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 (those graduating in the spring of 2027), 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 5 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.
Information about Honors candidates and their assignments from 2011 to 2025 can be found here.
About the AGO:
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:
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!
Although every position is unique and may differ based on division placement, typical duties of AAGs can include:
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:
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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.
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:
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 www.careers.wa.govand 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 HREmployment@atg.wa.gov. Information about the Attorney General’s Office can be found by visiting our website at www.atg.wa.gov.
Most Assistant Attorney General positions are represented by the Association of Washington Assistant Attorneys General (AWAAG) / Washington Federation of State Employees (WFSE) AFSCME Council 28, AFL-CIO. Effective July 2026, AAG salaries will be set between $83,856 and $157,080. The exact amount is set in accordance withAppendix B of the AWAAG CBA. Positions located in King County are eligible to receive an additional 5% King County Assignment Pay. A competitive state benefits package is also offered which includes a choice of medical/dental insurance plans, retirement, life and basic long-term disability insurance. In addition, there are non-financial benefits that include working in a collaborative and supportive work environment where professional development and work-life balance are highly valued. The health, safety and professional satisfaction of all AGO staff and volunteers is critical to fulfilling the mission of the AGO to provide exceptional legal services. Complementing and fostering this goal is a long-standing commitment to environmental stewardship, as evidenced in the AGO's environmental policies.
Honoring diversity, equity and inclusion means that as an agency, and as individuals, we are committed to ensuring that all employees and volunteers enjoy a respectful, safe and supportive working environment. Only by fostering the inclusion of people from all backgrounds, cultures and attributes, can AGO employees and volunteers achieve their fullest potential and best advance the goals and mission of the AGO.