RHODE ISLAND OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
SPECIAL ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL
CIVIL RIGHTS – UNIT CHIEF
Paygrade 8739 ($105,571 to $122,585)
Or commensurate with experience
March 1, 2024 – March 22, 2024
The Rhode Island Office of the Attorney General is seeking an attorney to serve as the Chief of the Civil and Community Rights Unit within the Public Protection Bureau. This attorney will be responsible for leading a team of dedicated attorneys and staff, developing investigations, and litigating cases of significant impact to vindicate Rhode Islanders’ civil rights. The applicant will be expected to litigate complex cases and draft, file and argue motions in state and federal court. While the attorney will primarily undertake civil enforcement actions there is also opportunity to assist in criminal prosecution of hate crimes and/or excessive use of force by police.
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. Every day, the Office’s attorneys fight to ensure the public safety of the state’s communities, improve the economic security of its citizens, safeguard the state’s spectacular natural resources, and restore the public’s trust in government. Assistant and Special Assistant Attorneys General represent the people of Rhode Island in civil and criminal matters before trial courts, appellate courts, and the Supreme Court of Rhode Island and the United States. The Office is unique among attorneys general offices across the country. Out of fifty states, only two other offices share the same broad criminal mission. The Office’s attorneys prosecute complex and violent crimes and functionally serve as one of the nation’s largest district attorney’s offices, prosecuting all felonies throughout the state.
Public Protection Bureau: The Public Protection Bureau has been recently created within the Civil Division of the Attorney General’s office and is comprised of four units – Health Care, Consumer and Economic Justice, Environmental and Energy and Civil & Community 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. The Public Protection Bureau and each of its units also engage with community members and advocates to identify needed change and with thought partners to understand drivers of poverty and inequities within existing systems. Litigation and other initiatives are chosen based on understanding where change is needed and the relationship of evident needs to larger drivers of inequity, and are prioritized by evaluating the potential for impact.
Civil & Community Rights Unit: The mission of the Civil & Community Rights Unit is to advocate for civil rights and protect those who are vulnerable by virtue of economic or social status or protected personal characteristics. The Unit undertakes actions to protect Rhode Island’s diverse communities from misconduct motivated by bigotry and bias, and works to advance rights to dignity, security and democratic participation. The Unit combines the authority vested in the Attorney General with powers under the Civil Rights Advocate and Lead Advocate statutes, handling certain housing, election, consumer finance, and education related matters. In addition, the Unit collaborates with all other units in the Public Protection Bureau where their work implicates the mission of Civil and Community Rights, including discrimination in health care, deceptive consumer practices that target minorities, and environmental harm that disproportionally affects minority communities.
The Unit also engages with community members and advocates to identify needed change and with thought partners to understand drivers of poverty and inequities within existing systems. Litigation and other initiatives are chosen based on understanding where change is needed and the relationship of evident needs to larger drivers of inequity and are prioritized by evaluating the potential for impact.
Responsibilities
Duties and Opportunities: The Unit Chief will be responsible for developing, leading, and supporting litigation and other initiatives in support of the mission of the Civil & Community Rights Unit. The attorney in this position will report to and work closely with the Deputy Chief for Public Protection to identify appropriate and novel areas of investigation and develop and litigate cases. The Unit Chief is responsible for the oversight and management of a team of attorneys and staff within the Unit. Responsibilities also include close work with community advocates, outside counsel, and other Attorney General offices. The applicant will be expected to carry a civil litigation caseload as first chair.
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 boards, commissions, working groups, and/or task forces as a designee of the Attorney General, providing substantive expertise to legislative or policy initiatives, supervising student interns as part of the Office’s legal internship program, and participating in the Office’s recruitment efforts.
Qualifications
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: Civil litigation experience in areas of complex litigation is critical to this position. At least eight years of litigation experience is preferred. Candidates must have strong written and oral advocacy and negotiating skills and possess the capacity to serve in a leadership role in a dynamic environment.
Application Process
Application Process: Applicants should mail or email a (1) 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 Crosson
Director of Administration
Office of the Attorney General
150 South Main Street Providence, RI 02903
Equal Opportunity Employer: The Attorney General’s Office is stronger, more credible, and more capable when its employees 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.
