Job Description and Duties
The Attorney General has a primary responsibility for regulating and supervising charitable organizations, trustees, and their fundraisers. To carry out this oversight responsibility, the Charitable Trusts Section investigates and obtains judicial relief regarding financial abuse and mismanagement by charity directors and trustees, and fraudulent charitable solicitation by charities and their commercial fundraisers. The Section also defends bequests to charity in wills and trusts in probate court, and exercises the Attorney General's review authority over the transfer of control of nonprofit healthcare facilities. In addition, the Section provides guidance to staff at the Registry of Charitable Trusts, responds to public inquiries regarding applicable law, and manages Registry compliance projects, including the administrative law process involved in suspension and revocation of charity registration. Typical duties of the Deputy Attorney General in the Section include conducting investigations, litigating enforcement actions in trial and appellate courts, conducting administrative enforcement actions, researching charitable trust legal issues, coordinating investigations and legal actions with state and federal agencies, conducting public outreach and responding to public inquiries, reviewing transactions involving charitable assets, including the sale or transfer of nonprofits, drafting regulations and legislation affecting charities, and defending the State Controller in escheat matters.