County Attorney's Office

What the Rice County Attorney's Office does

The Rice County Attorney, is an elected official, responsible for a broad range of legal activities arising within Rice County. These responsibilities are primarily:

  • Initiation of legal proceedings to obtain or enforce child support obligations and establish paternity
  • Initiation of legal proceedings to protect vulnerable children and adults
  • Prosecution of all offenses committed by juveniles in Rice County
  • Prosecution of certain criminal offenses, including all felonies committed by adults in Rice County
  • Provision of victims' services throughout the criminal process
  • Representation of the Board of Commissioners, County Administration, and all county departments in legal matters
  • Representation of Rice County in civil commitment hearings for residents with mental illness, chemical dependency, or developmental disabilities

The County Attorney and his staff are not permitted to represent or provide legal advice to private citizens.

Staff

The County Attorney's Office includes a chief assistant, an office manager, eight attorneys, a certified student attorney, a civil paralegal, a victim/witness coordinator and an administrative staff of six. 

The County Attorney's Office advises the Rice County Board of Commissioners and other county departments on civil legal matters including contracts, employment law, environmental law, real estate acquisition, condemnation, forfeiture and data privacy, among others. The County Attorney's Office also represents the county in all civil litigation in which the county is involved. With the assistance of a paralegal and other administrative staff, the office brings actions to obtain or enforce child support obligations and to establish the paternity of a child.    

The office prosecutes juvenile delinquency matters involving juveniles accused of committing crimes within the county, initiates petitions to protect abused or neglected children, vulnerable adults, and compels treatment through involuntary commitment actions for individuals who are mentally ill, chemically dependent or developmentally delayed.

The office is responsible for the prosecution of adults charged with felony crimes, as well as petty misdemeanors, misdemeanors and gross misdemeanors that occur in the unincorporated areas of the county and other limited areas as defined by statue. The attorneys are assisted by the victim/ witness coordinator and an able administrative staff.