The Department of Justice

The Attorney General of Oregon is head of the Oregon Department of Justice. With over 1200 members, the Department is responsible for several mission areas that serve the people of Oregon in different ways.

Law Center for State Government

The Attorney General heads the lawyers who provide the executive branch of state government its legal services, and who also provide such services to the Legislature (in combination with the Legislative Counsel's office) and various legal services to the Judicial Department.

Through its General Counsel Division, the Department provides daily legal advice and represents state government in administrative proceedings.

Through its Trial Division, the Department represents state government when it is a defendant in litigation and defends initiatives the people of Oregon approve when those measure are attacked in court.

Through the Civil Recovery Section of its Civil Enforcement Division, the Department represents state government when it is a plaintiff in litigation. This section, as an example of its work, won a $25,000,000 jury verdict in the New Carrisa litigation arising from the grounding of that vessel on the Oregon shore at Coos Bay.

The Family Law Section of the Civil Enforcement Division represents the state in termination of parental rights cases.

Division of Child Support

The Department's largest division establishes support orders for families that have received some form of public support (about 200,000 cases); receives, accounts for and disburses the support payments for those cases and some 50,000 other cases handled by District Attorneys; and enforces support orders. The Division also establishes paternity in a large number of cases each year.

Criminal Justice Division

This Division, through its District Attorney Assistance Section, provides investigation and prosecution assistance to District Attorneys when they request that help in a particular case. Through its Organized Crime Section, the Division works to prosecute official misconduct. Its Criminal Intelligence Unit is the intelligence center for Oregon law enforcement.

The Criminal Justice also hosts the Crime Victims Assistance Section, state government's center for services to victims of crime. Those services include administration of the crime victims' compensation program, the federal Victims of Crime Act and state crime victims' fund grants, the Oregon Domestic and Sexual Violence Fund grants, and the Oregon Sexual Assault Victims Emergency Medical Response Fund.

Consumer Protection

The Financial Fraud/Consumer Protection Section of the Department's Civil Enforcement Division is the state government's center of consumer protection activities in Oregon. This section operates the well-known Consumer Protection Hotline, and its members handle cases involving the Oregon Unlawful Trade Practices Act, federal and state antitrust laws, and other laws relating to commerce in Oregon.

Medicaid Fraud Unit

The Medicaid Fraud Unit of the Department's Civil Enforcement Division investigates and prosecutes financial fraud in the Medicaid program and the financial, physical or other mistreatment of patients in Medicaid-supported facilities.

Charitable Activities

The Charitable Activities Section of the Department's Civil Enforcement Division oversees the operations of nearly 17,000 nonprofit corporations in Oregon. It also regulates fundraising and gaming by charitable corporations.

For more information about the Oregon Department of Justice, visit its website at www.doj.state.or.us.
In 2003, the Conference of Western Attorneys General (CWAG) awarded Oregon's website CWAG's Best Design award, the organization's highest award for Attorney General websites.