                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

LEGAL SERVICE IN CIVIL MATTERS (§ 2.2-507)

A. All legal service in civil matters for the Commonwealth, the Governor, and
every state department, institution, division, commission, board, bureau,
agency, entity, official, court, or judge, including the conduct of all civil
litigation in which any of them are interested, shall be rendered and performed
by the Attorney General, except as provided in this chapter and except for any
litigation concerning a justice or judge initiated by the Judicial Inquiry and
Review Commission. No regular counsel shall be employed for or by the Governor
or any state department, institution, division, commission, board, bureau,
agency, entity, or official. The Attorney General may represent personally or
through one or more of his assistants any number of state departments,
institutions, divisions, commissions, boards, bureaus, agencies, entities,
officials, courts, or judges that are parties to the same transaction or that
are parties in the same civil or administrative proceeding and may represent
multiple interests within the same department, institution, division,
commission, board, bureau, agency, or entity. The soil and water conservation
district directors or districts may request legal advice from local, public, or
private sources; however, upon request of the soil and water conservation
district directors or districts, the Attorney General shall provide legal
service in civil matters for such district directors or districts.

B. The Attorney General may represent personally or through one of his
assistants any of the following persons who are made defendant in any civil
action for damages arising out of any matter connected with their official
duties:

   1. Members, agents, or employees of the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control
   Authority;

   2. Agents inspecting or investigators appointed by the State Corporation
   Commission;

   3. Agents, investigators, or auditors employed by the Department of Taxation;

   4. Members, agents, or employees of the State Board of Behavioral Health and
   Developmental Services, the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental
   Services, the State Board of Health, the State Department of Health, the
   Department of General Services, the State Board of Social Services, the
   Department of Social Services, the State Board of Local and Regional Jails,
   the Department of Corrections, the State Board of Juvenile Justice, the
   Department of Juvenile Justice, the Virginia Parole Board, or the Department
   of Agriculture and Consumer Services;

   5. Persons employed by the Commonwealth Transportation Board, the Department
   of Transportation, or the Department of Rail and Public Transportation;

   6. Persons employed by the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles;

   7. Persons appointed by the Commissioner of Marine Resources;

   8. Police officers appointed by the Superintendent of State Police;

   9. Conservation police officers appointed by the Department of Wildlife
   Resources;

   10. Hearing officers appointed to hear a teacher&#8217;s grievance pursuant to
   &#xA7; 22.1-311;

   11. Staff members or volunteers participating in a court-appointed special
   advocate program pursuant to Article 5 (&#xA7; 9.1-151 et seq.) of Chapter 1
   of Title 9.1;

   12. Any emergency medical services agency that is a licensee of the Department
   of Health in any civil matter and any guardian ad litem appointed by a court
   in a civil matter brought against him for alleged errors or omissions in the
   discharge of his court-appointed duties;

   13. Conservation officers of the Department of Conservation and Recreation; or

   14. A person appointed by written order of a circuit court judge to run an
   existing corporation or company as the judge&#8217;s representative, when that
   person is acting in execution of a lawful order of the court and the order
   specifically refers to this section and appoints such person to serve as an
   agent of the Commonwealth.
   				Upon request of the affected individual, the Attorney General may
   represent personally or through one of his assistants (i) any basic or
   advanced emergency medical care attendant or technician possessing a valid
   certificate issued by authority of the State Board of Health in any civil
   matter in which a defense of immunity from liability is raised pursuant to
   &#xA7; 8.01-225 or (ii) any member of the General Assembly in any civil matter
   alleging that such member in his official capacity violated the Virginia
   Freedom of Information Act (&#xA7; 2.2-3700 et seq.) pursuant to &#xA7;
   2.2-3713 or 2.2-3714.

C. If, in the opinion of the Attorney General, it is impracticable or
uneconomical for such legal service to be rendered by him or one of his
assistants, he may employ special counsel for this purpose, whose compensation
shall be fixed by the Attorney General. The compensation for such special
counsel shall be paid out of the funds appropriated for the administration of
the board, commission, division, or department being represented or whose
members, officers, inspectors, investigators, or other employees are being
represented pursuant to this section. Notwithstanding any provision of this
section to the contrary, the Supreme Court may employ its own counsel in any
matter arising out of its official duties in which it, or any justice, is a
party.

D. Nothing herein shall limit the powers granted in &#xA7; 16.1-88.03.

HISTORY: Code 1950, § 2-87; 1958, c. 542; 1966, cc. 222, 677, § 2.1-121; 1974,
cc. 44, 45, 432; 1975, c. 372; 1976, cc. 580, 726; 1978, c. 96; 1979, c. 450;
1980, c. 255; 1981, c. 427; 1982, c. 636; 1984, cc. 703, 742; 1987, c. 326;
1988, c. 435; 1989, c. 733; 1990, cc. 637, 752, 791; 2001, c. 844; 2005, c. 236;
2007, cc. 248, 595; 2008, c. 577; 2009, cc. 813, 840; 2012, c. 563; 2013, cc.
585, 588, 646, 650; 2015, cc. 38, 502, 503, 730; 2017, c. 690; 2019, c. 357;
2020, cc. 759, 958.