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The attorney and legal advisor for the county who renders legal advice to county and district officers relative to official duties; represents county flood control, all school districts and the Superior and Municipal Courts in litigation to which they are parties; and, in certain prescribed cases, defends county and district employees.

The chief prosecuting officer for the county who is responsible for initiating charges and prosecuting people, including juveniles, who have been accused of felony and misdemeanor offenses; enforcing laws which require responsible people to support their dependents; and investigating allegations of major fraud, organized criminal activity and corruption as well as unlawful conduct by public officials.

An elected or appointed public official (usually of a county), who is an attorney regularly assigned by the courts to defend people accused of crimes who cannot afford a private attorney. Counties may also have alternate public defenders, attorneys who represent persons charged with a crime who cannot afford to hire a private attorney in situations where the public defender has a conflict of interest. In each Federal Judicial District there is also a federal public defender, an attorney who is appointed by the court to represent individuals charged with federal offenses who cannot afford to retain their own attorney. Some states have a state public defender to supervise the provision of attorneys to convicted indigent individuals for appeals.

The chief law officer for the state who supervises the legal affairs of the state, provides legal counsel to the administrators of state government and to county legal officers, supervises the activities of law enforcement agencies, has supervisory authority over county district attorneys and serves as the chief legal counsel in all litigation involving the state. While varying from one jurisdiction to the next due to statutory and constitutional mandates, typical powers of the Attorneys General include the authority to issue formal opinions to state agencies; act as public advocates in areas such as child enforcement, consumer protections, antitrust and utility regulation; propose legislation; enforce federal and state environmental laws; represent the state and state agencies before the state and federal courts; handle criminal appeals and serious statewide criminal prosecutions; institute civil suits on behalf of the state; represent the public's interests in charitable trust and solicitations; and operate victim compensation programs.

Prosecuting attorneys appointed by the President for each judicial district whose duties are to prosecute all offenses against the United States; prosecute or defend, for the government, all civil actions, suits or proceedings in which the U.S. is concerned; appear on behalf of defendants in all civil actions, suits or proceedings pending in the district against collectors or other officers of the revenue or customs acting in their official capacity; and institute and prosecute proceedings for the collection of fines, penalties and forfeitures incurred for violations of revenue law.