Description

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.
This position will remain open until a sufficient number of qualified candidates have applied. First review of applications is expected to occur on February 28, 2023 and will be ongoing. It is in the applicants’ best interest to submit their application materials as early as possible. The hiring manager reserves the right to make a hiring decision at any time. This job posting may be closed at any time without notice.

Position and Salary

The Attorney General’s Office is recruiting for a permanent full time Legal Assistant 4 in the Civil Rights Division. This position is located in downtown Seattle, Washington, and is represented by the Washington Federation of State Employees (WFSE).

Legal Assistant 4 (Range 48) salary range: $46,980 - $63,216
The base pay actually offered will take into account internal equity and may vary depending on the preferred candidate’s job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.

The following stipends may apply based on position details:

• 
  Incumbents assigned to our Seattle office location receive an additional 5% King County Location Pay stipend.
• Legal Assistant 2, Legal Assistant 3 and Legal Assistant 4 incumbents assigned to our Seattle office location receive an additional 15% of base salary.
• Incumbents assigned to a position designated as requiring dual language skills will receive a 5% Dual Language Requirement Pay stipend.

Excellent benefits

Washington State offers one of the most competitive benefits packages in the nation, including Medical/Dental/Vision for employees & dependent(s); Vacation, Sick, and Other Leave; 11 Paid Holidays per year; Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) plans; and Life Insurance. Beyond these traditional benefits, we offer Dependent Care Assistance, Flexible Spending Accounts, Public Service Loan Forgiveness, Tuition Waiver, Deferred Compensation, Employee Recognition Leave, and more.

With the goal of employee health and wellness, we also offer flexible schedules and telework options for most positions, a Wellness Program, the Employee Assistance Program, and numerous affinity groups to foster community and connection.

WASHINGTON STATE OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL

Join an agency whose work impacts the lives of every resident of Washington State.

The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) touches the lives of every resident in this state. We serve more than 230 state agencies, boards, commissions, colleges and universities, as well as the Legislature and the Governor. The Office is comprised of nearly 700 attorneys and 800 professional staff, all working together to deliver the highest quality professional legal services to Washington state officials, agencies, and entities. This includes:

• Economic justice and consumer protections (safeguarding consumers, protecting youth, seniors, and other vulnerable populations)
• Social justice and civil rights (addressing discrimination, environmental protection, and veteran and military resources)
• Criminal justice and public safety (investigative and prosecutorial support, financial crimes)
• And much more!

Our agency also has national reach, representing the State of Washington before the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals and trial courts in all cases that involve the state’s interest. If you want to make a difference, we may be the perfect fit for you! Learn more about the AGO here.

Commitment to Diversity

Diversity is critical to the success of the mission of the AGO. This means recognizing, respecting, and appreciating all cultures and backgrounds- and fostering the inclusion of differences between people. Appreciating, valuing and implementing principles of diversity permits AGO employees to achieve their fullest potential in an inclusive, respectful environment.

One recent measure of the AGO's commitment to diversity can be found in its nomination for Rainbow Alliance and Inclusion Network's "Outstanding Agency Award" in 2019. Our commitment to employee wellness is reflected in earning the 2021 Zo8 Washington Wellness Award.

Division Information
The Wing Luke Civil Rights Division of the Washington State Attorney General's Office seeks a permanent full time Legal Assistant 4.

The Civil Rights Division leads some of the most visible and cutting-edge enforcement matters the office undertakes, including Washington’s challenges to the federal government’s Travel Ban, Transgender Military Service Ban, and attempt to repeal of DACA. We challenge labor practices at the Northwest Detention Center and in industries ranging from aerospace to agriculture. Our team protects the rights of Washingtonians to live and participate in our communities without discrimination on the bases of race, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity (Download PDF reader), veteran status, or disability. We encourage interested candidates to review our full list of cases and amicus briefs.

Our Division is located in Seattle and consists of fourteen attorneys, three investigators, and eight other professional staff members. We are committed to the highest-quality work and value collaboration, diversity, creativity, and collegiality.

