Assistant Attorney General - 2026 Honors Program

Assistant Attorney General Honors Program

The Washington State Attorney General's Office (AGO) is pleased to invite you to apply to our 2026 Honors Program. The Honors Program is a yearly opportunity for qualified third-year law students, as well as those that are judicial clerks of the appellate and federal courts, to apply for permanent, entry-level attorney positions. Historically, this culminates in offers of an Assistant Attorney General (AAG) position to approximately five applicants. Those who receive offers are anticipated to start in August/September of 2027. Offers are contingent upon passing the July 2027 Washington State Bar examination or, for judicial clerks not yet members of the Washington State Bar Association, admission to the Washington State Bar by one's start date.

Those who receive and accept an offer will be placed in a division that takes into consideration one's preferences for division and office location assignment. Accordingly, one's divisional and geographic preferences and flexibility is a critical factor in the AGO's Honors application and interview process.

Regardless of one's specific placement, the AGO offers the opportunity to hit the ground running with meaningful work, collegial colleagues, and a strong infrastructure to build a successful legal career in public service. New AAGs can expect to receive immediate responsibility for case or client representation in an environment with ample training, mentorship, and guidance.

In furtherance of its mission to deliver the highest quality professional legal services to officials, agencies, and the people of the state of Washington, the AGO covers a diverse legal landscape, including but not limited to protecting children, vulnerable adults, and injured workers; consumer protection; civil and administrative litigation; environmental law; torts; tribal law; labor law; appellate practice; and criminal prosecution. The majority of AAGs provide litigation and client advice in support of assigned clients, the full scope of which includes more than 230 state agencies, boards, commissions, colleges, and universities, as well as the Legislature and the Governor. The AGO has over 800 attorneys working in 30+ legal divisions in the following locations: Olympia, Seattle, Tacoma, Spokane, Everett, Bellingham, Vancouver, Yakima, Kennewick, Wenatchee, Port Angeles, and Pullman.

The Office appreciates the benefits of a healthy life–work balance as well as a respectful, inclusive, and diverse workplace. Successful candidates will join an office in which every person is committed to providing exceptional legal services, and where individual professional development is encouraged and supported. The exceptional benefits of joining the AGO include:

• A competitive benefit package that includes affordable medical plan options, dental benefits, and retirement plans;
• Vacation Leave, Sick Leave, Military and Civil Leave, and Paid Holidays;
• A transparent salary schedule—effective July 2026, AAG salaries will be set between $83,856 and $157,080. The exact amount is set in accordance with Appendix B of the AWAAG CBA;
• Payment by the AGO of the general bar dues for someone hired through the Honors program per Article 10.8 of the AWAAG CBA;
• Flex schedules and telecommuting options;
• A formal AAG mentoring program that complements the AGO's inherently collegial and supportive environment;
• A health and wellness program; and
• A training and career development program that is recognized for its excellence and efficacy by Attorney General offices nationwide.

If you meet the qualifications, share our vision, and have a desire to do important work that makes a difference for our community, then we invite you to apply!

Duties

Although every position is unique and may differ based on division placement, typical duties of AAGs can include:

• Researching legal issues;
• Consulting with clients and providing option-based advice as necessary;
• Developing litigation strategies;
• Identifying and preparing witnesses and exhibits;
• Crafting necessary pleadings and briefs;
• Litigating cases before administrative entities or various levels of state and federal court; and
• Positively contributing to the supportive, inclusive, and collegial community that is the AGO.

Qualifications

To be eligible, one must be a third-year law student attending a school accredited by the ABA, or a judicial clerk of an appellate or federal court, who received a JD from a law school accredited by the ABA.

The following qualifications are highly desirable:

• Superior verbal and written communication skills that allow one to convey accurate and sometimes complex information in a clear, concise, and understandable manner;
• Interest in litigation and the ability to work both independently and in teams to successfully prioritize and manage one's own caseload;
• Excellent interpersonal skills to interact with colleagues and clients, and to contribute to a collegial, inclusive, and positive work environment;
• An interest in the work of the AGO and a demonstrated commitment to public service;
• Interest and self-motivation to learn new areas of the law and develop new skills; and
• Divisional and geographic preferences that can be reasonably satisfied via the Honors Program's timing and placement process.

A few positions within the AGO have exposure to information that requires staff be screened and pass a fingerprint-based background check. Although it is unlikely that an Honors Program candidate would be placed into a position that requires such a fingerprint background check, given the positions' inherent experience level and the fact that so few positions require such a check, this nevertheless provides notice that you may be subject to a fingerprint background check and be subject to additional background checks as a condition of employment every five (5) years thereafter.

Supplemental Information

To be considered for this opportunity, hit the "apply" button. In addition to fully completing a profile and responding to all supplemental questions, you must upload all required documents, preferably as PDFs. Additional information such as writing samples and additional letters of recommendation will be accepted but are not required. Required documents are:

• A letter of interest;
• Resume;
• Law school transcript (unofficial copy is acceptable); and
• Letter of recommendation (This is the ONLY document that can be provided separately; however, it must be received by the deadline date of August 10, 2026. The letter should be sent via email to View email address on click.appcast.io. If you have ever served as an AGO law clerk, it is required that you provide a letter of recommendation from your AGO supervisor.)

Timely and complete applications will be reviewed and invitations to interview will be extended. The AGO will conduct first and second-round interviews via Zoom; for the first round, we will also be conducting on-campus interviews in-person at the law schools of the University of Washington and Gonzaga University. If you attend one of those schools, you must adhere to your law school's OCI deadline to participate in OCI. Seattle University School of Law students will adhere to the general deadline of August 10, 2026. Also, for those participating in the local law school OCI's please know that you only have to submit a resume to the career services portal for your law school but you MUST apply via and upload all of the required documents listed above by the school's deadline. All other applicants, including those attending Gonzaga and UW who do not wish to participate in OCIs, must adhere to the August 10, 2026, deadline.

The AGO is not able to reimburse applicants for expenses incurred while participating in this recruitment program. Although subject to change, we do expect to extend offers to successful applicants by November 2026.

Questions about this program can be directed to the recruitment office at View email address on click.appcast.io. Information about the Attorney General's Office can be found by visiting our website at