Summary

The use of attorneys and legal professionals is widespread throughout North Carolina state government. Concentrating on traditional, state-level attorney positions, the Program Evaluation Division examined 719 attorney positions with total budgeted salaries of $67.7 million at 34 state government organizations. As of September 15, 2017, the Department of Justice (DOJ) had 304 attorney positions with total budgeted salaries of $27.6 million. Because only 42% of the 719 positions examined by PED are under the control of DOJ, the State’s system of attorney allocation can be characterized as being decentralized. PED also found all of the 21 principal departments in North Carolina state government have at least one in-house general counsel or a similar attorney position; North Carolina state entities are able to use private attorneys for legal assistance in some instances; and state organizations may employ private counsel when given explicit approval from the Governor’s Office or from the General Assembly.

Final Report

Executive Summary