{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/15.2-1626.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/15.2-1626.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/15.2-1626.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/15.2-1626.html"}],"law_id":62591,"edition_id":1,"section_id":62591,"structure_id":15314,"section_number":"15.2-1626","catch_line":"Attorney for the Commonwealth","history":"1997, c. 587.","full_text":"The voters in every county and city shall elect an attorney for the Commonwealth unless otherwise provided by general law or special act. The attorney for the Commonwealth shall exercise all the powers conferred and perform all the duties imposed upon such officer by general law. He may perform such other duties, not inconsistent with his office, as the governing body may request. He shall be elected as provided by general law for a term of four years. Every county and city may, with the approval of the Compensation Board, provide for employing compensated assistants to the attorney for the Commonwealth as in the opinion of the Compensation Board may be required. Such assistant or assistants shall be appointed by the attorney for the Commonwealth for a term coterminous with his own. The compensation for such assistants to the attorneys for the Commonwealth shall be as provided for assistants to attorneys for the Commonwealth under \u00a7 15.2-1627.1.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":228237,"text":"The voters in every county and city shall elect an attorney for the Commonwealth unless otherwise provided by general law or special act. The attorney for the Commonwealth shall exercise all the powers conferred and perform all the duties imposed upon such officer by general law. He may perform such other duties, not inconsistent with his office, as the governing body may request. He shall be elected as provided by general law for a term of four years. Every county and city may, with the approval of the Compensation Board, provide for employing compensated assistants to the attorney for the Commonwealth as in the opinion of the Compensation Board may be required. Such assistant or assistants shall be appointed by the attorney for the Commonwealth for a term coterminous with his own. The compensation for such assistants to the attorneys for the Commonwealth shall be as provided for assistants to attorneys for the Commonwealth under \u00a7 15.2-1627.1.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":15314,"edition_id":1,"name":"Attorney for the Commonwealth","identifier":"4","label":"article","depth":4,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12877,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:53:52","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:53:52","permalink":{"id":153493,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":15314,"identifier":"4","token":"15.2\/II\/16\/4","url":"\/15.2\/II\/16\/4\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12877,"edition_id":1,"name":"Local Constitutional Officers, Courthouses and Supplies","identifier":"16","label":"chapter","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12733,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:58","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:58","permalink":{"id":153305,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12877,"identifier":"16","token":"15.2\/II\/16","url":"\/15.2\/II\/16\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12733,"edition_id":1,"name":"Powers of Local Government","identifier":"II","label":"subtitle","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12720,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:50","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:50","permalink":{"id":152369,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12733,"identifier":"II","token":"15.2\/II","url":"\/15.2\/II\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12720,"edition_id":1,"name":"Counties, Cities and Towns","identifier":"15.2","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":1,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:49","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:49","permalink":{"id":151279,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12720,"identifier":"15.2","token":"15.2","url":"\/15.2\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":62591,"structure_id":15314,"section_number":"15.2-1626","catch_line":"Attorney for the Commonwealth","url":"\/15.2-1626\/","token":"15.2\/II\/16\/4\/15.2-1626","metadata":false},{"id":84966,"structure_id":15314,"section_number":"15.2-1627","catch_line":"Duties of attorneys for the Commonwealth and their assistants","url":"\/15.2-1627\/","token":"15.2\/II\/16\/4\/15.2-1627","metadata":false},{"id":79840,"structure_id":15314,"section_number":"15.2-1627.1","catch_line":"Salaries of attorneys for the Commonwealth and assistants","url":"\/15.2-1627.1\/","token":"15.2\/II\/16\/4\/15.2-1627.1","metadata":false},{"id":84557,"structure_id":15314,"section_number":"15.2-1627.2","catch_line":"Disposition of fees of attorneys for the Commonwealth","url":"\/15.2-1627.2\/","token":"15.2\/II\/16\/4\/15.2-1627.2","metadata":false},{"id":65171,"structure_id":15314,"section_number":"15.2-1627.3","catch_line":"Attorneys for the Commonwealth and city attorneys; in criminal cases; when no costs or fees taxed","url":"\/15.2-1627.3\/","token":"15.2\/II\/16\/4\/15.2-1627.3","metadata":false},{"id":58304,"structure_id":15314,"section_number":"15.2-1627.4","catch_line":"(Effective September 1, 2022) Coordination of multidisciplinary response to sexual