Functions of the Office of Attorney General of Ohio

The office of the Attorney General of Ohio was established by the Constitution of 1851 in Article XII, Section 1. The duties of the Attorney General and the functions of the Office are prescribed by statute. That places the Attorney General as the last of our statutory officers in Ohio. The Attorney General, if there was any before the Constitution of 1851, served at the pleasure of the Governor as a legal advisor. And some of the things I shall say later reflect the importance of making this a Constitutional office, thus putting a different light on the function of the Office. Briefly, the Office acts as does any law office in representing its client as both Solicitor and Barrister the client being, of course, the State of Ohio. The Office gives legal advice and represents the State in Court when civil litigation becomes necessary