Government

Massachusetts Attorney General's Office


About Us

Attorney General Martha Coakley is the chief lawyer and law enforcement officer of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. In addition, her office is an advocate and resource for the Commonwealth and its residents in many areas, including consumer protection, combating fraud and corruption, protecting civil rights, and promoting meaningful economic recovery.

The Office of the Attorney General is organized into five Bureaus: Executive; Business and Labor; Criminal; Government; and Public Protection and Advocacy. Each bureau is divided into divisions and teams. These Bureaus and Divisions have distinct missions, but work closely together to ensure the Attorney General’s Office provides the highest level of public protection.

The Executive Bureau

The Executive Bureau provides administration, public information, and policy development support for the Office, as well as operational, information technology, human resources, and fiscal management services for the Office. Executive Bureau leadership includes the First Assistant Attorney General, Deputy Attorneys General, and the Chief of Staff. Divisions within the Executive Bureau include: General Counsel’s Office; Policy and Government; Community Information and Education; Information Technology; Human Resources; Communications; Budget; the Public Inquiry and Assistance Center, the Law Library, and Victim Services.

Policy and Government Division

Victim Services

Community Programs

The Business & Labor Bureau

The Business and Labor Bureau protects the public interest through fair, firm and transparent investigation, reporting and enforcement actions while providing certainty and equality in the marketplace. The Bureau works to develop clear rules and parameters for the business community and stakeholders to follow.

The Business and Labor Bureau helps to promote a healthy economy by balancing regulatory enforcement and review with advocacy for consumers, ratepayers, and workers. The Bureau works to aggressively root out and prosecute fraud and abuses in our state health care system, advocate on behalf of utility ratepayers, enforce laws governing our many public charities, and to level the playing field for workers and businesses, while promoting a healthy economy.

Divisions within the Business and Labor Bureau include:

Energy and Telecommunications Division

Fair Labor Division

Medicaid Fraud Division

Not-for-Profit Organizations/Public Charities Division

Business, Technology and Economic Development Division

The Criminal Bureau

The Criminal Bureau works to protect the public by investigating and prosecuting a wide range of criminal cases. These include public corruption, financial fraud, and other violations of the public trust, organized crime, major narcotic offenses, appellate issues, insurance and unemployment fraud, environmental crimes, internet and online crimes, and more. The Criminal Bureau’s investigations are supported by a team of State Police detectives.

The Criminal Bureau includes the following divisions:

Public Integrity Division

Fraud and Financial Crimes Division

Appeals Division

Cyber Crime Division

Insurance and Unemployment Fraud Division

Environmental Crimes Strike Force

Enterprise and Major Crimes Division

The Government Bureau

The Government Bureau represents the Commonwealth, its agencies, and officials in many types of civil litigation, as well as defending Commonwealth employees from civil claims made against them resulting from the performance of their duties. The Bureau develops and maintains close working relationships with the agencies it represents, often providing them guidance and advice where advance legal consultation may prevent unnecessary litigation and costly lawsuits. The Government Bureau initiates affirmative litigation in the public interest, on behalf of the Commonwealth and its residents. The Bureau also enforces the state’s Open Meeting Law through its Division of Open Government, and reviews and approves town bylaws through its Municipal Law Unit.

The Bureau has three divisions and one unit:

The Administrative Law Division

The Division of Open Government

The Trial Division

The Municipal Law Unit

The Public Protection and Advocacy Bureau

The Public Protection and Advocacy Bureau uses investigation, litigation, and other advocacy to enforce laws protecting the Commonwealth. The Bureau works towards meaningful economic recovery for Massachusetts by tackling the economic and mortgage foreclosure crisis with a multifaceted and aggressive strategy. The Bureau works to protect consumers from unfair and deception activity, enforces state and federal civil rights laws, ensuring access and equal opportunity for all residents, advocates for protection of our environmental resources, pursues complex insurance and finance cases on behalf of residents or government entities, works towards affordable, high-quality health care for all, and enforces antitrust laws. The Bureau is supported by a team of skilled civil investigators.

Divisions within the Public Protection and Advocacy Bureau include:

Consumer Protection Division

Civil Rights Division

Environmental Protection Division

Health Care Division

Insurance and Financial Services Division

Antitrust Division

Regional Offices

To provide the highest-quality services and access for all the Commonwealth’s residents, the Attorney General maintains offices in Eastern, Western, Central and Southeastern Massachusetts. Regional office staff include lawyers, labor inspectors, consumer mediators, and administrative staff who are knowledgeable about the statewide activities of the Attorney General’s Office and have also developed special relationships with local, regional, and community resources. The regional offices work closely with local community organizations to provide outreach and education programs on important consumer and public safety issues.

Staff in each regional office will be able to:

Evaluate whether we can help you preparing or file a complaint;

Give you basic information about the law or your rights on issues of concern; or

Refer you to the appropriate community organization or other government agency which may be best able to provide assistance.

The Attorney General’s Office also runs a statewide Public Inquiry and Assistance Center, and supports over thirty regional local consumer and mediation programs, which you may choose to contact.

Note: The Attorney General’s Office is not authorized to provide legal advice or representation to individuals. We may suggest that you find a private attorney to help you. If so, we can also provide information on resources that are available to help you locate an attorney.

Central Massachusetts Office

Office of Attorney General Martha Coakley 10 Mechanic Street, Suite 301 Worcester, MA 01608-2417 Telephone: (508) 792-7600 TTY: (617) 727-4765 Fax: ( 508) 795-1991 Link to Google map

Southeastern Massachusetts Office

Office of Attorney General Martha Coakley 105 William Street New Bedford, MA 02740-6257 Telephone: (508) 990-9700 TTY: (617) 727-4765 Fax: (508) 990-8686 Link to Google map

Western Massachusetts Office

Office of Attorney General Martha Coakley 1350 Main Street, 4th Floor Springfield, MA 01103-1629 Telephone: (413) 784-1240 TTY: (617) 727-4765 Fax: (413) 784-1244 Link to Google map

Boston Offices

One Ashburton Place Boston, MA 02108 -1518 Phone: (617) 727-2200 TTY: (617) 727-4765 Link to Google Map and Directions

100 Cambridge Street Boston, MA 02114 -2509 Phone: (617) 727-2200 Link to Google Map and Directions

Attorney General Martha Coakley is the chief lawyer and law enforcement officer of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. In addition, her office is an advocate and resource for the Commonwealth and its residents in many areas, including…

Issue Areas Include

Location

  • One Ashburton Place, 18th Floor, Boston, MA 02108, United States
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