Deputy Solicitor General, Office of the Solicitor General (#18-021, Closing: 03/27/18)

Office of the Solicitor General
Office of the Attorney General

Salary range: $135,000 – $150,000
Closing: 03/27/18

This position is outside of the collective bargaining unit.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES: The Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia is seeking candidates for the position of Deputy Solicitor General.

The Office of the Solicitor General handles high-profile matters of both local and national importance, and is responsible for the District’s civil and criminal appellate litigation. The Office practices most frequently before the District of Columbia Court of Appeals, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, and the Supreme Court of the United States. There are two Deputy Solicitors General who report to the Solicitor General and who are the immediate supervisors for a staff of assistant attorneys general and other administrative professionals.

This Deputy Solicitor General is responsible for civil and administrative appeals. (There is another Deputy Solicitor General responsible for criminal and juvenile appeals.) These appeals cover a tremendous variety of substantive areas including constitutional law, contracts, family law, torts, tax, and administrative law.

The Deputy Solicitor General has a leadership role in defending the interests of the District of Columbia. The duties of the Deputy Solicitor General include:

  • Consulting and coordinating with the Attorney General, the Solicitor General, and other senior management on matters which are pending, or may be brought, before the appellate courts.
  • Making recommendations to the Solicitor General on whether any matter should be pursued before the appellate courts, including recommendations on petitions for rehearing and certiorari.
  • Reviewing legal briefs drafted by the assistant attorneys general working for the Office of the Solicitor General to ensure high-quality written advocacy.
  • Participating in moot courts and attending oral arguments to ensure high-quality oral advocacy.
  • Monitoring cases on appeal and assigning appellate matters to appropriate staff.
  • Handling selected significant matters personally.
  • Supervising and evaluating the attorneys and support staff assigned to the Office of the Solicitor General.
  • Assisting in identifying training needs and suitable professional development programs for appellate advocacy and legal writing.
  • Monitoring the development of the law in the federal and local appellate courts.
  • Advising attorneys elsewhere in the District government on the effect of appellate decisions and on occasion helping draft legislation in response to such decisions.
  • Making recommendations to the Solicitor General on whether the District of Columbia should initiate or join amicus briefs with other state Attorneys General on issues of mutual interest.
  • Serving as acting Solicitor General when the Solicitor General is unavailable.

QUALIFICATIONS: This position requires substantial appellate litigation experience and previous managerial experience. Substantial knowledge of District of Columbia law is highly desirable though not required.

ELIGIBILITY: The successful candidate must have a law degree and be an active member in good standing of the bar of any jurisdiction. If not a member of the District of Columbia Bar, the candidate must be sworn into the District of Columbia Bar within 360 days of his/her initial appointment with the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia.

Please see attachment for more information.

In the Public Interest: Attorney General's Annual Report

Three Year Report Cover

Every day over the past three years, my colleagues and I have worked hard to establish an independent Office of the Attorney General (OAG) that zealously represents the interests of the District and is responsive to the needs of our city’s most vulnerable residents. After listening to the needs of District residents, we have prioritized issues such as preserving affordable housing, employing evidence-based juvenile justice reforms, protecting consumers, and safeguarding public integrity.

Our new annual report—In the Public Interest—highlights some of the major advances we’ve made over the past year in reaching these goals, including:

  • Establishing the Public Advocacy Division: OAG launched a new Public Advocacy Division to amplify and expand our existing work to protect tenants, workers, and our residents’ values. This division is now more than 15 attorneys strong and has secured several wins that hold neglectful landlords accountable, return money to workers exploited by their employers, and fight federal overreach from the Trump administration.
     
  • Setting Youth Up for Success and Enhancing Public Safety: OAG doubled down on strategies that reduce recidivism, increase public safety, and help our young people stay on track. To date, more than 1,800 youth have been diverted to the Alternatives to the Court Experience Program for rehabilitative services, and 78 percent of those youth have not been rearrested. OAG also expanded existing programs like Restorative Justice Conferencing, which brings crime perpetrators and victims together in conversation to hold offenders accountable, empower victims, and repair the harm caused by crime, and launched new programs like “I Belong Here” designed to combat truancy.
     
  • Protecting Consumers: Our Office of Consumer Protection has secured more than $118 million in restitution for consumers and recoveries for the District in its first three years. This year the Office held companies accountable for data breaches due to negligence, stopped scammers that prey on immigrant communities, and helped grieving families obtain justice from a funeral home that broke the law.

I am proud of these and the many other accomplishments over the past year, and I hope that in reading this report you will learn more about what OAG does and how it can work for you. Whether it is using our educational materials to avoid a new scam or finding out how to report instances of wage theft, I want you to know how to access OAG services designed to help you.

