There are fifty state attorney general offices, plus the District of Columbia and the territories, and collectively they are one of the largest employers of lawyers in the United States. They are also among the least understood. Students who would happily spend a year applying to a federal honours programme rarely think to apply to the legal department of the state they already live in, even though the work is frequently more varied, the responsibility comes earlier, and the hiring is far less brutal.
The simplest way to understand the job is this: a state attorney general's office is a full service law firm with exactly one client, the state, and a docket that ranges from consumer fraud to constitutional litigation.
What the office actually does
Structures vary, but most offices are built from a recognisable set of divisions.
Civil litigation and state defence. Defending the state, its agencies, and its employees when they are sued. This is the largest division in most offices and the most common entry point. A junior assistant attorney general here handles their own cases early, in a way almost no private firm associate does.
Consumer protection. Investigating and suing businesses for deceptive practices under the state's consumer protection statute. This division does a large share of the office's most visible work.
Criminal appeals and post conviction. Defending convictions on appeal, an unusually good training ground for appellate writing.
Criminal prosecution. Most routine prosecution sits with county district attorneys rather than the state, as set out in prosecutor and district attorney careers. State offices typically take multi county matters, public corruption, organised crime, Medicaid fraud, and cases a local prosecutor refers up.
Antitrust. State antitrust enforcement, often in multistate coalitions alongside federal regulators.
Environmental and natural resources. Enforcement against polluters and defence of state environmental programmes.
Civil rights. Enforcement of state anti discrimination law, with scope varying widely by state.
Opinions and counsel. Advising the governor, the legislature, and state agencies, and issuing formal attorney general opinions on questions of state law.
Solicitor general. Many offices now have one, handling appellate advocacy including in the United States Supreme Court. These are senior, highly competitive positions and are among the best appellate jobs in the country.
The multistate dimension
What has changed most about these offices over the last two decades is coordination. State attorneys general routinely act together, filing joint investigations and joint litigation across many states at once, in consumer protection, antitrust, pharmaceuticals, technology regulation, and environmental enforcement. They also litigate against the federal government, and in either direction, depending on which party controls Washington.
The consequence for a career is significant. A lawyer in a mid sized state office can find themselves working on a coalition case with national stakes, which is not something the size of their state would predict.
These offices are political at the top and professional underneath. Most assistant attorneys general are career civil servants who serve across administrations. But leadership changes, and the priorities of a division can shift with them. Ask, in the interview, how the office handled the last transition. The answer tells you what kind of employer it is.
Elected, appointed, and why it matters
Most state attorneys general are elected independently by the voters of their state. A small number are appointed instead: reporting has identified five states where the governor appoints the attorney general, Alaska, Hawaii, New Hampshire, New Jersey, and Wyoming, with New Hampshire also requiring Executive Council approval, and Maine as the one state where the legislature elects the attorney general.
For a job seeker, the difference is about predictability rather than politics. In elected states, the office has its own mandate and can litigate against the governor's administration, and leadership can change every four years. In appointed states, the office is closer to the executive. Thirty attorney general seats appear on the ballot in 2026, so a substantial share of these offices may see leadership change within the year.
None of this affects most day to day work, which is defending agencies and running cases. It does affect which divisions grow.
What it pays
Under Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics for May 2025, lawyers working in state government numbered about 52,910 with a median annual wage near USD 115,330. For comparison, lawyers in local government numbered about 67,050 with a median near USD 131,350, and lawyers in the federal executive branch about 40,220 with a median near USD 178,380, against a national all sector lawyer median of about USD 159,670.
| Employer (May 2025) | Lawyers employed | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Federal executive branch | About 40,220 | USD 178,380 |
| Local government | About 67,050 | USD 131,350 |
| State government | About 52,910 | USD 115,330 |
| All lawyers nationally | About 754,500 | USD 159,670 |
State government is therefore the lowest paid of the three levels of public legal employment, and materially below the national lawyer median. Be clear eyed about that. What the offices offer in exchange is early responsibility, genuine trial and appellate experience, a pension in most states, hours that permit a life, and work that is on the public record. The wider public sector picture is set out in government attorney jobs and the county level equivalent in county counsel careers.
