State's Attorneys Office  The State's Attorney has the exclusive and statutory responsibility for prosecuting violations of the criminal laws of the State of Illinois, as well as many other regulatory laws of the state and county including traffic regulations. He is also the lawyer for Lake County providing legal advice, defense of court actions, and filing and presentation of cases brought by, or against, Lake County. The State's Attorneys Office is divided into four main parts, the Executive Staff, the Criminal Division, the Civil Division and the Administrative Services Division.

Criminal Division The Criminal Division of the State's Attorneys Office is responsible for the prosecution of crimes occurring in Lake County. The Criminal Division is made up of seven separate divisions covering everything from minor traffic offenses to murder. Civil Division The Civil Division of the State's Attorneys Office is the smaller and lesser known counterpart of the prosecutorial arm of the office.  It is made up of two groups, the Civil Trial Division and the Child Support Division. Executive Staff The Executive Staff consists of the State's Attorney, Michael J. Waller, three chief deputies, a chief, a senior executive and two senior secretaries. Members of the Executive Staff report directly to Mr. Waller. The members of the Executive Staff are responsible for informing Mr. Waller of the daily activities within their divisions.  The Executive Staff works closely with Mr. Waller in the development and implementation of policies within the office and their divisions. Administrative Services The Administrative Services Division handles all administrative tasks of the State’s Attorneys Office. Administrative Services includes everything from the friendly voice that answers the phone, to the creation of the annual budget. The four main responsibilities of Administrative Services include, management, supervision, payroll and finance, and personnel/ human resources.