SPECIAL ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL/ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY UNIT

Duties and Opportunities: For this position, a Special Assistant Attorney General will be responsible for supporting and leading litigation enforcing environmental laws and engaging in other opportunities for advocacy before administrative bodies and with state agencies. The SAAG in this position will be responsible for investigations of potential cases, pre-trial litigation, negotiation, written and oral argument, trial work, and appeals. Responsibilities also include close work with community advocates, outside counsel, and other Attorney General offices on multistate litigation, with increasing opportunities to engage in multistate litigation to challenge the unlawful actions of the federal administration. This work may be in one or more of a broad range of civil areas including: environmental law, administrative law, energy regulation, mass tort, tort, and land use. The applicant will 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 are offered to ensure professional growth and development. Opportunities 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 5 years of litigation experience is preferred but not mandatory. Candidates must have strong written/oral advocacy and negotiation skills, a willingness to learn, and possess the capacity to function in a sometimes-high volume, demanding environment. Experience in both state and federal court is preferred. Salary is commensurate with experience—the listed paygrade assumes 5 years of experience.

The Rhode Island Office of the Attorney General is seeking a litigator to join its Environment and Energy Unit. The Special Assistant Attorney General—Environment and Energy Unit—will support the work of the Unit through consistent and high-level advocacy in regulatory, administrative, and judicial settings. This position provides a unique opportunity to utilize the Office’s legal tools to fight for clean air, water, and land, as well as climate adaptation, mitigation, and resiliency and to enable a green energy future while centering environmental justice principles.

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. 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, Environment and Energy and Civil 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.

Environment and Energy Unit: The Environment and Energy Unit within the Civil Division develops and leads high-impact, cutting-edge advocacy efforts in the environment and energy sectors, counsels the Attorney General and other government officials on environmental and energy-related issues; performs a range of functions, including litigation, public comment and policy development, and provides oversight with respect to state and federal agencies’ regulatory actions and responsibilities. From identifying and pursuing landmark civil actions against businesses and individuals that have harmed or threaten to harm the health of Rhode Islanders and/or the State’s public trust resources, to defending state laws, the Unit’s 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. This Unit also frequently engages with other Attorneys General throughout the country on multistate litigation, including on efforts to guard against the federal administration’s unlawful actions that threaten our environmental protection infrastructure and endanger our climate and energy future.

If applying for this position via mail or email, there is no need to also apply through the online system.

Application Process: Applicants should submit (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, and (4) a writing sample to:

Aida Gomez

Director of Administration

Office of the Attorney General

150 South Main Street, Providence, RI 02903

Nicholas M. Vaz

Unit Chief, Environment and Energy

Equal Opportunity Employer: The Attorney General’s Office is stronger, more credible, and more capable when its attorneys bring diverse backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives to their work. The Office encourages all qualified applicants from all ethnic and racial backgrounds, veterans, LGBTQ individuals, and persons with disabilities to apply.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, disability, or covered veteran status.

Other Information: Finalists will be subject to a full background investigation including reference checks. All offers of employment are contingent upon successful completion of the background investigation, receipt of letters of good standing from each Bar in which the applicant is a member, and membership in good standing with, or admission into, the Rhode Island Bar. In certain limited circumstances, applicants may be hired pending temporary or full admission.