In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general 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 between jurisdictions, and even between individual office-holders within the same jurisdiction, often depending on the level and nature of the office-holder's prior legal experience.
A solicitor general or solicitor-general, in common law countries, is usually a legal officer who is the chief representative of a regional or national government in courtroom proceedings. In systems that have an attorney-general, the solicitor general is often the second-ranked law officer of the state and a deputy of the attorney-general. The extent to which a solicitor general actually provides legal advice to or represents the government in court varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and sometimes between individual office holders in the same jurisdiction.
The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) is the office or official charged with the prosecution of criminal offences in several criminal jurisdictions around the world. The title is used mainly in jurisdictions that are or have been members of the Commonwealth of Nations.
The Department of Justice is a department of the Government of Canada that represents the Canadian government in legal matters. The Department of Justice works to ensure that Canada's justice system is as fair, accessible and efficient as possible. The Department helps the federal government to develop policy and to draft and reform laws as needed. At the same time, it acts as the government's legal adviser, providing legal counsel and support, and representing the Government of Canada in court.
In England and Wales, Northern Ireland and most Commonwealth and colonial governments, the chief law officer of the Crown is the Attorney General.
The minister of justice and attorney general of Canada is a dual role portfolio in the Canadian Cabinet.
A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice or a secretary of justice. In countries where this agency is called a department, the head of the department may be called the attorney general, for example in the United States. Monaco is an example of a country that does not have a ministry of justice, but rather a Directorate of Judicial Services that oversees the administration of justice. Vatican City, a country under the sovereignty of the Holy See, also does not possess a ministry of justice. Instead, the Governorate of Vatican City State, the legislative body of the Vatican, includes a legal office.
The First Keating Ministry (Labor) was the 58th ministry of the Government of Australia, and was led by Prime Minister Paul Keating. It succeeded the Fourth Hawke Ministry upon its swearing in by Governor-General Bill Hayden on 20 December 1991. It was replaced by the Second Keating Ministry on 24 March 1993 after the 1993 election.
The Australian Government is the federal government of Australia, a parliamentary constitutional monarchy, and is the first level of government division. It is also referred to as the Commonwealth Government. Like many other Westminster-style systems of government, the Australian Government is made up of three branches: the executive, the legislative, and the judicial.
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. In some states, the attorney general serves as the head of a state department of justice, with responsibilities similar to those of the United States Department of Justice.
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) is a ministerial department of the British Government headed by the Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor. The department is responsible for areas of constitutional policy not transferred in 2010 to the Deputy Prime Minister, human rights law and information rights law across the UK.
The Ministry of Law and Justice in the Government of India is a cabinet ministry which deals with the management of the legal affairs, legislative activities and administration of justice in India through its three departments namely the Legislative Department and the Department of Legal Affairs and Department of Justice respectively. The Department of Legal Affairs is concerned with advising the various Ministries of the Central Government while the Legislative Department is concerned with drafting of principal legislation for the Central Government. The ministry is headed by a cabinet rank minister appointed by the President of India on the recommendation of the Prime Minister of India. The first Law and Justice minister of independent India was Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, who served in Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru's cabinet during 1947–51. Ravi Shankar Prasad is the current Minister of Law and Justice.
The Minister for Home Affairs in the Government of Australia is the minister responsible for the Department of Home Affairs, the country's interior ministry. The current minister is Peter Dutton of the Liberal Party, who has held the position since December 2017 in the Turnbull and Morrison Governments.
The Advocate General for Northern Ireland is the chief legal adviser to the British Government on Northern Ireland law and the post is held by the Attorney General for England and Wales by virtue of that office. The Advocate General and the Solicitor General for England and Wales have, in Northern Ireland, the same rights of audience as members of the Bar of Northern Ireland.
A Ministry of Justice is a common type of government department that serves as a justice ministry.
The Attorney-General of Victoria, in formal contexts also Attorney-General or Attorney General for Victoria, is a Minister in the Government of Victoria, Australia. The Attorney-General is a senior minister in the state government and the First Law Officer of the State.
The Department of Justice is the current Western Australian government department responsible for the provision of high quality and accessible justice, legal, registry, guardianship and trustee services to meet the needs of the community and the Western Australian Government.
The Attorney-General of the Australian Capital Territory, in formal contexts also Attorney-General or Attorney General for the Australian Capital Territory, is the primary Law Officer of the Crown in the Australian Capital Territory. The Attorney General serves as the chief legal and constitutional adviser of the ACT Government and is the head of the Justice and Community Safety Directorate. Its constitutional role was established in 1989 with the enactment by the Federal Parliament of the Australian Capital Territory (Self-Government) Act 1988.
The prefix The Honourable, abbreviated to The Hon., Hon., or The Hon'ble, is an honorific style that is used before the names of certain classes of people.
