Explain why the notice is required, how it relates to the applicant`s obligations, and in what context the issue arises. The Office`s electronic reading room contains certain documents, including legal opinions, that have not been selected for official publication, but have nevertheless been published and published publicly at its discretion, as they are repeatedly requested or may be of public or historical interest. The notices are numbered consecutively during each year. Informal opinions can be distinguished from formal opinions by name. For example, informal opinions appear in the index as 96-1, i.e. the first informal opinion of 1996. Formal opinions, for example, appear as 96-F1. The F distinguishes between formal and informal opinions. Thematic index The formal opinions issued by the Attorney General`s Office since 1949 can be viewed from this website via the links on the right. If you prefer to see a PDF of all opinions by topic, click here. Only legally admitted applicants may seek the written opinion of the Attorney General by means of a formal notice.

If you prefer to view a PDF of all 1975-2015 opinions by topic, click here. The Attorney General`s opinions are researched in the same way as the opinions of the courts of appeal and require a similar amount of analysis and review. The Attorney General`s opinions are not binding on the courts, but are generally carefully considered and respected. Yes. The Office may issue an informal opinion which can be drawn up more quickly and efficiently. Informal opinions are letters that represent the verified legal analysis of the Assistant Attorneys General who draft them. They also often reflect a consensus on the legal analysis of other staff involved in the preparation of the informal statement. They are not personally approved by the Attorney General. The majority of legal advice provided by the Attorney-General`s Office upon request for expert advice consists of informal advice. Formal opinions are usually reserved for very important subjects of great public importance. A judgment of the Attorney General is a written interpretation of existing law.

The attorney general`s opinions cannot create new provisions in the law or correct the unintended and undesirable effects of the law. The Attorney General`s opinions do not necessarily reflect the Attorney General`s personal opinions, and the Attorney General does not “decide” in any way what the law should say. In addition, the attorney general`s opinions cannot resolve factual disputes. Instead of making a “formal statement,” a request for a statement from the Attorney General can be responded to with an informal letter, sometimes referred to as an “informal statement.” This form of response to a request for an opinion is explained below under the heading “Are there alternatives to formal opinions?”. Informal statements should not be referred to or cited as “opinions of the Attorney General” because only official statements represent the official view of the Attorney General. An informal statement should be cited as a letter from the lawyer who signed the statement, with a note of the date and addressee. The Attorney General is the constitutional legal adviser to the representatives of the State. The specific functions of the Office include: An Attorney General`s opinion is an explanation of the Attorney General`s official views on a legal matter related to the duties of a public official. An opinion of the Attorney General, also known as a “formal opinion,” therefore represents the Attorney General`s official position on a legal issue. Opinions on this website are organized in the order in which they are signed – but not necessarily added to the website. The Attorney General of Washington, as head of state law, at the request of designated officials, issues official statements on legal issues raised in the performance of their duties.

Issuing attorney general`s opinions is only one of the duties of the Washington attorney general as constitutional advisor to state officials. We are pleased to now be able to offer a free opinion search engine containing official opinions published since July 1, 1976. The search engine is designed and maintained by Westlaw and is available at the following link: There are no specific formatting requirements to make a request, but it must contain all relevant basic information and known legal authorities relevant to the topic. While these formal legal opinions are by no means binding, in the past the courts have given them “great respect” and “great weight.” Provide any information that may be useful, including relevant research, laws, cases, previous notices, agency rules, and legal notes. Are all reviews published on this site current legal statements? After reviewing the above guidelines on matters that are appropriate to the Attorney General`s opinions and those that are not, a person authorized to seek an opinion must make a written request in the form of a letter addressed to the following address: If the law authorizes you to seek the opinion of the Attorney General, you may send a letter of request in writing in one of two ways: Copies of official notices filed since 1949 are also available on the Attorney General`s website. NOTE: The Opinions of the Attorney General for the period 1977-1996, which included nearly 1,800 persons, were prepared for publication on this website through automated processes. If you encounter an error in the opinion text or in the lists of keywords or topics (e.g. mutilated text, missing keywords, incorrect object text, etc.), please inform us of the error so that we can correct it.

Send us the opinion number and a brief description of the error by e-mail. This website has contained the opinions of the Attorney General since 1995. There are four ways to access opinions: Can I get an opinion from the Attorney General on a legal issue? A person other than an authorized applicant who wishes to seek the advice of the Attorney General may request that an authorized applicant refer the matter to the Attorney General. The authorized applicant has the discretion to decide whether to seek the advice of the Attorney General in a particular case. If the request for an opinion is granted, it is assigned to an Assistant Attorney General who has recognized expertise in the field of law concerned. This lawyer is expected to prepare a well-researched and well-written draft. The Deputy Attorney General then reviews the project to ensure that it is legally sound and makes any necessary changes before sending the project to the Chief Legal Counsel. The draft may also be forwarded to other lawyers within the Attorney-General`s Office for further consideration.

Drafts of most formal notices and some letters of advice are first submitted to the Attorney General`s Opinion Review Board (ORB) for review and approval before being submitted to the Attorney General for review. Given the time and attention given to these issues, the notification process can take several months, depending on the complexity of the question being asked. Opinions submitted from 1977 onwards can be searched using the opinion number, keywords, topics, top notes and text search functions. All opinions are included in the numerical and chronological opinion lists. The topic index identifies opinions under topic categories. For example, if you are looking for opinions that deal with qualifications for public office, you should search the subject index as “Public Servants.” Notices issued before 1996 can be found in the annual reports on the “Annual Reports” page. Most of the comments published on this page can also be found in a corresponding annual report, but the latest opinions have not yet been published in an annual report. It is the duty of the Attorney General to comment on all legal matters referred to her by the Legislature, the Governor, the Auditor General, the Treasurer or any other representative of the State. NOTE: The Opinions of the Attorney General issued for the period from 1.01.1963 to 31.12.1976 are in Adobe Acrobat format and can be searched by the search functions for the opinion number and the top note.