The incumbent in this position supports the mission and values of the Attorney General's Office and under general direction, the primary purpose of this position is to supervise the legal support staff while applying independent judgment in completing complex tasks and projects. This position also works collaboratively with AAGs and other CRD staff by performing complex legal, technical, secretarial, and administrative support functions requiring a high degree of knowledge of legal concepts and issues. This high-level legal support allows the whole team to produce high quality work and achieve the desired outcomes in their cases, thereby helping to ensure the rights of Washingtonians are protected and advanced. This position is a member of the CRD Management Team.

Duties

What does a Legal Assistant 4 do?

The Legal Assistant 4 role is a critical member of the professional staff management team. They coordinate with CRD’s Lead Support and other division managers to plan, lead, and organize the work performed by designated and other office staff. They assist in the hiring, evaluation, and corrective action of designated staff, requiring a thorough understanding and implementation of the Human Resource Management System (HRMS), and agency policies and procedures. The Legal Assistant 4 supervises, trains, and coaches legal support staff in the performance of all duties; at the expert level applies independent judgment in completing complex tasks and projects such as: schedules, prepares agenda and conducts staff meetings; determines the distribution of direct supports’ workload to resolve workload conflicts using expert knowledge of legal support assignments; assists in the formulation of office procedures and makes suggestions for updates to office manuals to CRD Lead Support to maximize the efficiency and operations of a legal office.

This position will assist the CRD Lead Support to develop and/or update position description forms; interview and recommends individuals for appointment or promotion; provide training to new and existing staff; provide new staff with orientation; assign and monitors work of direct reports; conduct interim and annual performance reviews; take corrective action; and recommend disciplinary action when needed to CRD Lead Support.

As a member of the CRD Management Team, the Legal Assistant 4 will attend regular and special management meetings and may participate in business planning. The selected candidate will model and provide leadership to promote teamwork, staff motivation, and the provision of high-quality services. This position will analyze issues and trends, research problems, and collect and provide data. The Legal Assistant 4 will prepare and provide reports as directed.

This recruitment announcement may be used to fill multiple open positions for the same classification, in addition to the position(s) listed in this announcement.

Qualifications

Option 1: High School diploma or equivalent and five years of experience in a legal environment in support of an attorney, administrative law judge(s), review judge(s) or equivalent including at least two years of supervising, leading, mentoring, coaching or training experience;

Option 2: One year as a Legal Assistant 3 in Washington State service;

Option 3: A combination of six years of college education and/or relevant experience including at least two years of supervising, leading, mentoring, coaching or training experience.

Conditions of Employment

Per AGO Policy, employees and volunteers of the AGO must be fully vaccinated as a condition of employment. Being fully vaccinated means that an individual is at least two weeks past their final dose of an authorized COVID-19 vaccine regimen. Effective March 14, 2022, the AGO announced pursuant to its policy, that employees and volunteers must also receive a booster shot as a condition of employment. Employees or volunteers who are not eligible to receive the booster before their start date, due to required waiting times after receiving their initial vaccine(s), must provide confirmation of the vaccine type and date received so the AGO can calculate the date by which they must receive the booster. If you are selected to serve within the AGO as an employee or volunteer, you will be required to provide proof of vaccination and booster (if already received) before you are able to begin work. You may request an accommodation if you are unable to meet the requirement due to a medical or religious necessity.

Applicants or candidates being considered for employment shall not share their vaccination status with hiring managers or interview panels.

Supplemental Information

In addition to completing the online application, applicants must attach the following documents to their profile in order to be considered for this position:

• A letter of interest, describing your specific qualifications for the position;
• A current resume detailing experience and education.

Read The Following Information Completely:

• Carefully review your application for accuracy, spelling and grammar before submitting.
• You may not reapply to this posting for 60 days.
• The initial screening of applications will be solely based on the contents and completeness of the “work experience” and “education” sections of your application in www.careers.wa.gov, completeness of the application material submitted, and responses to the supplemental questionnaire.
• A resume will not substitute for completing the “work experience” section of the application.
• All information may be verified and documentation may be required.

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 race, creed, color, national origin, sex, marital status, sexual orientation/gender identity, age, disability, honorably discharged veteran or military status, retaliation 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.

For questions regarding this recruitment or assistance with the application process, please contact Judith Vandergeest @ (360) 586-7691 or Judith.Vandergeest@atg.wa.gov.

If you are having technical difficulties creating, accessing or completing your application, please call NEOGOV toll-free at (855) 524-5627 or support@neogov.com.