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{{Short description|Chief legal advisor to a government}}
{{redirect-distinguish|Counsel General|general counsel|Consul general}}
In most [[common law]] jurisdictions, the '''attorney general''' ({{plural form}}: '''attorneys general''')<ref>{{cite web|url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/attorney-general|title=Meaning of attorney general in English - Cambridge Dictionary|website=www.dictionary.cambridge.org}}</ref> or '''attorney-general''' ('''AG''' or '''Atty.-Gen'''<ref>Used more frequently in American jurisdictions. [https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/atty-gen Collin's Dictionary]</ref>) is the main legal advisor to the [[government]]. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for [[law enforcement]], prosecutions or even responsibility for legal affairs generally. In practice, the extent to which the attorney general personally provides legal advice to the government varies between jurisdictions, and even between individual office-holders within the same jurisdiction, often depending on the level and nature of the office-holder's prior legal experience.
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==Etymology==
In regard to the [[etymology]] of the phrase ''Attorney General'', [[Steven Pinker]] writes that the earliest citation in the [[Oxford English Dictionary]] is from 1292: "Tous attorneyz general purrount lever fins et cirrographer" (All general attorneys may levy fines and make legal documents).<ref name="SP-ZWords">{{cite book|last1=Pinker |first1=Steven |title=Words and Rules: The Ingredients of Language |date=1999 |publisher=Basic Books|location=New York, NY |isbn=0-465-07269-0 |pages=25, 28 |edition=1st |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HeA4DgAAQBAJ&q=attorneyz+general |access-date=14 May 2017}}</ref> The phrase was borrowed from [[Anglo-Norman language|Anglo-Norman French]] when England was ruled by [[Normans]] after the [[Norman conquest of England|conquest of England]] in the 11th-century. As a variety of French, which was spoken in the law courts, schools, universities and in sections of the gentry and the bourgeoisie, the term relating to government was introduced into English. The phrase ''attorney general'' is composed of a noun followed by the [[postpositive adjective]] ''general'' and as other [[English plurals#French compounds|French compounds]] its plural form also appears as ''"attorneys generals"''.<ref name="Haaretz-attorneys-general">{{cite news|title=U.S. Attorneys Generals Protest Trump's Ban: Liberty Is Bedrock of Our Country|newspaper=Haaretz|url=http://www.haaretz.com/us-news/1.768331|publisher=Haaretz.com|access-date=14 May 2017}}</ref><ref name="NYT-attorneys-generals">{{cite news|title=Former Attorneys Generals at Work|url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/12/19/us/politics/1-Former-Attorneys-Generals-at-Work.html|
In modern public discourse, attorneys general are often referred to or addressed as “general”. In this construction, the word “general” is an adjective, and its use as a noun is incorrect. Attorneys general are not military officers, have no rank, and therefore should not be referred to as “general”.
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* [[Executive Council of Saskatchewan|Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Saskatchewan]]
* [[Executive Council of Yukon|Minister of Justice (Yukon)]]
===Cyprus===
The Attorney General of the Republic is an independent official of the [[Cyprus|Republic of Cyprus]], head of the Legal Service of the state.[1] He is the legal advisor of the Government of Cyprus.[1] Hierarchically, it is the 3rd highest institution of the state, after the President of the Republic and the President of the Parliament. This institution originates from the time of the British rule, and was preserved even after the independence of Cyprus in 1960 due to the Anglo-Saxon law which continues to exist in Cyprus, as in other Commonwealth states.
===Fiji===
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===Grenada===
{{Main|Attorney
===Hong Kong===
{{Main|Secretary for Justice (Hong Kong)}}
The Secretary for Justice, known as the attorney-general before the [[
* the [[Solicitor General of Hong Kong|Solicitor General]] who heads the Legal Policy Division,
* the [[Director of Public Prosecutions]] who head the [[Prosecutions Division (Hong Kong)|Prosecutions Division]],
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===Kiribati===
{{
In [[Kiribati]], the attorney general is defined by section 42 of the Constitution as "the principal legal adviser to the Government". The Constitution specifies: "No person shall be qualified to hold or to act in the office of Attorney-General unless he is qualified to practise in Kiribati as an advocate in the High Court." The current Attorney General, as of 2016, was the Honourable Tetiro Semilota, until her nomination as Acting Chief Justice in October 2022.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.pressreader.com/fiji/fiji-sun/20160930/281655369566029|title=Kiribati appoints first female Attorney-General|date=September 30, 2016|via=PressReader}}</ref>
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The individual [[U.S. state]]s and territories, as well as the federal district of [[Washington, D.C.]] also have [[State Attorney General|attorneys general]] with similar responsibilities. The majority of state attorneys general are chosen by popular election, as opposed to the U.S. Attorney General, who is a presidential appointee confirmed by the Senate.
In nearly all United States jurisdictions, the attorney general is
===Zimbabwe===
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=== Sources ===
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |first1 = Gad |last1 = Barzilai |author1-link = Gad Barzilai |first2=David |last2=Nachmias |author2-link = David Nachmias |title = The Attorney General: Authority and Responsibility |series = Principles, Institutions in Comparative Perspective, Analysis and Recommendations for Reforms |volume =
* {{cite book |first = Gad |last = Barzilai |author-link = Gad Barzilai |title = The Attorney General and the State Prosecutor: Is Institutional Separation Warranted? |location = Jerusalem |publisher=Israel Institute for Democracy |year=2010 }}
{{refend}}
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