Litigation Chief (MAAG2) - Wing Luke Civil Rights Division, Seattle

About the Department

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 - MAAG2 salaries are set between $90,444 and $169,392. 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 Wing Luke Civil Rights Division of the Washington State Attorney General’s Office has a key management opportunity for an attorney with a demonstrated commitment to civil rights and public service. The Civil Rights Division is seeking a Litigation Chief (Managing Assistant Attorney General 2) to coordinate all litigation and oversee the group of managing attorneys who supervise case teams, manage staff and operations, and develop and litigate cases to advance civil rights and social justice for all Washingtonians. 

Position Duties

The Litigation Chief is a key leadership position within the Civil Rights Division and reports to the Division Chief. The Litigation Chief will oversee all Division investigations and litigation matters and lead and manage teams, lawyers, and staff working on fast-paced, high-profile, affirmative enforcement matters. The Litigation Chief supervises the day-to-day work of the Division’s litigation Managing Assistant Attorneys General, including consulting on strategy, reviewing work product, mentoring, and conducting performance reviews. The Litigation Chief will also take on significant division-wide management and leadership responsibilities, including coordinating the development of Division enforcement priorities and case strategy. The Litigation Chief should expect regularly to advise senior AGO leadership on sensitive, urgent, and high-profile legal issues that carry elevated media interest.

In addition to management duties, the Litigation Chief may personally handle cases, as appropriate, including developing, filing, and litigating enforcement matters. The Division’s cases are litigated in state and federal courts, both trial and appellate, throughout the state and country. The Litigation Chief is expected not only to meet—but to model—the Division’s expectation that attorneys work with a sense of urgency and initiative to advance their assigned matters toward resolution. 

Another core part of the Litigation Chief’s work will be to seek opportunities to advance the development of case law relevant to the Civil Rights Division’s enforcement work, advise the Office on novel legal civil rights and constitutional law issues, and assist with public outreach and engagement, intra-agency and intra-governmental coordination, and community education on matters affecting the public interest. Like all Division lawyers and staff, the Litigation Chief will contribute to the Division’s work to promote vibrant, anti-racist, and inclusive community and governmental partnerships. 

The Wing Luke Civil Rights Division is located in Seattle and consists of seventeen attorneys, five investigators, and ten professional staff members. Each member of our team is committed to the highest-quality work. We value collaboration, diversity, creativity, and collegiality.

This position requires statewide travel, including overnight trips. Out-of-state travel may also be required.

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The Civil Rights 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, unfair practices by housing providers, 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 represent the Washington State Human Rights Commission in enforcement matters under the Washington Law Against Discrimination. The Division also enforces the Healthy Starts Act’s requirements regarding workplace pregnancy accommodations and 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.

Minimum Qualifications

In addition to meeting the requirements to serve as a MAAG2, the strongest candidates will have:

• Ten or more years of civil litigation experience in state and federal courts, including experience with written discovery and depositions, working with witnesses including experts, the full range of non-dispositive and dispositive motions, and presenting evidence in an administrative or courtroom setting;

• Experience managing legal teams and skills and ability to mentor and supervise other employees. The ability to listen, build respect and trust, learn from colleagues and embrace a growth mindset, and provide timely recognition and constructive feedback is key;

• Exceptional and positive interpersonal and communication skills, with a proven capacity to collaborate and foster teamwork, including demonstrated cultural competence and experience working with individuals from diverse cultural, language, educational, and geographic backgrounds; 

• Commitment to race equity and social justice;

• Strong analytical, research, and writing skills and the ability consistently to produce high-quality work; 

• Strong organizational skills and the ability successfully to handle competing, time-sensitive assignments; 

• A high level of motivation with the ability to work independently, be a team player, and devote whatever time is necessary to complete our work; and 

• Demonstrated discretion, excellent judgment, and the ability to work well as a member of a larger team that is often working under pressure.

Other, preferred, qualifications include:

Other Qualifications

This Managing Assistant Attorney General 2 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 2 salaries are set between $90,444 and $169,392. The exact amount is set in accordance with Appendix B of the AWAAG CBA. Note that the position's location is King County and thus the person hired would be 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) showing the date law degree was conferred; and
• Writing sample (10 pages or less).

If you have questions about this position and/or wish to learn more about it before applying, we encourage and welcome you to contact Division Chief Patricio Marquez at Patricio.Marquez@atg.wa.gov or (206) 442-4495.

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The Washington State Office of the Attorney General does not use the E-Verify system; therefore, we are not eligible to extend STEM Optional Practical Training (OPT). For more information, please visit www.uscis.gov.

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.