Division Chief - Wing Luke Civil Rights Division, Seattle

Full Job Description

About the Attorney General’s Office

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.

Benefit and Compensation Details

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:

• Transparent salary - $187,600
• A competitive benefit package that includes:
  • Affordable medical plan options, including vision benefits,
  • Dental benefits covered 100%
  • Retirement plan (employee/employer contribution)
  • Deferred Compensation Plan
• 11 paid holidays and 1 personal holiday
• 8 hours sick leave accrual per month
• 9.33 hours to start, then up to 16.67 hours of annual leave accrual per month (based on years of state service)
• Flex schedules and telecommuting options
• The AGO will pay the general bar dues of someone who begins their assignment on or before January 31st
• Qualifying Employer for Public Loan Forgiveness Program
• 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 provides CLE credits and is recognized for its excellence and efficacy by AGOs nationwide

The Washington State Attorney General’s Office is seeking an attorney committed to equal rights under the law and who has significant management, litigation and outreach experience to serve as the Division Chief for the Wing Luke Civil Rights Division.

The Wing Luke Civil Rights Division is located in Seattle and consists of eighteen attorneys, five investigators, and ten professional staff members.

The Division works to protect the rights of Washingtonians to live and participate in our communities without discrimination and is consistently engaged in some of the most significant investigations and litigation handled by the Attorney General’s Office.

For example, we have taken the lead in challenging federal overreach, including the government’s attempt to ban gender-affirming care and do away with birthright citizenship.

The Division regularly takes action to protect Washingtonians’ right to be free from discrimination on the bases of protected characteristics including: race, national origin, citizenship or immigration status, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran or military status, disability, or use of a service animal by a person with a disability.

We challenge unconstitutional police practices and discrimination engaged in by nationwide companies like Motel 6, Greyhound, Facebook, and O’Reilly Auto Parts.

We have successfully challenged labor practices at the Northwest Detention Center and in industries ranging from aerospace to agriculture.

We work closely with the Solicitor General’s Office, Consumer Protection Division, and other AGO divisions and state agencies to enforce Washington laws in state and federal courts.

For example, we partnered to lead a multi-state lawsuit to protect reproductive choice by removing excessively burdensome regulations for a medication abortion drug.

We also represent the Washington State Human Rights Commission in enforcement matters under the Washington Law Against Discrimination, enforce the Healthy Starts Act’s requirements regarding workplace pregnancy accommodations, and we enforce the Fair Chance Act’s prohibition on job advertisements and hiring policies and practices that unfairly exclude applicants because of criminal history.

Interested candidates are encouraged to review the Division’s full list of cases and amicus briefs.

Beyond investigation and litigation duties, the Division engages in significant public outreach and education on civil rights topics and serves as a resource on civil rights issues within state government.

Our attorneys advise the Attorney General, Legislative Director, and Policy Director on issues impacting civil rights and social justice, including proposed legislation.

Civil Rights Division attorneys are routinely asked to represent the AGO in public or media settings on matters that may be sensitive, high-profile, and that carry elevated media interest.

This position is based in Seattle and requires statewide travel, including overnight trips. Out-of-state travel may also be required.

Requirements

The Wing Luke Civil Rights Division Chief is responsible for the overall management of the Division’s investigative and litigation work, its public outreach and community engagement and its policy, legislative and advice work within the Attorney General’s Office.

The Division Chief is a member of the Office’s Leadership Team and regularly engages with and advises the Attorney General and his leadership team members.

Qualifications

In addition to meeting the requirements to serve as an Assistant Attorney General, the successful candidate will possess the following qualifications for the Division Chief of the Wing Luke Civil Rights Division:

For this position, the ability to read, write, and/or speak a language in addition to English is preferred.

Applicants must have graduated from a law school accredited by the ABA or completed the WSBA's Rule 6 Law Clerk Program; and be licensed to practice law in Washington state. (Applicants who meet the other stated qualifications and are actively pursuing admission by motion will also be considered.) The AGO seeks applicants who are committed to public service as demonstrated by an applicant's background, talents, attitude, and enthusiasm for public law practice. The AGO greatly encourages, celebrates and values diversity, appreciating that a workforce composed of those from different backgrounds and experiences creates an inclusive environment, strengthens positive relationships with the local community and brings new perspectives and approaches to fulfill its mission of providing excellent, independent and ethical legal services to the State of Washington and protecting the rights of its people.

Additional Information

Salary range for this position is $187,600 annually. Division Chief salaries are based on experience, qualifications and are commensurate with comparable positions in the AGO.

This position is exempt from representation by the Association of Washington Assistant Attorneys General/Washington Federation of State Employees AFSCME Council28, AFL-CIO.

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 and preferably as PDFs:

• A letter of interest;
• Resume;
• Law school transcript (unofficial copy is acceptable) that shows the date your JD was conferred; and
• Writing sample (no more than 10 pages).

If you have questions about this position or wish to learn more about it before applying, you are welcome to contact Deputy Attorney General Todd Bowers at todd.bowers@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 or www.washingtonrelay.com.