The Rhode Island Office of the Attorney General is seeking a candidate for a Special Assistant Attorney General (SAAG) position within the Public Protection Bureau of the Civil Division.

 

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 has been recently created within the Civil Division of the Attorney General’s office and is comprised of four units – Healthcare, 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.

 

Consumer and Economic Justice Unit: The mission of the Consumer and Economic Justice Unit is to protect Rhode Islanders and Rhode Island businesses from unfair, deceptive, fraudulent, or anti-competitive trade practices. Unit staff has the ability to make a direct and meaningful impact on their local community while working in an interesting and evolving area of the law. The Unit identifies business practices that negatively impact Rhode Islanders, investigates, and when necessary, takes appropriate enforcement action, including filing civil suit. The Unit is also an advocate for systemic legal, regulatory and industry change that will benefit consumers, workers, and students. The Unit handles complex, fast-moving, and high-stakes matters on behalf of the State ranging from multi-state antitrust lawsuits against big tech to false advertising claims against businesses preying on Rhode Islanders. This work utilizes a broad range of legal tools across industries working on timely and impactful issues. The Unit is comprised of attorneys and non-attorney investigators and has direct responsibility for educating consumers, fielding consumer complaints, and responding directly to constituents. The Unit maintains offices in Cranston and Providence.

 

Duties and Opportunities: The Special Assistant Attorney General within the Consumer and Economic Justice Unit will be expected to develop, lead, and support litigation and other initiatives calculated to ensure fairness in Rhode Island’s economy. The SAAG in this position will be responsible for assisting in identifying appropriate areas of investigation, managing investigations of potential cases, prioritizing Consumer work, case development, pre-trial litigation, negotiation, written and oral argument, trial work, and appeals. Responsibilities also include close work with consumers, investigators, community advocates, federal enforcers, and other Attorney General offices on multistate litigation. This work may be in one or more of a broad range of civil areas including: administrative law, antitrust, consumer and deceptive practices, data protection & privacy and charitable trusts. 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.

 

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, and 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 prepared to sit for the bar exam or obtain admission through score transfer. 

 

Qualifications:  At least three years of litigation experience is preferred but not mandatory. Strong candidates will have a demonstrated commitment to public interest law. Candidates must have strong written/oral advocacy and negotiating skills and possess the capacity to function in a sometimes-high stress, demanding environment. Applicant must work well independently and as part of a team, including with other attorneys, investigators, and support staff. Ability to work with other state government employees and communicate with members of the public is a must. Litigation experience in both state and federal court is preferred. 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 email or mail (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, (4) letter of good standing from each Bar of which you are a member, and (5) a writing sample to: