3Ls & 1Ls: Apply to TN Attorney General by Tuesday February 6
The Office of the Tennessee Attorney General Rand Reporter seeks 1L resumes for internships in Memphis (unless the students prefer to spend the summer in Nashville) and the 3L/grads for full time hires in Nashville. Students should have excellent writing skills and an interest in the work of the Office.
More information on the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office can be found at We’re Hiring (tn.gov). See the end of this post for a detailed description of the divisions in our office.
We request a resume, cover letter (to Elizabeth Donoho, Deputy Attorney General), writing sample (5-10 pages), law school transcript, and a list of three references.
Selected applicants will be interviewed on February 23 at the law school.
The Tennessee Attorney General is the State’s law office that
serves Tennessee with principled, independent, and excellent
counsel. Our Values of Civility, Client-Focus, Collaboration,
Discipline, Integrity allow the Office to represent the state in a
number of major multi-state investigations. Tennessee has
historically played a significant role in these matters because
of the non-political manner in which the Attorney General is
appointed. The Office is divided into 5 sections to effectively
assist Tennessee.
STATE SERVICES AND LITIGATION SECTION
Education and Employment Division represents the state’s
various agencies and institutions in employment related matters.
In addition to representing these clients in litigation, the division
offers legal advice and assists with promulgating rules. The
division also handles construction litigation, assists with state
procurement related matters, and reviews state contracts and
leases. Regarding Education, the division represents the
Tennessee Department of Education in litigation and assists
them with other education related matters. The division also
represents and assists public universities with a variety of
matters.
Law Enforcement and Special Prosecutions Division is
composed of two teams: the Enforcement Team and the
Corrections Team. The Enforcement Team represents several
State agencies, including the Department of Safety and
Homeland Security, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation,
Alcoholic Beverage Commission, Department of Agriculture,
and State Fire Marshal, defending against suits for declaratory
and injunctive relief as well as in the appeals of these cases. The
team also handles appeals of administrative decisions for these
agencies in state courts. Additionally, the team handles a limited
number of criminal prosecutions over which this Office has
original jurisdiction, such as in matters involving criminal acts
by elected state judicial officials, Securities Act violations, and
violations of the State’s Clean Water Act and assists in criminal
prosecutions through cross- designation by local district
attorneys.
Healthcare Division provides legal advice and representation
to the Bureau of TennCare and the Department of Health and its
health-related boards such as the Board of Dentistry, the Board
of Medical Examiners, the Board of Nursing, and the Board of
Optometry along with the Health Services Development
Agency. The Civil Medicaid Fraud team works with TennCare,
the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, and the Office of the
Inspector General in the TennCare/Medicaid Program.
Memphis Office represents the State and its employees in
federal and state litigation in matters pending in courts located
in the Western Section of the State, and, in coordination with
the divisions of the Office, on special assignment, on matters of
state-wide import in state and federal court, regardless of venue.
FINANCIAL & ADMINISTRATIVE LAW SECTION
Public Interest Division carries out the office’s statutory duty to
oversee the operation of nonprofit entities on behalf of
Tennesseans. The division handles charitable oversight and
charitable solicitations as well as issues involving open meetings,
public records, and campaigns and elections. The False Claims
team handles non-Medicaid false claims matters.
Financial and Tax Litigation Division provides legal services
for much of the State’s business-related activities, representing
numerous agencies that deal with issues of government financing,
banking, economic development, legal gambling, and insurance
and securities regulation. Division clients include the Department
of Commerce and Insurance, the Department of Treasury, the
Comptroller of the Treasury, the Department of Economic and
Community Development, the Department of Finance and
Administration, the Department of Financial Institutions, the
Tennessee Consolidated Retirement System, and the Sports
Wagering Advisory Council.
Consumer Advocate Division represents the interests of
Tennessee consumers of public utilities services, primarily before
the Tennessee Public Utilities Commission.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE SECTION
Criminal Appeals Division handles all appellate matters
involved in procuring and defending criminal judgments in the
State’s appellate courts. Division attorneys are responsible for
interlocutory, extraordinary, direct, and post-conviction appeals,
and for defending criminal judgments in state habeas corpus
proceedings in both the trial and appellate courts. The division has
a team of attorneys who work with the Governor’s legal counsel
and Department of Correction attorneys in dealing with
extradition and detainer matters. Division attorneys also spend a
great deal of time advising District Attorneys General and their
assistants and helping them work through complex legal issues.
Federal Habeas Corpus Division defends state criminal
judgments that are collaterally challenged in federal court through
petitions for writ of habeas corpus. To that end, division attorneys
advise and work with staff members from the district attorneys
general offices, the Department of Correction, and the Board of
Parole on matters related to federal habeas corpus proceedings.
PUBLIC PROTECTION SECTION
Bankruptcy Division represents state agencies in bankruptcy
courts across the country. Specifically, it represents the state’s
interest by filing proofs of claims and administrative claims in
bankruptcy cases where a state entity is owed a debt. The division
also collects penalties and other debts owed to state departments
and agencies.
Consumer Protection Division is the civil enforcement arm of
the Attorney General’s Office that protects Tennessee’s
consumers and businesses. The division’s attorneys are
responsible for investigating and litigating violations of laws
concerning unfair and deceptive trade practices, the state and
federal antitrust laws, and laws concerning the unauthorized
practice of law. The division’s attorneys also frequently work
with federal partners and offices of attorneys general from
throughout the United States to investigate and litigate consumer
protection and antitrust violations that affect consumers and
businesses nationwide.
Tobacco Enforcement Division holds the tobacco industry
accountable for strict compliance with the 1998 Tobacco Master
Settlement Agreement’s (MSA’s) marketing restrictions and
payment obligations. In addition, the division enforces several
state laws and programs that regulate the promotion and sale of
cigarettes and other tobacco products in the state, including the
state’s Tobacco Directory and Tobacco Escrow Fund Act. The
division is also involved in community outreach by making
presentations to school children about the dangers of smoking
and vaping.
CIVIL LITIGATION SECTION
Civil Law Division defends the State and its employees in
federal civil rights actions and tort claims brought in all federal
courts, state courts, and the Tennessee Claims Commission. The
division also handles a wide variety of civil matters representing
several state departments, boards, and agencies including the
Departments of Children’s Services, Human Services,
Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, Labor and
Workforce Development, Mental Health and Substance Abuse
Services, Administrative Office of the Courts, Tourist
Development, Veterans Homes Board, Veterans Services
Affairs, and Tennessee Housing Development Agency.
Environmental Division enforces civil environmental
protection laws regarding clean air, clean water, solid and
hazardous wastes, and other areas. The division provides advice
to and reviews regulations for the Tennessee Department of
Environment and Conservation. It also provides legal advice and
representation to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.
Human Services Division represents the Department of
Children’s Services, Department of Human Services,
Department of Labor and Workforce Development, the
Administrative Office of the Courts, and Department of Veterans
Services, among other state agencies.
•Real Property and Transportation Division
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT WORKING WITH US:
CONTACT Pete Sullivan, Sr. Manager of Human Resources
pete.sullivan@ag.tn.gov
VISIT US ON THE WEB
https://www.tn.gov/attorneygeneral/employment.html
Apply via Symplicity OCI, “SPRING 2024 OCI: Office of the TN Attorney General” by Tuesday February 6.