assault","url":"\/15.2-1627.4\/","token":"15.2\/II\/16\/4\/15.2-1627.4","metadata":false},{"id":79732,"structure_id":15314,"section_number":"15.2-1627.5","catch_line":"Coordination of multidisciplinary response to child sexual abuse and the abuse, neglect, and exploitation of adults","url":"\/15.2-1627.5\/","token":"15.2\/II\/16\/4\/15.2-1627.5","metadata":false},{"id":76931,"structure_id":15314,"section_number":"15.2-1627.6","catch_line":"Coordination of multidisciplinary response to human trafficking","url":"\/15.2-1627.6\/","token":"15.2\/II\/16\/4\/15.2-1627.6","metadata":false},{"id":66955,"structure_id":15314,"section_number":"15.2-1628","catch_line":"Attorneys for the Commonwealth and assistants in certain counties to devote full time to duties; no additional compensation for substituting for or assisting any other attorney for the Commonwealth or assistant","url":"\/15.2-1628\/","token":"15.2\/II\/16\/4\/15.2-1628","metadata":false},{"id":66628,"structure_id":15314,"section_number":"15.2-1629","catch_line":"Part-time attorneys for the Commonwealth in certain counties may seek full-time status","url":"\/15.2-1629\/","token":"15.2\/II\/16\/4\/15.2-1629","metadata":false},{"id":84132,"structure_id":15314,"section_number":"15.2-1630","catch_line":"Attorneys for the Commonwealth for cities; no additional compensation for substituting for or assisting any other attorney for the Commonwealth or assistant","url":"\/15.2-1630\/","token":"15.2\/II\/16\/4\/15.2-1630","metadata":false},{"id":59761,"structure_id":15314,"section_number":"15.2-1631","catch_line":"Part-time attorneys for the Commonwealth in certain cities may seek full-time status","url":"\/15.2-1631\/","token":"15.2\/II\/16\/4\/15.2-1631","metadata":false},{"id":85721,"structure_id":15314,"section_number":"15.2-1632","catch_line":"Employment of assistants to attorneys for the Commonwealth, subject to approval of Compensation Board","url":"\/15.2-1632\/","token":"15.2\/II\/16\/4\/15.2-1632","metadata":false},{"id":70243,"structure_id":15314,"section_number":"15.2-1633","catch_line":"Part-time compensated assistants to attorneys for the Commonwealth","url":"\/15.2-1633\/","token":"15.2\/II\/16\/4\/15.2-1633","metadata":false}],"next_section":{"id":84966,"structure_id":15314,"section_number":"15.2-1627","catch_line":"Duties of attorneys for the Commonwealth and their assistants","url":"\/15.2-1627\/","token":"15.2\/II\/16\/4\/15.2-1627","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/15.2-1626\/","history_text":"

This law was first created in 1997. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 587<\/a> of that year\u2019s edition of \u201cActs of Assembly,\u201d the annual state publication listing all changes made to the Code of Virginia in that year.<\/p>","references":false,"refers_to":[{"id":79840,"section_number":"15.2-1627.1","catch_line":"Salaries of attorneys for the Commonwealth and assistants","order_by":null,"url":"\/15.2-1627.1\/"}],"permalink":{"id":153495,"object_type":"law","relational_id":62591,"identifier":"15.2-1626","token":"15.2\/II\/16\/4\/15.2-1626","url":"\/15.2-1626\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/15.2-1626\/","token":"15.2\/II\/16\/4\/15.2-1626","dublin_core":{"Title":"Attorney for the Commonwealth","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 15.2-1626","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

The voters<\/span> in every county<\/span> and city<\/span> shall elect an attorney for the Commonwealth unless otherwise provided by general law<\/span> or special act. The attorney for the Commonwealth shall exercise all the powers conferred and perform all the duties imposed upon such officer by general law<\/span>. He may perform such other duties, not inconsistent with his office, as the governing body<\/span> may request. He shall be elected as provided by general law<\/span> for a term of four years. Every county<\/span> and city<\/span> may, with the approval of the Compensation Board, provide for employing compensated assistants to the attorney for the Commonwealth as in the opinion<\/span> of the Compensation Board may be required. Such assistant or assistants shall be appointed by the attorney for the Commonwealth for a term coterminous with his own. The compensation for such assistants to the attorneys for the Commonwealth shall be as provided for assistants to attorneys for the Commonwealth under \u00a7 15.2-1627.1<\/a>.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nATTORNEY FOR THE COMMONWEALTH (\u00a7 15.2-1626)\n\nThe voters in every county and city shall elect an attorney for the Commonwealth\nunless otherwise provided by general law or special act. The attorney for the\nCommonwealth shall exercise all the powers conferred and perform all the duties\nimposed upon such officer by general law. He may perform such other duties, not\ninconsistent with his office, as the governing body may request. He shall be\nelected as provided by general law for a term of four years. Every county and\ncity may, with the approval of the Compensation Board, provide for employing\ncompensated assistants to the attorney for the Commonwealth as in the opinion of\nthe Compensation Board may be required. Such assistant or assistants shall be\nappointed by the attorney for the Commonwealth for a term coterminous with his\nown. The compensation for such assistants to the attorneys for the Commonwealth\nshall be as provided for assistants to attorneys for the Commonwealth under \u00a7\n15.2-1627.1.\n\nHISTORY: 1997, c. 587.","edition":{"id":1,"name":"2025","slug":"2025","date_created":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","date_modified":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","current":1,"order_by":1,"last_import":null}}