Organization of the Office

The Department of Law is organized into the Executive Office, five legal divisions, four specialty units and an operations division.

 

Download this pdf file.

 

Executive Office - The Executive Office includes the following leadership positions: Attorney General, Chief Deputy Attorney General, Chief of Staff, Counsel to the Attorney General and Solicitor General.

Solicitor General’s Unit - The Solicitor General Unit oversees the department’s appellate and multistate litigation, with a particular focus on high-profile and complex cases in the Supreme Court of Georgia, Eleventh Circuit, and the U.S. Supreme Court.

Operations Division - The Operations Division is responsible for providing administrative and operational support for the Department. The division is divided into four areas: Information Technology, Financial Services Human Resources and Operations.

Regulated Industries and Professions Division - The Regulated Industries and Professions Division plays a vital role in the regulation of businesses and professions by serving a diverse client base of state agencies. The division also represents the state in areas where the Attorney General has the authority to act on its behalf, such as in antitrust or False Claims Act cases. The division is composed of three Sections – Environmental and Natural Resources, Regulated Public Interests, and State Licensing Boards.

Attorneys in the division bring enforcement actions and defend agency actions in administrative hearings. They also provide client advice, negotiate complex settlements, and litigate in state and federal courts. In representing its agency clients, the division assists in enforcing Georgia’s regulatory laws. Among other agencies, the division assists:

  • The Georgia Environmental Protection Division in protecting and restoring Georgia’s environment including ensuring clean air, water and land and pursuit of a sustainable environment and healthy communities;
  • The Georgia Department of Natural Resources in sustaining, enhancing and conserving Georgia's natural, historic and cultural resources;
  • The Georgia Department of Agriculture in protecting consumers and promoting Georgia agriculture both locally and globally;
  • The Georgia Department of Community Health in ensuring access to quality health care services;
  • The Public Service Commission in providing consumers with safe, reliable, and reasonably priced telecommunications, electric, and natural gas services;
  • The Georgia Commission on Equal Opportunity in safeguarding Georgians from discrimination in housing and employment; and
  • Georgia’s 44 professional licensing boards and advisory groups in establishing the qualifications for licensure and practice and enforcing and defending the regulations and statutes specific to each licensed profession. 

Commercial Transactions and Litigation Division - The Commercial Transactions and Litigation Division handles transactions and litigation involving the business, financial and property interests of state government. It provides general representation to state agencies and authorities such as the Department of  Administrative Services, the Georgia Lottery Corporation, the Department of Banking and Finance, the Department of Audits and Accounts, the Department of Revenue, the Department of Transportation and the Georgia Lottery Corporation. It also provides general representation to various state authorities, including the Georgia Ports Authority, the Georgia World Congress Center Authority and the Jekyll Island Authority. This division also supports other agencies and provides specific representation in contract drafting and disputes, procurement issues, insurance coverage matters, and privacy and data security concerns. 

Sections:

  • Tax
  • Real Estate, Construction and Authorities
  • Business and Finance

Criminal Justice Division - The Criminal Division represents the State of Georgia in the Georgia Supreme Court in all capital felony appeals, including those in which the death penalty has been imposed. The Division also handles civil habeas appeals throughout the State, in both state and federal court. Additionally, the division also provides general legal representation to the various public safety and law enforcement agencies in the state, including the Department of Community Supervision, the Department of Corrections, the Department of Driver Services, the Department of Juvenile Justice, the Department of Public Safety, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the Sexual Offender Registration Review Board and the State Board of Pardons and Paroles.

Sections:

  • Capital Litigation
  • Post-Conviction Litigation
  • Public Safety

General Litigation Division - Attorneys in the General Litigation Division maintain an active trial practice, handling cases from initial pleadings through trial and appeals. They provide legal representation for the State in civil rights cases, tort cases and workers’ compensation claims.

Sections:

  • Civil Rights
  • Torts
  • Workers' Compensation

Government Services and Employment Division - The Government Services and Employment Division provides legal advice on a broad range of government activities and services, including matters involving elections, ethics, open records and open meetings, social services and employment. The division represents the Department of Community Health, the Department of Human Services, the Department of Labor and all of the State retirement systems. It also represents the Board of Regents, the Secretary of State's Elections Division, the State Department of Education and the State Ethics Commission. Each section also serves as defense counsel in litigation of labor and employment, employee benefits, whistleblower, election and cases involving health and social services, handling these cases from initial pleadings through discovery and appeal.

Sections:

  • Health and Social Services
  • Labor and Employment
  • Education, Elections, Local Government and Judiciary

Prosecution Division - The Prosecution Division investigates and prosecutes Human Trafficking, Gangs, and White Collar Crime.

The Human Trafficking Section investigates and prosecutes Human Trafficking cases across the entire State of Georgia.  Created in 2019, the Human Trafficking Unit serves a dual role of rescuing and assisting trafficking victims while also indicting and prosecuting traffickers.  The Unit partners with law enforcement as well as victim advocacy resources to achieve its goals statewide.

The Gang Section investigates and prosecutes gang cases on a statewide level.  The Gang Unit was created in 2022 in partnership between Attorney General Carr and Governor Kemp to act as a force multiplier in the fight against gangs.  The Unit focuses on large, complex gang cases and targets dangerous gangs that recruit children and use violence in Georgia’s communities.

The White Collar Crime investigates and prosecutes fraud and corruption involving the State of Georgia’s departments and agencies, cyber crime, political corruption, crimes against the state, and criminal violations of the Fair Business Practices Act.  The White Collar Unit specializes in complex financial investigations and prosecutions with a heavy emphasis on criminal misuse of taxpayer dollars and cyber fraud.

Sections:

  • Public Integrity and White Collar Crime
  • Human Trafficking 
  • Gangs

Medicaid Fraud Division - The Medicaid Fraud Division investigates and prosecutes provider fraud committed against the Georgia Medicaid program. In civil litigation, the Division is responsible for actions brought under the Georgia False Medicaid Claims Act. Additionally, the Division investigates and prosecutes allegations of abuse, neglect, and exploitation involving residents of health care facilities, board and care facilities, and of Medicaid beneficiaries in noninstitutional and other settings.

The Medicaid Fraud Division receives 75 percent of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a grant award totaling $4,718,240 for Federal fiscal year FY 2023. The remaining 25 percent, totaling $1,395,464 for FY 2023, is funded by the State of Georgia.

Consumer Protection Division - The Consumer Protection Division is the primary consumer protection organization for the State of Georgia. The division helps to protect consumers from unfair and deceptive acts and practices in consumer transactions. It also investigates consumer problems, monitors the marketplace to promote fair and honest competition, takes enforcement action against violators and publishes consumer education materials and alert warnings. The Division maintains two consumer dedicated sites, consumer.ga.gov and ConsumerEd.georgia.gov. The division also administers Georgia's new car Lemon Law program.