Team Leader - Children, Youth, and Families Division, Olympia
: Job Details :

Description

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. 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 - MAAG salaries are set between $80,592 and $156,996.
• The AGO will pay the general bar dues of someone who begins their assignment on or before January 31st.
• 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 Children, Youth, and Families Division of the Washington State Attorney General's Office has an immediate opening for a Team Leader position in the Juvenile Litigation Section. The CYF Division is made up of two sections, the Juvenile Litigation (JUV) Section and the Program Advice and Litigation (PAL) Section. The JUV Section has an exciting opportunity for a managing AAG to lead a team of four attorneys who represent the Department of Children, Youth, and Families in juvenile litigation cases in Lewis and Mason Counties. The Team Leader will work in the dynamic legal field of child welfare which involves litigating fast-paced dependency, guardianship, and termination of parent rights cases.

Duties

About the Section's Work: The JUV Section provides legal representation to the Washington State's Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) to protect abused and neglected children in dependency, guardianship, and termination of parental rights cases. This position involves a fast-paced litigation workload, with weekly court appearances on the juvenile court calendar, and frequent trials. The subject matter can be difficult, but the work is remarkably rewarding. The JUV section represents DCYF in child welfare cases in Grays Harbor, Lewis, Mason, Thurston, and Pacific counties' juvenile and superior courts and in appellate courts. The section also handles foster care and child care licensing cases before the Office of Administrative Hearings.

Leading a Team: The Team Leader will join the sixteen-attorney JUV section and will serve as a member of the CYF Division Management Team. In addition to maintaining their own caseload, the Team Leader will supervise four attorneys who represent DCYF in Lewis and Mason Counties. The Team Leader will report to the JUV Section Chief. The team's work takes place in a fast-paced atmosphere, and an extremely collaborative and collegial work environment. This full time position is located in Tumwater, and involves travel to other nearby counties.

Qualifications

In addition to meeting the requirements to serve as an Assistant Attorney General, the ideal candidate will have a passion for training attorneys and staff on child welfare legal requirements and litigation skills, have knowledge of these areas, and is a confident communicator and collaborator who also enjoys working independently.

Desirable qualifications for legal work and management include:

• Demonstrated ability to foster teamwork and collaboration and promote a positive work environment that recognizes and respects all employees;
• Litigation experience in state court;
• The ability to oversee all components of litigation including motion practice;
• Experience providing client advice;
• Relevant experience in the legal work performed by the section;
• Comprehensive knowledge of rules and procedures related to assigned practice areas;
• Experience reviewing client advice for others;
• The ability to juggle competing priorities;
• The ability to work well with a variety of people;
• A passion for child welfare;
• Flexibility and empathy are also desirable qualities.

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.

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); and
• Writing sample.

If you have questions about this position and/or want to learn more about it before applying, you are welcome and encouraged to contact Section Chief Margaret MacRae at (360) ###-#### or by email at ...@atg.wa.gov or Division Chief Carrie Wayno at (360) ###-#### or by email at ...@atg.wa.gov.