Sincerely,

Karl A. Racine

  

Table of Contents

Community Engagement

Legislative Corner

Serving the People

     Advocating for the Public

            Preserving and Producing Affordable Housing

            Protecting District Workers

            Standing Up Against Federal Overreach

     Setting Youth Up for Success

     Protecting Consumers 

Making Government Work

     Promoting Public Integrity

     Providing Top-Notch Legal Services to the District

OAG Divisions

Consumer Alert: Home Warranties

You are receiving mailings or phone calls offering you a home warranty that will “eliminate all of your worries” about maintaining your home. Are they worth it? Every year, one of the most frequent complaints consumers make is about home warranty companies. These companies often promise a lot, but deliver very little. How can you tell whether it makes sense to purchase a home warranty? Below are tips you can follow to determine whether it really makes sense for you to purchase a warranty for your home.

What is a Home Warranty?

A home warranty is a one-year service agreement that covers the repair or replacement of some home system and appliances.

  • Home warranties are not insurance policies, they are service contracts. These are agreements for the company to pay for the repair, and possibly replacement, of specified items in your home.
  • A basic home warranty can be expensive, costing $500 per year or more.

What items does a Home Warranty cover?

Home warranties probably do not cover as much as you may think they do.

  • Home warranties can have limited coverage, and might exclude kitchen appliances, water heaters, plumbing, furnaces, and other major appliances. Often consumers must make additional payments for coverage of such big-ticket items. Most home warranties do not cover structural defects, well pumps, septic tanks, or other home systems.
  • Warranties generally do not cover more expensive repairs, such as roofs, leaky windows, or chimney repairs.

What kinds of repairs and replacements does a Home Warranty's cover?

The repairs that a home warranty excludes from coverage are often more detailed than what they actually cover.

  • It may only repair, rather than replace, broken items.
  • Many contracts limit replacements to a specific brand and do not allow you to use the contractor of your choice.
  • Home warranties can also contain numerous other exclusions, such as repairs to problems caused by wear and tear, natural disasters, manufacturer defects, or failing to perform manufacturers’ recommendations for maintenance.
  • Warranty companies often require you to take multiple steps before they agree to make a repair.

What are the downsides of obtaining repairs under Home Warranties?

Home warranties often do not deliver everything that those selling them may promise.

  • They have claim caps. For example, you may only get $1,600 to replace a $12,000 boiler. There also may be a deductible (an amount you must first pay before the home warranty company will pay your claim).
  • You may have trouble connecting with the company and getting a contractor out to your home. This time delay could cost you money or hardship. The delay also may lead you to find your own contractor and pay out of pocket. Other companies may charge you a service fee, typically $75 or more, each time you need a repair.
  • You do not get to choose your own contractor. Homeowners often complain about the quality of service from warranty companies or attempts by contractors selected by warranty companies to upcharge the homeowners.
  • The warranty company may not guarantee all of the work performed by its contractors. For instance, if a contractor messes up the venting of your dryer while fixing a gas leak in the dryer, the warranty company may not pay to fix the venting.
  • Many of the repairs covered are not expensive and may cost less than the amount you pay for the home warranty.
  • Home warranty contracts often force customers to go to arbitration rather than court when the homeowner has a dispute with the company. Arbitration may not be the best forum for resolving your complaint.

How do you avoid being scammed by a Home Warranty Company?

Companies sell home warranties because they know that, more often than not, they will make more on the warranty than they will have to pay out. Before purchasing any home warranty, you should do the following:

  • Read contracts carefully to make sure you know what is covered and -- more importantly -- what is not covered. Don’t rely solely on what a salesperson tells you about the warranty.
  • Beware of exaggerated claims, such as the claim that your warranty is "comprehensive" or claims that warranties are like insurance.
  • Check with friends and neighbors to see if they have had any experience with the company.
  • Check with the D.C. Office of the Attorney General (202-442-9828) or the Better Business Bureau to see if the home warranty company has had complaints lodged against it.
  • Ask yourself: is the cost of coverage really worth it?

Still considering purchasing a Home Warranty?

  • Check to see if your appliances are already covered under a manufacturer’s warranty, builder’s warranty, or by your credit card, which may offer extended protection.
  • When considering whether a home warranty is a good financial fit, compare the age of each item covered by a home warranty with the item’s average life span. The International Association of Certified Home Inspectors offers a helpful chart: https://www.nachi.org/life-expectancy.htm
  • If you are considering purchasing a home warranty, research the company using sources such as: