Section Chief - Complex Litigation Division, Seattle/Tumwater

All employees and volunteers of the Washington State Attorney General's Office serve a crucial role in the protection of the state, its people and resources, thereby providing an incomparable degree of job satisfaction. The AGO is composed of diverse, collegial and supremely talented legal professionals who are resolute in their commitment to public service and share the common goal of advancing the public interest. For more information about the AGO, we encourage you to review the Office's Annual Report which can be found HERE and view THIS VIDEO.

The Office appreciates the benefits of a healthy life-work balance as well as a respectful, inclusive and diverse workplace. Successful candidates will join an Office in which every person is committed to providing exceptional legal services and where individual professional development is encouraged and supported. The exceptional benefits of joining the AGO include: 

• A competitive benefit package that includes affordable medical plan options, dental benefits and retirement plans
• Vacation Leave, Sick Leave, Military and Civil Leave and Paid Holidays
• Transparent salary schedule - MAAG salaries are set between $80,592 and $156,996.  The exact amount is set in accordance with Appendix B of the AWAAG CBA
• The AGO will pay the general bar dues of someone who begins their assignment on or before January 31st per Article 10.8 of the AWAAG CBA
• Flex schedules and telecommuting options
• A formal AAG mentoring program that complements the AGO's inherently collegial and supportive environment
• Health and wellness program
• Training and career development program that is recognized for its excellence and efficacy by AGOs nationwide 

The Complex Litigation Division at the Washington State Attorney General’s Office has an extraordinary opportunity for an attorney interested in managing a team of experienced assistant attorney generals and litigating significant issues that face our State and the nation. This position will manage a team of assistant attorney generals in the Complex Litigation Division. This position will be located in downtown Seattle or Tumwater.

Attorneys in the Complex Litigation Division work on some of the Office’s most challenging and high-profile cases, including affirmative federal litigation. The Division is currently leading multistate litigation to protect and increase access to medication abortion, and will remain at the forefront of the fight to protect Washingtonians reproductive rights. The Division has ongoing affirmative federal litigation as well as a lengthy history of challenging federal government action, including litigation related to a prior administration’s “public charge” rule, border wall, family separation policy, “conscience rule,” 3D-printed ghost guns, Title X, student visa rule and pandemic-era public school funding and aid for thousands of Washington students. 

The Division also litigates cases such as Washington’s lawsuits related to the opioid epidemic; challenges to the constitutionality of the State’s law restricting gun magazine capacity size and the law banning the sale of assault weapons; a campaign finance enforcement action against Meta related to its sale of political advertisements; and challenges to the State’s forest management and marbled murrelet conservation plans.

The Division fulfills a leading role for the Office in the enforcement of the tobacco Master Settlement Agreement with ongoing arbitrations, which this position will support.

Duties of attorneys in the Complex Litigation Division include directing and assisting in investigations; drafting pleadings, motions, and memoranda from initial filing through post-judgment proceedings; depositions and all other aspects of discovery; presenting oral argument; and participating in trial and post-trial proceedings, including appeals, in state and/or federal court. The Division collaborates with many of the Office’s divisions, including the Solicitor General’s Office, on the cases it litigates. Our attorneys may be asked to represent the Office in public settings on matters that may be of a sensitive nature or that may carry elevated media interest.

In addition to meeting the requirements to serve as an Assistant Attorney General, qualified candidates must have: 

• Ten or more years actively litigating civil cases in state and federal courts, including discovery, motions practice under Rules 12 and 56, and trying cases to a verdict;
• Demonstrated ability to mentor attorneys, foster teamwork and collaboration, and promote a positive work environment that recognizes and respects all employees; and
• Exceptional ability to advance legal arguments by writing and orally arguing persuasively and respectfully.

This Managing Assistant Attorney General position is represented by the Association of Washington Assistant Attorneys General (AWAAG) / Washington Federation of State Employees (WFSE) AFSCME Council 28, AFL-CIO.  Managing AAG salaries are set between $80,592 and $156,996. The exact amount is set in accordance with Appendix B of the AWAAG CBA. Note that positions located in King County are eligible for 5% King County Assignment pay per legislative action.  A competitive state benefits package is also offered which includes a choice of medical/dental insurance plans, retirement, life and basic long-term disability insurance. In addition, there are non-financial benefits that include working in a collaborative and supportive work environment where professional development and work-life balance are highly valued.  The health, safety and professional satisfaction of all AGO staff and volunteers is critical to fulfilling the mission of the AGO to provide exceptional legal services. Complementing and fostering this goal is a long-standing commitment to environmental stewardship, as evidenced in the AGO's environmental policies.   

Interested applicants must apply by hitting the "apply" button above. In addition to the on-line application, one must upload, via the system, preferably as PDFs:

• A letter of interest;
• Resume;
• Law school transcript (unofficial copy is acceptable); and
• Writing sample (no more 10 pages).

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Honoring diversity, equity and inclusion means that as an agency, and as individuals, we are committed to ensuring that all employees and volunteers enjoy a respectful, safe and supportive working environment.  Only by fostering the inclusion of people from all backgrounds, cultures and attributes, can AGO employees and volunteers achieve their fullest potential and best advance the goals and mission of the AGO.  

The AGO is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, race, creed, color, national origin, honorably discharged veteran or military status, or the presence of any sensory, mental or physical disability or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability. Persons requiring reasonable accommodation in the application process or requiring information in an alternative format may contact the recruitment team at HREmployment@atg.wa.gov. Those with a hearing impairment in need of accommodation are encouraged to contact the Washington Relay Service at 1-800-676-3777 or www.washingtonrelay.com.