RHODE ISLAND OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
SPECIAL ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL
CIVIL DIVISION/PUBLIC PROTECTION BUREAU
PAY GRADE 8730 ($76,299 – $86,372)
OR COMMENSURATE WITH EXPERIENCE
March 28, 2024 – December 31, 2024
About the Office of the Attorney General: The Attorney General is the state’s top lawyer and law enforcement official, protecting and serving the people and interests of Rhode Island through a broad range of duties. Every day, the Office’s attorneys fight to ensure the public safety of the state’s communities, improve the economic security of its citizens, safeguard the state’s spectacular natural resources, and restore the public’s trust in government. Assistant and Special Assistant Attorneys General represent the people of Rhode Island in civil and criminal matters before trial courts, appellate courts, and the supreme courts of Rhode Island and the United States. The Office is unique among attorneys general offices across the country. Out of fifty states, only two other offices share the same broad criminal mission. The Office’s attorneys prosecute complex and violent crimes but also functionally serve as one of the nation’s largest district attorney’s offices, prosecuting all felonies throughout the state.
Civil Division: The Civil Division leads affirmative and defensive litigation on behalf of the state, counsels the Attorney General and other government officials, and performs a range of regulatory duties. From identifying and pursuing landmark civil actions against businesses and individuals that have harmed Rhode Islanders to defending state laws, state agencies, state general officers, legislators, and employees, the Division and its attorneys are at the forefront of matters being litigated before trial courts, appellate courts, and the supreme courts of Rhode Island and the United States.
Public Protection Bureau: The Public Protection Bureau is comprised of four units – Health Care, Consumer and Economic Justice, Environmental and Energy and Civil & Community Rights. Each of these units affirmatively develops legal work and initiatives by using the legal authority of the Office of Attorney General to advance and protect dignity, quality of life, and equity for all Rhode Islanders. The Public Protection Bureau and each of its units also engage with community members and advocates to identify needed change and with thought partners to understand drivers of poverty and inequities within existing systems. Litigation and other initiatives are chosen based on understanding where change is needed and the relationship of evident needs to larger drivers of inequity, and are prioritized by evaluating the potential for impact.
Duties and Opportunities: A SAAG in the Civil Division, working with colleagues and senior attorneys, will be responsible for case development, pre-trial litigation, negotiation, written and oral argument, regulatory and agency advising and trial work. The applicant will be expected to carry a full civil litigation caseload in the capacity as first and as second chair, and be expected to draft, file, and argue motions/legal memoranda, as well as litigate, in state and federal court on behalf of the state of Rhode Island, its agencies, and its officers or employees.
Opportunities for Special Assistant Attorneys General in the Civil Division also include attending National Association of Attorney General trainings and conferences throughout the country, serving on state, local, federal, and/or non-profit boards, commissions, working groups, and/or task forces as a designee of the Attorney General, providing substantive expertise to legislative or policy initiatives, supervising student interns as part of the Office’s legal internship program.
Eligibility: The successful applicant must have a law degree from an accredited law school and be an active member in good standing of the bar of any jurisdiction. If not a member of the Rhode Island Bar, the candidate must be eligible for admission to the Rhode Island bar and, if necessary, be willing to take the Rhode Island bar examination.
Qualifications: Candidates with three to five years of experience are preferred, while strong recent graduates will also be considered. Strong candidates will have a demonstrated commitment to public interest law. The position will require an ability to work in teams, an interest in creative legal thinking and a demonstrated ability to both envision and build on an organizational level. Candidates must have strong written skills and possess the capacity to function in a demanding environment. The ability to work with other state government employees and communicate with members of the public is a must. The applicant should bring innovative thinking to the ways in which the Office of the Attorney General can consistently and increasingly meet the needs of Rhode Island residents.
How to Apply: Applicants should submit a (1) a cover letter summarizing why you are interested and describing the skills and abilities you possess that will enable you to succeed in this position, (2) resume, (3) list of three references, and (4) a writing sample to:
Aida Crosson
Director of Administration
Office of the Attorney General
150 South Main Street Providence, RI 02903
[email protected]
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