With only five lawyers serving under the Office of the Attorney General, it is struggling to keep up with mounting cases for prosecution, reported Attorney General Ernestine Rengiil of the challenges the Office of AG faces today.
Attempts to attract attorneys from abroad have been difficult, and the Office of the Attorney General has increased the offer to try to attract more attorneys.
“Money has gone up a bit, so hopefully, we can attract applicants,” AG Rengiil said of the package offer that has gone up to $80K per year plus other benefits.
Most attorneys in the United States are making over $100k, and it is difficult to attract them with the $65K plus that was offered before.
The Office of the Attorney General had over 700 citations this year, with 600 of those already resolved, added AG Rengiil. There are over 50 Family Protection Act cases, 45 juvenile cases, and 62 major felony cases.
With drug cases, AG Rengiil said that with few attorneys, if they file all the drug cases currently before them, they trigger the speedy trial requirement and will not have enough people to cover all the cases as scheduled.
“So, they will be filed, eventually,” assured AG Rengiil.