Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 12 § 2
The attorney general shall appoint a first assistant attorney general and may appoint such other assistants and employees as the duties of the department require. The attorney general shall establish the salaries, duties and personnel regulations of all officers and employees within the department of the attorney general; provided, however, that the salaries of said officers and employees shall not exceed the sum annually appropriated therefor by the general court. The provisions of sections nine A and forty-five of chapter thirty, chapter thirty-one and chapter one hundred and fifty E shall not apply to officers and employees within the department of the attorney general. Persons appointed as assistant attorneys general shall, in the event of a vacancy in the office of attorney general, continue in the office until an attorney general is duly qualified.
Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 12, § 2