Law Clerk (WMS1)

Full Job Description

Possess a Juris Doctor degree received from an accredited law school

OR

Will possess a Juris Doctor degree by July 2026 (as a condition of employment)

*Passing the Bar Exam is not a requirement for this position.

**You must reside IN the state of Washington by the start of employment.

Schedule: Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., unless an alternate work schedule is requested and approved. The agency supports flexible work schedules and alternate work schedules consistent with its agency policies as well as the opportunity to work remotely. Occasional travel may be required.

The Environmental and Land Use Hearings Office (ELUHO) is seeking a law clerk who is adept at legal research, analysis, and writing to support three quasi-judicial environmental and land use boards.

Who we areThe Environmental & Land Use Hearings Office (ELUHO) houses three quasi-judicial tribunals: the Pollution Control Hearings Board (PCHB), the Shorelines Hearings Board (SHB), and the Growth Management Hearings Board (GMHB).

These boards manage a wide variety of cases and make significant decisions affecting Washington State’s environment and local land use plans.

ELUHO provides staffing, funding, and administrative support to the boards.

Our agency is comprised of a small team of legal and administrative professionals, administrative appeals judges, and Governor-appointed board members.

Together we strive to make board appeal processes easy and accessible, and to provide timely and exemplary review of appealed issues.

ELUHO prides itself on being an employer of choice that values diversity and provides a workplace inclusive of different cultures, backgrounds, and ideas.

We are committed to the health and well-being of our employees and their families.

We support healthy lifestyles and a healthy work/life balance, and we aim to provide employees with professional development opportunities.

Who we are looking forYou are a skilled legal analyst with knowledge of environmental and land use law.

You conduct comprehensive and thorough legal research and analysis of current law, reviewing case documents and legal authorities to identify relevant legal issues and evaluate competing arguments.

You are skilled at identifying, connecting, and evaluating intersecting and/or complex legal issues and relevant law.

As a key legal support to ELUHO’s three boards, you are an effective communicator who independently drafts well-organized legal materials, ensuring your legal conclusions and recommendations are supported by current law and case facts.

You pay attention to details and deadlines, and you play a critical role in upholding the integrity of the boards.

As a member of the ELUHO team, you have a commitment to building and maintaining constructive working relationships and to promoting teamwork and collaboration.

You are adaptable to change, you can manage multiple priorities, and you demonstrate honesty, forthrightness, and professionalism to earn others’ trust and respect.

Why you want this positionYou have the unique opportunity at ELUHO to develop and hone your proficiency in Washington’s environmental and land use laws.

You will gain practical experience applying these laws to cases with high impact to Washington’s communities, economies, and environment.

You will build direct professional relationships with our board members and judges and will receive their mentoring and guidance.

You will often work independently and will exercise your own good judgment. Your ideas will be appreciated and you will be supported in making improvements and sharing a different point of view.

Lastly, you will be part of a team that wants you to succeed.

Requirements

Some of what you will enjoy doing includes:

• Reviewing case documents and legal authorities to identify relevant legal issues and evaluate competing arguments;
• Using legal research tools such as LexisNexis to research current statutes, caselaw, administrative rules, court rules, and evidence rules relevant to legal issues;
• Conducting thorough evaluation of case facts and applying appropriate and comprehensive legal analysis to the facts;
• Conducting original legal research on issues of first impression;
• Keeping abreast of relevant changes in the law;
• Communicating effectively, orally and in writing;
• Timely writing pre- and post-hearing memoranda to include summary of case facts and cited authorities, thorough legal analysis and application of law to facts, options for legal theories for the board to select, and recommendations for the board;
• Drafting case orders consistent with board direction and the law;
• Presenting legal research findings, analysis, conclusions and recommendations orally to board members;
• Synthesizing and integrating all board members’ edits into a final order as directed by board members, ensuring accurate legal authorities and citations, as well as seamless flow and proper grammar;
• Performing citation checking to ensure cited legal authority is accurate and conforms to Bluebook and other applicable standards;
• Developing, organizing, and maintaining legal reference materials for internal use to aid with quick reference by board members and judges;
• Managing legal intern/extern program, including conducting outreach to law schools, selecting applicants, and performing supervisory duties for volunteer law students;
• Providing legislative support to the Director as needed, including analyzing and tracking bills, and assisting with drafting fiscal notes and request legislation;
• Providing procedural assistance to parties and prospective parties without giving legal advice and while avoiding ex parte communication;
• Using an electronic case management system to perform legal case work.