One financial caveat that has changed recently. Public service loan forgiveness has historically been a major part of the economics of these jobs, but student loan repayment rules changed from 1 July 2026, and new borrowers who make no active choice may land on a repayment plan that does not qualify for forgiveness. Do not assume eligibility. Verify your own plan status directly with the federal student aid programme before treating forgiveness as part of your compensation.
How to get hired
Apply directly to the office, not to a central jobs board. Most state attorney general offices post openings on their own website, and many also post on the state's central careers system. Check both, because they are not always synchronised.
Use the internship route, because it is the real pipeline. Almost every office runs law student internships and certified legal intern programmes, and offices hire disproportionately from people they have already supervised. In many states a certified law student can appear in court under supervision, which is the single best line on an entry level application.
Apply to a division, not to the office. Hiring is division by division, and a generic application to the office as a whole reads as unfocused. Name the division and say why.
Expect a slower, more formal process. Government hiring runs on requisition cycles and budget approvals, and several months from application to offer is normal rather than a bad sign.
Consider entering laterally. These offices hire experienced lawyers from private practice constantly, particularly into consumer protection, antitrust, and environmental divisions, where private sector regulatory experience is directly valuable and often scarce inside government.
Frequently asked questions
What does an assistant attorney general do?
It depends entirely on the division. Defending state agencies in civil litigation, prosecuting consumer protection or antitrust cases, handling criminal appeals, advising state agencies and the legislature, or appellate advocacy in the solicitor general's office. The common feature is that the client is the state and the lawyer typically carries their own caseload early.
How much does a state attorney general lawyer earn?
Lawyers employed in state government had a median annual wage near USD 115,330 in May 2025 across about 52,910 positions. That is below local government at about USD 131,350, well below the federal executive branch at about USD 178,380, and below the national lawyer median of about USD 159,670. Individual state pay scales are published and vary widely.
Do I need experience to apply?
Not for entry level positions. Most offices hire new admittees into civil litigation and criminal appeals divisions and train them, and many recruit directly from their own intern pools. Specialist divisions such as antitrust and environmental enforcement more often hire laterally.
Is the job political?
Leadership is, staff generally are not. Most assistant attorneys general are career lawyers who serve across changes of administration. What can change with leadership is the emphasis a division receives, which is worth asking about directly in an interview.
How is this different from working for a district attorney?
District attorneys handle routine criminal prosecution at county level. State attorney general offices are predominantly civil, defending state agencies and enforcing state law, and their criminal work is usually specialised, covering public corruption, Medicaid fraud, multi county investigations, and criminal appeals.
Does public service loan forgiveness still apply?
Do not assume it does. Student loan repayment rules changed from 1 July 2026, and new borrowers who make no active choice may be placed on a plan that does not qualify for forgiveness. Confirm your own plan and eligibility with the federal student aid programme rather than relying on what the role used to offer.
The bottom line
State attorney general offices are the most overlooked substantial employer of lawyers in the country. They pay less than every other level of government and considerably less than the private sector, and they give a lawyer their own cases, real courtroom time, and a public docket within a year or two of admission. Apply to a named division, get in through an internship or certified intern programme if you are still studying, and check your loan repayment status yourself rather than assuming the old economics still hold.
Ready to look? Browse live roles on our US legal jobs board and current placements on our US legal internships board.
This article is a general 2026 guide, not legal, career, or financial advice. Office structures, hiring practices, pay scales, and the method of selecting an attorney general vary by state and change. Wage figures are Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics estimates for May 2025 by ownership sector, covering wage and salary workers. Verify office structure and vacancies directly with the relevant state attorney general's office, general information with the National Association of Attorneys General (naag.org), pay data with the BLS (bls.gov), and loan repayment and forgiveness eligibility with the federal student aid programme (studentaid.gov).