In most
common law jurisdictions, the
attorney general or
attorney-general is the main legal advisor to the
government, and in some jurisdictions they may also have executive responsibility for
law enforcement, prosecutions or even responsibility for legal affairs generally. In practice, the extent to which the attorney-general personally provides legal advice to the government varies between jurisdictions, and even between individual office-holders within the same jurisdiction, often depending on the level and nature of the office-holder's prior legal experience.