OAG - Special Counsel | Assistant Attorney General

About the role

The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) is seeking experienced civil litigators to join its Special Litigation Division (SLD). SLD, created in 2015 by Attorney General Ken Paxton, handles and coordinates high-profile, high-impact litigation for the State of Texas. Its primary focus is affirmative litigation to enforce the limits of government authority.

The OAG is a dynamic state agency with over 4,000 employees throughout the State of Texas. As the State's law firm, the OAG provides exemplary legal representation in diverse areas of law. OAG employees enjoy excellent benefits along with tremendous opportunities to do important work at a large, dynamic state agency making a positive difference in the lives of Texans.

Responsibilities

Assistant Attorneys General in SLD are typically also appointed as Special Counsel and are responsible for litigating complex cases on a variety of subjects, from pre-filing research to appeal, in both state and federal court. SLD personnel collaborate frequently with other OAG divisions and advise, counsel, and assist client state agencies and OAG's executive leadership.

• Represents the state's interest as counsel in all stages of significant, high-profile, and complex multi-divisional litigation matters involving a variety of legal areas at the pretrial, trial, and appellate level in both state and federal court
• Provides legal advice, counsel, and assistance to client state agencies and the agency's Executive Administration on significant, multi-divisional litigation matters
• Oversees the preparation of cases for trial
• Oversees the analysis of factual and legal issues and develops evidence through witness interviews, depositions, and other discovery
• Represents the State's interest in litigation matters
• Advises clients and management on factual and legal issues
• Performs related work as assigned
• Maintains relevant knowledge necessary to perform essential job functions
• Attends work regularly in compliance with agreed-upon work schedule
• Ensures security and confidentiality of sensitive and/or protected information
• Complies with all agency policies and procedures, including those pertaining to ethics and integrity

Requirements

The following are the minimum qualifications for the Assistant Attorney General positions:

• Graduation from an accredited law school with a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree
• Member in good standing with the State Bar of Texas
• Knowledge of legal principles, practices, and proceedings; and of state and federal laws, regulations, and rules
• Skill in legal research, writing, and analysis; in conducting investigations; in mediation and negotiations; in using reasoning and logic; in identifying and solving complex problems; in prioritizing workloads; in using judgment to identify courses of action; and in the use of a computer and applicable software

Qualifications

The following are the specific qualifications for each Assistant Attorney General position:

• Assistant Attorney General III: Two years of full-time litigation experience as a licensed attorney
• Assistant Attorney General IV: Three years of full-time litigation experience as a licensed attorney, with additional skills in handling multiple tasks, prioritizing, and meeting deadlines
• Assistant Attorney General V: Four years of full-time litigation experience as a licensed attorney, with additional skills in handling multiple tasks, prioritizing, and meeting deadlines, and the ability to supervise the work of others

Skills

The following skills are preferred for the Assistant Attorney General positions:

• Experience with the Federal Administrative Procedure Act
• Experience analyzing issues of Federal and State Constitutional Law
• Federal or State Court Clerkship

Benefits

OAG employees enjoy excellent benefits, which can be found at https://ers.texas.gov/Benefits-at-a-Glance