Attorney General's Office - Section Director - Consumer Section

The Office of the Utah Attorney General has an immediate opening for a Section Director to manage and assist attorneys in enforcing consumer protection laws and act as counsel for the Utah Division of Consumer Protection. This includes bringing civil actions in administrative venues and state and federal courts.

Our team operates in the fast-paced, meaningful, and challenging world of affirmative enforcement. Our work includes litigating to stop the opioid crisis, challenging unaffordable insulin prices, suing Ticketmaster over its sales practices, holding social media companies accountable for harms to kids, driving Pornhub to bring down non-consensual and child pornography, combatting abuse against elders and other vulnerable populations, stopping false advertising, and halting Ponzi schemes.

The Commercial Enforcement Division’s mission is to make Utah’s marketplace safe and fair by combating unlawful commercial activities and building trust in our economic landscape. We work collaboratively with our client agencies and federal and state partners to:

• protect consumers from deceptive and unfair business practices (the Consumer Section);
• stop the unlicensed and fraudulent sales of securities and commodities, and oversee the professional standards for real estate brokers, appraisers, and mortgage lenders (the Securities & Real Estate Section); and
• regulate the professional standards for over thirty professions, from midwives to funeral services and nearly everything in between (the Professional Licensing Section).

The Section Director will lead the Consumer Section and will work under the management of the Division Director and alongside the Division’s other section directors. The Section Director will manage their own caseload, oversee other attorneys’ workflow, assist and mentor attorneys and staff, and collaborate with client agencies to maintain our team’s high standards and meet our goals. We are looking for a colleague who is a strong listener, writer, and communicator, is skilled in pre-trial discovery as well as trials, and has an enthusiasm for building and being part of a team.

Responsibilities

• Manage and guide team of approximately five attorneys and staff.
• Represent and advise the Utah Division of Consumer Protection.
• Assist, collaborate, and accept direction from Division Director and Office supervisors.
• Conduct all levels of civil litigation from initial intake, through investigation, pleadings, expert and fact discovery, trial, appeal, and post-judgment.
• Mentor and train attorneys, clerks, paralegals, and staff.
• Assist in developing Division policies and procedures.
• Evaluate and supervise team members.
• Handle high-profile and complex cases.
• Build and maintain positive relationships with clients, colleagues, and other federal and state attorneys.
• Communicate, write, and listen well.
• Advise clients and colleagues on complex issues of law and regulation.
• Learn new skills and practice areas as needed.
• Travel to various locations and stay overnight in and outside of Utah.

Qualifications

• Leadership and management skills.
• Motivated to represent the public’s interest.
• Demonstrate strong interpersonal and management skills.
• Experience and skill with client management.
• Years of experience litigating in court and administrative venues.
• Ability to work independently and prioritize own tasks while overseeing and assisting other attorneys and staff.
• Superb writing skills.
• Firm understanding of court and administrative procedural and evidentiary rules.
• Commitment to meeting the highest work-product, professionalism, and ethical standards.
• Knowledge of modern technology in the practice of law.
• A Juris Doctorate is required.
• Preference will be given to candidates with over seven years of relevant post-law school experience.

Supplemental Information

• This position is based in Salt Lake City and is not suitable for a candidate seeking full-time remote work.
• Risks found in the typical office setting, which is adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated, and requires a candidate to engage in, for example, safe use of office equipment, avoiding trips and falls, observing fire regulations, etc.
• Typically, the employee may sit comfortably to perform the work; but there may be some walking, standing, bending, carrying light items; driving a car, etc. Special physical demands are not required to perform the work.
• A conditional offer of employment will be made pending satisfactory completion of a background investigation.
• Must be able to travel as required.
• Valid driver license required to drive a motor vehicle on a highway in this state per Utah Code section 53-3-202(1)(a).
• Base salary is calculated based on initial Bar admittance year, less any years not practicing law, as outlined below. The chart below does not include $5,000 annual management increase for Section Directors or any applicable grade or loyalty increases for existing employees.
  Grade Level

  Bar Year

  Approximate Salary

  
  

  I

  2023-2025

  $121,500

  
  

  II

  2020-2022

  $127,700

  
  

  III

  2016-2019

  $134,300

  
  

  IV

  2015-Prior

  $140,900 - $180,000
  (Depending on Experience)