The State Advocacy represents and defends in court the constitutional bodies (Presidency of the Republic, Chamber and Senate, Government, Constitutional Court, Council of State, Court of Auditors, CNEL, etc.), judicial bodies (Cassation, Courts of Appeal , etc.) and all the administrations of the State, in an exclusive and compulsory way (so-called compulsory patronage), and the Regions with special statute pursuant to art. 1 of the Royal Decree of 30 October 1933, n. 1611, as well as various non-state public administrations and subsidized entities (so-called authorized patronage), subject to the protection or even only to supervision by the State, among which, in the first place, several Regions with ordinary statute (so-called special patronage of Regions with ordinary statute ), pursuant to art. 107 of Presidential Decree no. 616/1977; the Advocacy also represents and defends some international organizations (for example, the EU Commission, the EIB European Investment Bank, NATO and FAO); the possibility is also foreseen for the Attorney's Office to assume the representation and defense of public employees "in civil and criminal judgments that affect them for facts and service cases, if the administrations or entities request it and the Advocate General of the State recognizes the opportunity "(art. 44 RD n. 1611/1933 cit.). By virtue of the provisions of art. 48 of the Royal Decree n. 1611/1933, the State Attorney's Office also represents and defends foreign administrations, such as, for example, the consulate of a foreign state or even a foreign state (Senegal, ex DPR 19-7-1996).

Of particular importance is the defense of the State Attorney's Office in favor of the Regions and regional bodies (the Veio national park body and all the other national park bodies), in light of the law amending title V of the Constitution. Today, the State Advocacy defends the so-called independent authorities (Authority for competition and the market, Authority for guarantees in communications, Authority for public utility services for electricity and gas and for telecommunications, CONSOB - National Commission for companies and the stock exchange, Guarantor for broadcasting and publishing, Guarantor for personal data protection, Guarantee Commission for the implementation of Law 12-6-1990, n.146 on the right to strike in essential public services , etc.), some joint-stock companies with public participation (such as, for example, ANAS and CONI) and various other private subjects (for example the lyricosymphonic foundations).

In recent years, the role of the State Attorney's Office has been modifying, in a flexible way, in accordance with the evolution of the state and regional system, also in relation to the different position that the State and the Regions have assumed vis-à-vis the Community. European.