Introduction
OGC is one of the top legal enterprises in Pennsylvania, representing 36 executive and independent agencies across the Commonwealth. The legal work our team of attorneys performs is as sophisticated and professionally challenging as that performed by our counterparts in the private sector. What distinguishes us most from the in-house counsel of any Fortune 500 Company and attorneys employed by any private law firm is the mission of our office to provide superior legal representation in the context of public service.
The Commonwealth Attorneys Act
The Office of General Counsel came into existence in 1981 following the Pennsylvania Legislatures passage of the Commonwealth Attorneys Act in 1980. The Act significantly transformed the structure through which the Governor, the Commonwealth, and its executive and independent agencies are represented in all legal matters. In addition to creating the Office of General Counsel, which is headed by a General Counsel appointed by the Governor, the Act established the Office of Attorney General as an independent office headed by an elected Attorney General.
The Act delineates the responsibilities of both offices and seeks to distribute four important legal functions. The first is the interest in ensuring that the Commonwealth has an independent and vigorous law enforcement effort. The second is the need of the Governor and other executive branch officials to be assured of ready access to legal counsel in the daily performance of their duties. The third is the interest in having an independent perspective reviewing the numerous civil cases in which the Commonwealth is involved. The fourth is the right of the Governor and executive agency heads to obtain legal counsel when necessary to represent their interests, present their points of view, and defend their programs in certain civil cases.
Under the Act, the General Counsel serves as chief legal advisor to the Governor and directs the legal activities of the executive branch. The Act also permits the General Counsel to intervene in civil litigation on behalf of the Governor and executive branch.