’t represent private individuals, but is charged to protect the rights of all citizens of a state in the whole. He can do it by taking actions that include enforcement of safety, health and consumer regulations, support of educational outreach programs, protection of the elderly and disabled and so on.
Office of the attorney general
Attorney general is not the only person who deals with all the matters that he is responsible for. Normally he is the head of the whole branch that provides all the necessary functions and support for him. This institution is referred to as the Office of the attorney general.
The Office of the attorney general in the United States was established by The Judiciary Act of 1789. From that time attorney general guides the law office and provides the enforcement of laws. Usually the Office of the attorney general includes hundreds of assistants attorney general and thousands of other employees that are experts in certain fields, such as science, investigations, legal assistance and forensic accounting.
Attorney general child support
Among all the fields in which attorney general is involved, one of the most important is a child support. Attorney general child support supposes that attorney general and his employees encourage parental responsibility, promote the involvement of both parents in the life of a child and establish appropriate court orders for the matter.
Attorney general child support includes also a wide range of child support services, such as establishing paternity, locating parents, collecting child support payments and etc, that are performed with least expense for people and in a friendly fashion. In spite of the fact that attorney general is prohibited to represent individuals involved in child support claims, he and his office contribute a lot to the protection of the rights of children.