ATTORNEY GENERAL (DEPT OF LAW)

Address: 2005 N CENTRAL AVE PHOENIX, AZ 85004

Salary: $71,500-$105,000 

Grade: 01

Closing Date: Continuous

The Arizona Attorney General's Office Civil Litigation Division, Bankruptcy Collection & Enforcement Section, is seeking an Assistant Attorney General. The attorney will be responsible for providing legal advice and counsel to various State agencies concerning debt collection matters and and creditors' rights. The attorney will represent State agencies primarily in Arizona Superior Courts, but also in federal district court and local tribunals, and will initiate, manage, and litigate collection actions to recover debts owed to the State. Responsibilities include all phases of litigation, including motion practice, hearings, trials, and appeals, as well as post- judgment enforcement efforts such as garnishments and other judicial and non- judicial collection remedies. The attorney will also defend and enforce State liens and handle a variety of related legal matters involving taxes, community property, contacts, and collection law. The practice includes a variety of legal issues including receiverships, probate matters, foreclosures, excess proceeds, and other proceedings necessary to protect and advance the State's financial interests. The attorney will perform additional duties as assigned.

This position may offer the ability to work remotely three days a week, based upon the departments business needs and continual meeting of expected performance measures.

Draft legal forms, memoranda, pleadings, motions, and correspondence. Provide collection and legal advice to State agencies. Appear in trial, hearing and appellate courts.

• Knowledge of Arizona Court Rules including Arizona Rules of Civil Procedure, Arizona Rules of Evidence, and Arizona Rules of Probate Procedure.
• Knowledge of debt collection, and understand real estate law, contract law, probate law, personal property law, bankruptcy law, and community property law as they pertain to debt collections.
• Knowledge of legal techniques and the basic concepts of American Jurisprudence and the formats utilized in the preparation of legal documents.
• Understanding of civil litigation and courtroom processes relevant to the litigation process from filing complaints through to obtaining judgments as well as post-judgment enforcement mechanisms.
• Strong communication skills, be a proficient public speaker and writer, and possess good legal research skills.
• Skilled in identifying legal issues and preparing concise analysis of legal documents and records.
• Skilled in preparing memoranda, correspondence, complaints, motions, settlement proposals, discovery requests, responses, stipulations, and hearing materials efficiently and with a minimum of supervision.
• Skilled in identifying relevant statutes, rules, and case law to develop and support litigation strategies.
• Leadership skills that drive individual as well as team results and demonstrate advanced problem-solving skills.
• Must be able to appropriately interface with several State agencies.
• Skilled in managing a litigation caseload, tracking deadlines, and organizing case information using office software and document management systems.
• Ability to regularly demonstrate a professional, positive, and supportive attitude.
• Ability to communicate legal positions and address inquiries with debtors, client agency representatives, opposing counsel, judges, and other parties by telephone, writing, and in-person in a professional, clear, and concise manner.
• Ability to assess case viability, initiate suit, draft pleadings, conduct discovery, and pursue judgment enforcement in a timely manner.
• Ability to demonstrate sound judgment, professionalism, and ethical conduct representing the Attorney General's Office.
• Ability to demonstrate and use good judgment to determine optimal collection techniques to advance cases to completion and to properly manage confidential matters.
• Ability to assess information, identify options, and select appropriate next steps.
• Ability to make case matter decisions based on established policies, procedures, laws, court rules, and case information and ensure all filings, notices, and service actions comply with deadlines, court rules, and statutory mandates.
• Ability to work independently.
• Ability to work in a challenging and fast-paced work environment and respond to changing priorities, tasks, methods, and/or technology changes.
• Ability to prioritize and balance scheduled tasks with emerging and unexpected case matters/requests.
• Ability to utilize the department technology to manage cases and related work.
• Ability to manage a high-volume workload and process large volumes of information.
• Ability to present legal arguments and advocate for the agency's position in formal legal settings in accordance with procedural rules and case needs.
• Ability to assign, offer clear instruction, monitor, provide guidance, and review work performed by support staff.
• Ability to consistently meet or exceed defined performance metrics, including revenue-generation targets and required monthly production goals.
• Ability to independently manage a high-volume caseload while maintaining accuracy, efficiency, and compliance with all applicable laws and organizational standards.

• Travel is required for this position. A valid Arizona Driver’s License is required, along with consent to have your driving record run periodically.
• Admission to, and good standing with, the Arizona State Bar is required (include on resume the date(s) of admission in Arizona and any other states). Candidate must have an active Arizona State Bar license. Acquired a juris doctorate from an accredited law school.
• Attorney applicants are required to submit a writing sample with their resume/application profile.
The writing sample should contain an analysis of some substantive legal issue and provide insight concerning your ability to think and to explain and advocate for a particular position.
• All applicants under serious consideration for hire with the Attorney General's Office are required to be fingerprinted by the Office and complete a criminal background check through State and Federal agencies. A job offer cannot be tendered until the candidate has successfully passed the initial background check. Your record does not automatically constitute a bar to employment. Factors such as, but not limited to, age at time of offense and age of offense, as well as the relationship between the offense and the job for which you apply will be taken into account.

If this position requires driving or the use of a vehicle as an essential function of the job to conduct State business, then the following requirements apply: Driver’s License Requirements.

All newly hired State employees are subject to and must successfully complete the Electronic Employment Eligibility Verification Program (E-Verify).

The Attorney General's Office offers a comprehensive benefits package to include:
Sick leave
Paid Parental Leave-Up to 12 weeks per year paid leave for newborn or newly-placed foster/adopted child (pilot program)
Vacation with 10 paid holidays per year
Health and dental insurance
Retirement plan
Life insurance and long-term disability insurance
Optional employee benefits include short-term disability insurance, deferred compensation plans, and supplemental life insurance

By providing the option of a full-time or part-time remote work schedule, employees enjoy improved work/life balance, report higher job satisfaction, and are more productive. Remote work is a management option and not an employee entitlement or right. An agency may terminate a remote work agreement at its discretion.

Learn more about the Paid Parental Leave program here. For a complete list of benefits provided by The State of Arizona, please visit our benefits page

• Positions in this classification participate in the Arizona State Retirement System (ASRS).
• Please note, enrollment eligibility will become effective after 27 weeks of employment.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Human Resources at (602) 542-8056 or email us at humanresources@azag.gov.

During all phases of the selection process, people with a disability may request a reasonable accommodation by contacting the AG’s Human Resources Office at (602) 542-8056 or via e-mail at HumanResources@azag.gov. The Arizona Office of the Attorney General does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, religion, sexual orientation or age in its programs, activities or in its hiring and employment practices. The following division has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies: Operations Division, 2005 N. Central Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85004, Phone: (602) 542-8056, Fax: (602) 542-8000.
The State of Arizona is an Equal Opportunity/Reasonable Accommodation Employer.