NJ Attorney General Will Step Down Next Month

TRENTON, N.J., (CBS) -- New Jersey's Attorney General is stepping down next month to take a new job as general counsel for Rutgers University.

John Hoffman took over the office almost three years ago, after Jeffrey Chiesa was tapped by Governor Chris Christie to fill in for the late Frank Lautenberg in the U.S. Senate. Hoffman departs after five years in state government for what he calls an "attractive opportunity".

"What made it such an attractive opportunity has been my job here," Hoffman told KYW Newsradio. "Lawyering. Policy. Management. Public Service and I had to come to terms with the idea that that may not exist past this job."

After all, Christie has less than two years left in his term.

The state senate never did confirm him, so Hoffman has served in an acting capacity.

He says he's going on to Rutgers at an "exciting time". "Rutgers moving into the Big 10. Rutgers doing all of the medical and health care mergers that they're doing and it was just too good an opportunity to pass up."

He takes his new position in mid-March. No replacement's been named.

Hoffman says he's most proud of improving relationships with police from one end of the state to the other and has no regrets going forward.