Qualifications

REQUIRED:
Possess a Juris Doctor degree received from an accredited law school OR will possess a Juris Doctor degree by July 2026 (as a condition of employment)

AND
Knowledge of environmental or land use law, as demonstrated by 6-12 months of legal research and writing work in one or more areas of environmental or land use law, or by training in coursework specific to environmental or land use law.

AND
You must also have the skills and ability to:

• Demonstrate basic knowledge of current legal office practices, methods, procedures and court rules
• Demonstrate proficiency in MS Office Suite (Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint)
• Maintain professionalism, confidentiality, and punctuality
• Demonstrate reliability and the desire to learn new skills
• Communicate effectively orally and in writing
• Work independently
• Manage multiple priorities
• Demonstrate accountability, dependability, adaptability, flexibility, ethics, integrity, relationship and team building
• Demonstrate self-awareness and commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

PREFERRED:

• Admitted to the practice of law in Washington, and a member in good standing with the state bar association.
• A demonstrated knowledge of Washington state administrative law and procedures;
• A demonstrated ability to communicate effectively in writing, presenting issues, facts, analysis, legal conclusions, and directions in a clear, efficient, and technically sound manner.
• Demonstrate a familiarity with legal issues relating to the jurisdiction of the boards, knowledge of administrative law and procedure, court rules, rules of evidence, and legal research tools such as LexisNexis.
• Manage competing priorities and achieve consistently high-quality results in a timely manner with little need for oversight.
• Express ideas and information effectively, using language that is appropriate to both the complexity of the topic and the knowledge and understanding of the audience.
• Identify issues in a case, including areas in need of further analysis and investigation.
• Effectively research and analyze legal issues and apply legal principles and precedents, with a commitment to reaching an unbiased and legally correct decision.
• Competently use technologies that are necessary to conducting ELUHO business, including word processing and electronic communication software, teleconferencing and videoconferencing technology, and specialized legal software such as LexisNexis, and ELUHO’s Salesforce-based case management system.

Additional Information

Please provide the following documents in order to be considered; failure to do so may result in you not being considered for the position:

1. A letter of interest, describing how you meet the qualifications for this position as outlined in the job posting;
2. A current resume, detailing experience, and education; and
3. Two (2) legal writing samples demonstrating legal research and writing capabilities.

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4. You may be asked to provide Unofficial transcripts that verify your education at an accredited institution (list of classes not required).
5. A current list of at least three (3) professional references with current contact information (attached or available to provide at the time of interview)

NOTE: By submitting these materials, you are indicating that all information is true and correct. The state may verify information.

Any untruthful or misleading information is cause for removal from the applicant pool or dismissal if employed.

A resume will not substitute for completing the “duties summary” section of the application. Please do not refer to resume for detail, or your application may be disqualified.

Opportunity for All: ELUHO celebrates our differences and we are committed to a workplace that supports equal opportunity employment and inclusion regardless of race, creed, color, national origin, citizenship or immigration status, marital status, families with children (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sex, sexual orientation, gender identity diversity, age, status as a protected veteran, honorably discharged veteran or military status, status as an individual with the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with disabilities or other applicable legally protected characteristics.

We will also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state and local laws.

You are welcome to include the name and pronoun you would like to be referred to in your materials and we will honor this as you interact with our organization.

Contact Information:For questions about this recruitment or to request a reasonable accommodation in the application process, contact Angie Anderson at jobs@des.wa.gov.

Applicants who are deaf or hard of hearing may call through the Washington Relay Service by dialing 7-1-1 or 1-800-833-6388.