State attorney general offices continue to flex their muscle in addressing hot-button national issues, including the opioid crisis, data privacy and now the coronavirus pandemic, leading to the proliferation of state attorney general practices across Big Law and the solidification of the once-niche practice area into a staple government practice.

Attorneys say the growing popularity of the practice area is not the result of any one trend. The pandemic has ushered in a host of new matters over price gouging and business reopening orders, many of which have been challenged by businesses in court. Meanwhile, many attorney general offices have grown emboldened by the lax federal regulatory environment under the Trump administration.