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County Attorney




In some jurisdictions, the county attorney oversees the operations of local prosecutors with respect to violations of county ordinances. In other jurisdictions, the county attorney prosecutes traffic matters and/or misdemeanors. In some states the county attorney prosecutes violations of state laws to the extent that the state permits local prosecution of these. County attorneys do not prosecute federal crimes, which are the jurisdiction of a United States Attorney .

Many county attorneys also bear responsibilities not related to criminal prosecution. These include defending the county against Civil Suit s, occasionally initiating such suits on behalf of the county, preparing or reviewing Contract s entered into by the county and providing legal advice and counsel to local government. In some jurisdictions, the county attorney does not handle any criminal matters at all, but serves only as the legal counsel to the county.

For example, in Montana a County Attorney represents the county and state within their county, prosecutes all Felonies occurring within the county, and prosecutes Misdemeanor s occurring within Unincorporated Area s of the county.