[1][3] The Solicitor of Labor has independent authority to initiate lawsuits to enforce 180 federal workplace statutes.

[1][4] The position is a Presidential appointee requiring Senate confirmation, and is paid at Level IV of the Executive Schedule.

In 1940, all Department attorneys and legal personnel were transferred to the supervision of the solicitor of labor.

[1][6] In the 1980s, the office attracted attention for delays in cases enforcing the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974,[7] and for not seeking the maximum compensation for back wages due under the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938.

[8] In 2019, a memo directing lawyers to consult with agency heads before filing lawsuits against employers was criticized as ceding some of its authority to political appointees.