The State of Hawaii is seeking licensed attorneys to provide highly specialized legal services as Special Deputy Attorneys General. The selected attorney will support the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations (DLIR) in analyzing Hawaii’s Prepaid Health Care Act (PHCA), Chapter 393, HRS, and its relationship to the ERISA exemption under 29 U.S.C. § 1144(b)(5).
The work will involve evaluating proposed amendments, policy initiatives, and Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) proposals to determine whether they constitute substantive changes that fall outside Hawaii’s narrow federal exemption. The position requires the ability to deliver authoritative legal opinions and create defensible legal frameworks supporting state legislation and administrative rulemaking.
Responsibilities
- Analyze Hawaii’s Prepaid Health Care Act (PHCA) and its interaction with ERISA preemption laws.
- Evaluate proposed legislative amendments and policy initiatives, including PFML proposals, to determine compliance with the ERISA exemption.
- Provide expert legal opinions on employee benefits law and federal–state regulatory interactions.
- Develop legally sound frameworks to support state legislation and administrative rules.
- Serve as a Special Deputy Attorney General and collaborate with the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations.
Qualifications
- Licensed attorney qualified to practice law.
- Extensive experience with ERISA preemption doctrine.
- Strong knowledge of employee benefits law.
- Prior involvement in federal–state regulatory analysis.
- Ability to produce authoritative legal opinions and defensible legal frameworks.
- Expertise in supporting legislative and administrative rulemaking.
Application Process
Interested attorneys must submit a Statement of Qualifications and Expression of Interest for ERISA/PHCA services. Submissions will be accepted on a rolling basis, with immediate review of qualified submissions, as the Department seeks to fill this position urgently.
Email:
hawaiiag@hawaii.gov
– Use subject line: “ERISA/PHCA Statement of Interest”
Mail or In‑Person Delivery:
Department of the Attorney General
Attn: ERISA/PHCA Statement of Interest
425 Queen Street
Honolulu, HI 96813
More Information/Forms:
Statement forms available at: Hawaii AG Employment
