SUPERVISORY TRIAL ATTORNEY (Public Integrity Section Chief)

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Job location
441 4th St. NW
Washington, DC 20001
United States
Organization information
Organization name: 
Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia
Job type: 
Other
Position Description: 

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES: The Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia (OAG) is seeking candidates for the position of Section Chief for the Public Integrity Section (“Section”) in the Public Advocacy Division (“the Division”). This is a new Division within OAG intended to focus and elevate the Office’s affirmative public interest civil litigation practice. Because the Division is new, the Section Chief will help the Deputy to shape the Section and the nature of its work. The Section is one of two in the Division:

The Housing and Community Justice Section, led by the Section’s Chief. This Section works with community groups, tenant organizations, and District government agencies to address nuisance properties, litigates cases essential to protecting affordable housing and tenants’ rights, and litigates cases to protect residents from other abuses such as wage theft.

The Public Integrity Section, led by the successful candidate. This Section brings enforcement cases against companies and individuals that engage in unlawful commercial activity causing harm to the public or harm to the District Government itself. The Division prosecutes a wide range of cases, including cases seeking damages or injunctive relief for violations of the antitrust, environmental, anti-fraud, nonprofit, and charities laws. Recent enforcement actions have addressed a wide range of public interest issues, including diversion of funding from public charter schools, misuse of District grant funds, online lending to consumers, and airline competition at Reagan National Airport.

The Section Chief will oversee the management and operation of the Public Integrity Section and will report to the Assistant Deputy and Deputy of the Public Advocacy Division. The management of the Section also includes creating common policies and exploit synergies between various buckets of affirmative litigation already practiced, as well as to expand upon the work already done by these attorneys in a manner that serves the public interest. The Section Chief will work closely with the Deputy and Assistant Deputy in the planning, coordination and management of the Division, including developing and implementing the vision for the Division’s affirmative civil litigation work. The responsibilities of the Section Chief include, but are not limited to:

Helping to expand the Section, developing its policies, practices, and procedures, including:
o Consulting with the Assistant Deputy and Deputy in the formulation of the section’s legal and policy objectives;
o Incorporating best practices from the affirmative litigation groups of other state attorney general offices;
o Developing practices that encourage testing novel legal strategies or categories of cases that seek to promote the public interest; and
o Developing policies, including internal procedures as well as potential regulation or legislation, to strengthen existing protections for District residents.

Managing the litigation work of the Section, including:
o Establishing litigation priorities;
o Supervising the litigation practice of the Section, including all aspects of civil actions, investigations, negotiations, and resolutions;
o Reviewing pleadings, motions, memoranda, and correspondence;
o Reviewing litigation outcomes to determine when appellate review may be needed; and
o Generating monthly case reports and other evaluative tools to the Assistant Deputy and Deputy.

Managing the operations of the Section, including:
o Preparing annual budget requests and performing ongoing programmatic monitoring and reporting;
o Managing personnel, including support staff, in a manner that encourages professional development, employee satisfaction, and quality outcomes; and
o Otherwise managing the operation of the Section in compliance with OAG policies and procedures to ensure timely delivery of legal services on a daily and long-range basis.

Other duties associated with leading the Section, including:
o Advising the Attorney General on legal issues within the Public Advocacy arena;
o Fielding complaints from the public;
o Handling public speaking requests, press, and media inquiries;
o Participating in relevant work groups or OAG special projects, continuing legal education, and other opportunities to expand or inform the Section’s work;
o Coordinating with other OAG Divisions on joint enforcement or other opportunities; and
o Liaising, as needed, with members of the District of Columbia Council, members of the Executive, and other District officials on matters pertaining to the work of the Section.

Requirements: 

QUALIFICATIONS: The candidate must have significant experience supervising legal work, including the day-to-day activities of attorneys and support staff as well as strong organizational skills. The candidate should have at least 5 years of civil litigation experience, preferably in affirmative or otherwise public interest litigation, and excellent oral and writing skills. The candidate should also have a creative orientation toward the law and bring innovative thinking to the ways in which OAG can expand its work to meet the needs of District residents.

ELIGIBILITY: The successful candidate must have a law degree and be an active member in good standing of the bar of any jurisdiction. If not a member of the District of Columbia Bar, the candidate must be sworn into the District of Columbia Bar within 360 days of his/her initial appointment with the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia.

To apply: 

HOW TO APPLY: Candidates should e-mail one PDF file which includes: 1) a cover letter (must include the vacancy number) summarizing why you are interested and the skills and abilities you possess that will enable you to succeed in this position; 2) résumé; 3) list of three references; and 4) a writing sample to [email protected] by 11:59pm EST on July 10, 2017, addressed to Arlyntha Love, Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia, 441 4th Street NW, Washington, DC 20001.

Notes: 
Equal Opportunity Employer
Submission deadline: 
Monday, June 19, 2017