State attorney general jobs Forum

[BruceWayne]

Anyone have any experience with these? Salary, quality of life, ability to become an AUSA down the line, type of work etc.?

Edit I obviously mean working as an assistant state attorney general.

[Aqualibrium]

Doesn't seem like the type of job you can really "aim" for. From what I know, in some states the AG is an elected official, in others he's simply appointed by the governor. Seems like you need to be politically connected and/or know someone and/or be in the right place at the right time to get a job like that under those circumstances.

[BruceWayne]

Doesn't seem like the type of job you can really "aim" for. From what I know, in some states the AG is an elected official, in others he's simply appointed by the governor. Seems like you need to be politically connected and/or know someone and/or be in the right place at the right time to get a job like that under those circumstances.

I messed up with the original post; I meant assistant state attorney positions.

[Aqualibrium]

Doesn't seem like the type of job you can really "aim" for. From what I know, in some states the AG is an elected official, in others he's simply appointed by the governor. Seems like you need to be politically connected and/or know someone and/or be in the right place at the right time to get a job like that under those circumstances.

I messed up with the original post; I meant assistant state attorney positions.

I understand, but don't the assistant state attorney generals work in the AG's office. Seems like a very politically volatile position to me.

[DCDuck]

Salary, QoL, etc. really depends on the state. But I think DA work would more closely align with AUSA than assistant AG. Also depends on the division you work in at the AG's office.

[BeautifulSW]

State Attorneys General vary. Here's my experience:

I spent some time in Santa Fe as an Assistant New Mexico Attorney General. Very low pay unless you are one of the Deputies. Completely "exempt", that is, no civil service protections. Endlessly interesting work. Not at all a gateway to what passes for Big Law in New Mexico. Most assistants are career oriented so turnover is very low. The NMAG is advertising a couple of slots in this months' Bar Bulletin. http://www.nmbar.org

The AG in New Mexico had four divisions when I was there: Criminal Appeals, Civil, Civil Litigation, and Consumer Protection. Of these, the "sexiest" is unquestionably Criminal Appeals but since the AG is the only law firm doing criminal appeals for the prosecution in State Court, it's a dead-end job.

The larger State agencies such as Taxation and Revenue select and hire their own in-house lawyers. The AG theoretically supervises these attorneys and usually commissions them as Special Assistant Attorneys General. In fact, they answer only to their own agency heads. These jobs are mostly not located in Santa Fe and tend to pay a little better.

[TTH]

State Attorneys General vary. Here's my experience:

I spent some time in Santa Fe as an Assistant New Mexico Attorney General. Very low pay unless you are one of the Deputies. Completely "exempt", that is, no civil service protections. Endlessly interesting work. Not at all a gateway to what passes for Big Law in New Mexico. Most assistants are career oriented so turnover is very low. The NMAG is advertising a couple of slots in this months' Bar Bulletin. http://www.nmbar.org

The AG in New Mexico had four divisions when I was there: Criminal Appeals, Civil, Civil Litigation, and Consumer Protection. Of these, the "sexiest" is unquestionably Criminal Appeals but since the AG is the only law firm doing criminal appeals for the prosecution in State Court, it's a dead-end job.

The larger State agencies such as Taxation and Revenue select and hire their own in-house lawyers. The AG theoretically supervises these attorneys and usually commissions them as Special Assistant Attorneys General. In fact, they answer only to their own agency heads. These jobs are mostly not located in Santa Fe and tend to pay a little better.

Friend of mine is an A-AG in West Virginia and this all sounds about right. Most of the interesting legal work typically gets farmed out to local firms, and they're stuck with the dreck.

[BeautifulSW]

I forgot a couple of things, though. There was another Division called Special Prosecutions but when I was there it was pretty much moribund. I guess that my AG preferred to work through the local District Attorney instead of doing the trial work out of our office. Or maybe he was taking kickbacks. How would I know?

Also, I should have pointed out that there's a trap in doing Civil for a State Attorney General. If you are any good, you will quickly become a recognized, state-wide expert in some area of Administrative Law. Unfortuantely, there just aren't that many private firms that need a resident expert on, say, the removal and cleanup of Underground Storage Tanks or the permitting process for brine wells so eventually the only place you can work is for the Attorney General. It also means that the incoming AG following an election is unlikely to fire you. The whole thing tends to translate into a long, low paid career.

FInally, around here anyway, the AG prefers to hire new lawyers with a couple of years of experience rather than right out of school.