Insurance Attorney

Office of the Insurance Commissioner   Tumwater, WA   Full-time     Legal
Posted on April 24, 2024
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The Office of the Insurance Commissioner's (OIC) Insurance Enforcement Unit is seeking motivated and qualified individuals to fill an exempt Insurance Attorney position. This position is assigned to the Legal Affairs Division, located in our Tumwater office.

OIC's Insurance Attorneys work with investigative staff and subject matter experts from around the agency to act against licensed insurance professionals and companies for violations of the insurance code. Enforcement actions range from cease-and-desist orders to compliance plans and fines upwards of seven-figures. Insurance Attorneys litigate these actions at the administrative level, including negotiating appropriate consent orders and settlements. In addition, they aid staff within the agency and participate on teams aimed to develop rules, legislation, initiatives, and other projects. Examples of past and current work includes the implementation of health care reform, the use of consumer credit scores in insurance rates, and industry-wide enforcement of service contractor registration.

If you are interested in putting your legal and writing skills to work in a complex and dynamic regulatory environment, and you would like to protect consumer's interests while promoting a healthy insurance market for Washington State, please apply and become part of our team!

This is a civil service exempt position and salary depends on qualifications and experience. The salary range for this position is $79,620 - $119,430.

Washington State offers one of the most competitive benefits packages in the nation. We offer a great selection of health and retirement plans, paid leave, and compensation benefits for you and your family.

Additional Benefits:

Duties

Reporting to the Attorney Manager, this position is responsible for assisting the agency with the interpretation of insurance statues, investigating, enforcing laws, and the regulations governing insurance within the State of Washington. Duties include but are not limited to:

  • Review cases to ensure that action is factually supportable and legally defensible.
  • Research relevant laws and comparable cases to determine a range of appropriate agency action by utilizing a variety of resources including LexisNexis, publications, and internal databases.
  • Prepare memoranda for agency enforcement committees, verbally summarizes and presents the cases, and makes recommendations for appropriate enforcement actions.
  • Meet with referring parties to review cases and finalize recommendations.
  • Draft disciplinary orders, advisement letters, compliance plans, letters and memoranda.
  • Negotiate penalties and/or appropriate remedial measures to be taken.
  • Present OIC's position at hearings before the Presiding Officer and the Office of

Administrative Hearings.

  • Draft briefs, pleadings, and motions; prepares discovery and associated responses, oral arguments, exhibits and examination and cross examination of witnesses; and presents evidence using the rules of evidence contained in the Administrative Procedures Act.
  • Respond to requests for analysis requiring the interpretation of insurance law and regulation, both state and federal.
  • Participate in the review and drafting of legislation and regulations.

Required Qualifications for this position include:

  • Law degree awarded from an accredited law school as recognized by the by the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), or foreign equivalent.
  • Current license to practice law, preferably from Washington State.


Preferred/Desired Qualifications for this position include:

  • Experience in the insurance industry or insurance regulation field (either as an attorney or practitioner).
  • Experience in government regulation and enforcement.
  • Experience with participating in administrative hearings as an attorney.
  • Paid litigation experience.
  • Familiarity with the Washington State Legislative process, including bill analysis.