Department of the Interior
Departmental Manual
Effective Date: 6/21/96
Series: Organization
Part 110: Office of the Secretary
Chapter 2: Office of the Solicitor
Originating Office: Office of the Solicitor
110 DM 2
2.1 Overall Organization. The Office of the Solicitor, established pursuant to 43 U.S.C. ยง 1455, consists of a headquarters organization in Washington, D.C.--including the Immediate Office of the Solicitor, five substantive legal divisions, and an administrative division--and regional and field offices located throughout the United States. An organization chart is attached.
2.2 Headquarters Organization. Responsibility for headquarters functions is divided as follows:
A. Solicitor. The Solicitor is the principal legal adviser to the Secretary, is the chief law officer of the Department, and is responsible for and supervises all legal work in the Department, other than that handled by the Justices of American Samoa, the Office of Inspector General, the Office of Congressional and Legislative Affairs, and the Office of Hearings and Appeals. The authority of the Solicitor, as delegated by the Secretary, is set forth in 205 DM and 209 DM 3. The Solicitor may be assisted by one or more Special Assistants.
B. Deputy Solicitor. The Deputy Solicitor manages the daily operations of the Office. He or she has full authority to represent the Solicitor in supervising Associate and Regional Solicitors in connection with all legal, operational, and administrative matters and to provide legal counsel to the Secretary, the Deputy Secretary, the Secretariat, and the heads of all bureaus and offices. In the absence of the Solicitor, the Deputy Solicitor serves as Acting Solicitor.
C. Legal Divisions. Each of the five substantive legal divisions is headed by an Associate Solicitor, who is responsible for performing the legal work related to the programs and activities of the Office of the Secretary and the bureaus in the Washington, D.C., area. The Associate Solicitor may be assisted by a Deputy Associate Solicitor and one or more Assistant Solicitors. One of the Assistant Solicitors may also serve as the Deputy Associate. In the absence of the Associate Solicitor, the Deputy Associate serves as Acting Associate Solicitor.
(1) Division of Conservation and Wildlife is responsible for legal matters related to the programs and activities of the National Park Service and the Fish and Wildlife Service and the biological research functions of the Geological Survey. In addition, the Division provides legal assistance and counsel to the Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks and the Assistant Secretary - Water and Science on matters relating to the bureaus named above.
(2) Division of General Law is responsible for legal matters related to procurement, patents, and tort claims; insular areas; equal employment opportunity, labor law, and other personnel matters; and administrative and other general legal issues, including legislative and appropriations issues not assigned to another division. In addition, the Division provides legal assistance and counsel to the Assistant Secretary - Policy, Management and Budget and to the Endangered Species Committee.
(3) Division of Indian Affairs is responsible for legal matters related to the programs and activities of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. In addition, the Division provides legal assistance and counsel to the Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs.
(4) Division of Land and Water Resources is responsible for legal matters related to the programs and activities of the Bureau of Reclamation and the Bureau of Land Management, other than legal matters related to the minerals programs of the Bureau of Land Management. In addition, the Division provides legal assistance and counsel to the Assistant Secretary - Water and Science and the Assistant Secretary -Land and Minerals Management on matters relating to the bureaus named above.
(5) Division of Mineral Resources is responsible for legal matters related to the programs and activities of the Geological Survey, other than those related to its biological research functions, the Minerals Management Service, and the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, as well as legal matters related to the minerals programs of the Bureau of Land Management. In addition, the Division provides legal assistance and counsel to the Assistant Secretary - Water and Science and the Assistant Secretary - Land and Minerals Management on matters relating to the bureaus named above.
D. Administrative Division. The Division of Administration is headed by an Associate Solicitor, who is responsible for providing and coordinating all administrative and management support services needed by the Office of the Solicitor, including budget and accounting, personnel management, space and property management, procurement, program evaluation, information services, and records management. In addition, the Division has primary responsibility for coordinating the regulatory activities of the Department, and serves as the Department's primary point of contact with the Office of Management and Budget on regulatory matters. The Associate Solicitor may be assisted by one or more Branch Chiefs.
2.3 Field Organization. The field activities of the Office of the Solicitor are divided among seven geographic regions.
A. Regional Offices. Each Regional Solicitor is responsible for performing legal work related to the programs and activities of the bureaus within the region. This responsibility is carried out by the immediate staff in each regional office and by the staff in the respective field offices. The Regional Solicitor may be assisted by one or more Deputy and/or Assistant Regional Solicitors.
B. Field Offices. Each field office is subordinate to a regional office and is under the direction of a Field Solicitor who reports to a Regional Solicitor. Each field office is responsible for performing legal work related to the programs and activities of the bureaus within its area. The Field Solicitor may be assisted by one or more Assistant Field Solicitors.
C. Areas Served. The following paragraphs describe in general terms the areas served by the seven regions within the Office of the Solicitor. Each region includes a Regional Solicitor's Office and may include one or more Field Solicitor's Offices. To the extent practicable, legal services are provided based on bureau regional boundaries, rather than Office of the Solicitor regional boundaries. Because such boundaries vary from bureau to bureau, the actual areas served by the Solicitor's regional and field offices overlap to a considerable extent, with the result that more than one Regional or Field Solicitor's Office may handle legal matters for different bureaus within a single State.
(1) Northeast Region. Area served: Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. The Office of the Regional Solicitor is located in the Boston, Massachusetts, metropolitan area.
(2) Southeast Region. Area served: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. The Office of the Regional Solicitor is located in the Atlanta, Georgia, metropolitan area.
(3) Southwest Region. Area served: Navajo Reservation, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. The Office of the Regional Solicitor is located in the Albuquerque, New Mexico, metropolitan area.
(4) Rocky Mountain Region. Area served: Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Wyoming. The Office of the Regional Solicitor is located in the Denver, Colorado, metropolitan area.
(5) Pacific Southwest Region. Area served: Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, the Pacific islands, and Utah. The Office of the Regional Solicitor is located in the Sacramento, California, metropolitan area.
(6) Pacific Northwest Region. Area served: Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington. The Office of the Regional Solicitor is located in the Portland, Oregon, metropolitan area.
(7) Alaska Region. Area served: Alaska. The Office of the Regional Solicitor is located in the Anchorage, Alaska, metropolitan area.
6/21/96 #3076
Replaces Releases #2541, 2707, 2840, 2847, 2933, 2951, 2962