BALTIMORE COUNTY, MARYLAND

EXECUTIVE BRANCH

LAW OFFICES

ORIGIN & FUNCTIONS

OFFICE OF LAW

For Baltimore County, the Office of Law provides legal support, including research, review, opinions, and representation on matters pertaining to County government. Heading the Office, the County Attorney serves as legal advisor to the County Council, the County Executive, the County Administrative Officer, and all offices, departments, boards, commissions, and other administrative services agencies of the County, as well as the County's Board of Education and the Community Colleges (County Charter, Art. V, secs. 507-511). The County Attorney also handles all civil litigation involving the County, its officers, or employees.

The Office of Law provides staff support to the Ethics Commission (County Code, Art. 3, sec. 3-3-1003).

PUBLIC DEFENDER

For indigent defendants in Baltimore County, the District Public Defender provides legal representation, including related necessary services and facilities. The District Public Defender assures effective assistance and continuity of counsel to indigent accused taken into custody and indigent defendants in criminal and juvenile proceedings before Maryland courts (Code Criminal Procedure Article, secs. 16-201 through 16-213).

STATE'S ATTORNEY

Starting in 1818, duties of the State's Attorney were first carried out by the District Attorney (Chapter 146, Acts of 1817 December session). Appointed by the Governor in each judicial district, the District Attorney prosecuted cases on behalf of the State. By 1821, the District Attorney was renamed the Deputy Attorney and was appointed by the Attorney General (Chapter 126, Acts of 1821 December session). The office of State's Attorney was first authorized in 1851 (Constitution of 1851, Art. V, secs. 1-5).

The State's Attorney prosecutes and defends, on the part of the State, all criminal cases in Baltimore County in which the State may be interested (Code Criminal Procedure Article, secs. 15-101 through 15-109, 15-404).

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