Assistant Attorney General - Agriculture & Health Division, Olympia

Full Job Description

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.

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 - AAG salaries are set between $82,212and $153,996. 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 Agriculture and Health Division (AHD) of the Washington State Attorney General's Office seeks to fill two attorney positions, one of which is a newly established position.

The Agriculture and Health Division is a team of 16 Assistant Attorneys General and 9 professional staff located at the AGO’s main Capitol Campus location in Olympia, WA. We have a wide range of backgrounds, value diversity, and work in a collegial, collaborative, and flexible environment.

Requirements

Attorney Position 1

One position is for an attorney who primarily will support the Department of Commerce and preferably will have the experience and aptitude to transition into the role of lead counsel to the agency.

Experience in providing legal advice in some or all of the areas of real estate transactions, state and federal grants, procurement and contract drafting and remedies, tribal relations, and general agency operations is desired.

The ideal candidate will have an interest in advising on these issues and on issues in the Department of Commerce’s other program areas, including economic development, community development, international trade and business retention and expansion, energy policy, broadband expansion and access, homelessness prevention and response, and affordable housing funding and preservation.

The attorney in this role will provide client advice on common agency issues related to statutory and regulatory authority, grants and contracts, legislation, rulemaking, public records, the Open Public Meetings Act, and other matters.

The attorney will also provide representation in civil litigation on limited occasions.

Attorney Position 2

The other position is for an attorney who will provide client advice and administrative and civil litigation services to various client agencies and programs.

The position’s duties will include advising and litigating for health care provider and facility licensing programs administered by the Department of Health and related boards and commissions, as well as supporting regulatory programs administered by the Washington State Department of Agriculture.

The mix of other client programs for this position will depend on the division’s and clients’ needs and the successful candidate’s experience and interests.

AHD has a wide variety of client assignments, and there are regular opportunities to change assignments to explore new areas and develop new skills.

The successful candidate will work directly with their agency clients from the start, with extensive support from their supervisors and colleagues.

The position will advise clients on common agency issues related to statutory and regulatory authority, legislation, rulemaking, public records, Open Public Meetings Act, and other matters. Examples of client advice issues include:

• Drafting agency request legislation to provide the Secretary of Health authority to issue prescriptions and recommendations for vaccines.
• Drafting and advising on implementation of rules requiring hospitals to provide charity care to indigent patients.
• Advising a health care profession commission on what care their licensees may provide via telehealth.
• Establishing a safe medication return program to ensure responsible disposal of potentially harmful prescription drugs.
• Implementing a newly created Compost Reimbursement Program.
• Advising on an agency’s authority to enter private property for the control of harmful pests.

The position will engage in administrative litigation primarily before the Department of Health’s Adjudicative Services Unit, with occasional appeals to state courts, and, less commonly, defend agencies against original actions in state and federal courts. Litigation examples include:

• Taking enforcement action to revoke the license of a mental health counselor who subjects a patient to sexual misconduct.
• Defending against a challenge to the Department of Health’s guidance interpreting the law to require hospitals to provide charity care regardless of a patient’s state of residence.
• Filing an action in superior court to enforce the Department of Health’s order revoking a hotel's transient accommodation license for unsanitary conditions.
• Filing an administrative action to revoke a pesticide applicator’s license for spraying harmful pesticides on farmworkers.

Qualifications

In addition to meeting the requirements to serve as an Assistant Attorney General, the successful candidate must have the following qualifications and characteristics:

See Position Description section for qualifications that are desired but not required.

Additional Information

These Assistant Attorneys General positions are represented by the Association of Washington Assistant Attorneys General (AWAAG) / Washington Federation of State Employees (WFSE) AFSCME Council 28, AFL-CIO.

The AAG salary for these positions will be set between $82,212 and $153,996. The exact amount is set in accordance with Appendix B of the AWAAG CBA.

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) with date law degree was conferred; and
• Writing sample (10 pages or less).

If you have questions about these positions and/or want to learn more about it before applying, please contact Division Chief Eric Sonju at Eric.Sonju@atg.wa.gov.

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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.

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 orwww.washingtonrelay.com.