About the Attorney General's Office

The Attorney General’s duties fall into three broad functions. First, the Attorney General is the lawyer for the State of Ohio and its departments, boards and agencies. This office represents the legal interests of the state, provides legal advice when requested by our clients, engages in litigation on behalf of the state and defends the state when it is sued. The Attorney General is responsible for the collection of debts owed to the state.

Second, the office has enforcement authority in areas as empowered by the General Assembly. These areas include consumer protection, charitable solicitation, antitrust actions and organized crime.

Finally, the office works with local law enforcement agencies at their request and provides criminal justice support services through the Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation, peace officer training through the Ohio Peace Officer Training Commission and task force participation through Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission. Occasionally, at the invitation of local prosecutors, attorneys with the Office will serve as special prosecutors in criminal cases.

The Office of Attorney General is comprised of nearly 1,300 employees, approximately 340 of whom are attorneys. In addition to the main facilities in Columbus, there are offices in Cincinnati, Toledo, and Cleveland. The office also includes the Ohio Peace Officers Training Academy and BCI in London, the Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission in Grove City, and BCI laboratories in Richfield and Bowling Green. Often, attorneys are located at client offices, such as public universities.

At any given moment, more than 35,000 active legal cases are being handled by the people in the Attorney General’s office, on issues ranging from consumer fraud and criminal justice to environmental enforcement and civil rights.