The State's Attorney is an appointed or elected office of various, but not all, counties in the United States. The State's Attorney is often the chief law enforcement officer of his or her respective county and is usually mandated by law to sign all bills of indictment and prosecute criminals and other offenders in the name of the county in a court of law. Concurrently, the State's Attorney is chief counsel of the respective county government body and provide legal guidance for the various police agencies and departments within the county.

Departments

The State's Attorney usually divides his or her services into several departments that handle different spheres of law. Each department is staffed by several assistant State's Attorneys. The departments may include but are not limited to: felony, misdemeanor, domestic violence, traffic, juvenile, charging, drug prosecution, forfeitures, civil, child advocacy, victim assistance.

Appeals

Depending on state law, appeals are moved to courts in the state capital. During the appeals process the State's Attorney, in many cases, hands all relative prosecutorial materials to an appellate prosecutor who in turn will represent the county in the appellate court with the advice and consent of the State's Attorney.