Assistant Attorney General
(Female, Age 40) from Austin, TX
This is a REAL-LIFE job profile written by a Female aged 40 who works as a Assistant Attorney General in Austin, TX. We have removed all names and personal information in order to protect privacy. This professional kindly spent a bit of their time to complete one of our job profile surveys so that prospective job seekers like you could read their insights. Please excuse any punctuation or grammatical errors in this profile.
At a Glance
Current Job
Basic data on your current job
| Job Title | Assistant Attorney General |
|---|---|
| Salary | $75,000 |
| Other Compensation | None Set |
| Hours/Week | 40 |
| Company Size | (not answered) |
| Location | Austin, TX |
| Years Experience | 1 year |
Career Ratings
Opinions on your CAREER overall (i.e. not just your current job)
| Years in Career | 0 |
|---|---|
| Education | (not answered) |
| Income Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Interest Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Work-Life Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Fulfilment Rating | 0 / 10 |
Current job Q&A
Describe the type of organization you work for.
The Attorney General represents the legal interests of the State of Texas. I work in the General Litigation Division, which defends state agencies, elected and appointed state officials, and state employees in civil rights litigation including employment litigation. Such suits include whistleblower claims, tenure denials, claims of discrimination, student dismissals, and First and Fourteenth Amendment constitutional claims. The division represents clients in libel, slander and other tort actions. The division defends against challenges to the constitutionality of state statutes. The division handles the above state and federal suits through all litigation stages including the appellate process
Describe your job role and responsibilities.
Represent the state and its employees in state and federal lawsuits relating to employment and civil rights.
Please list an additional benefits (beyond compensation) that you receive.
12 days vaction, 21 paid holidays, 12 days sick leave, POS health insurance, dental insurance, AD&D Insurance, retirement, 401(k)
Do you feel you are under/over or well/fairly compensated at your current position?
A little under.
Does your job entail you working with others on a daily basis? Is this something you like/dislike about your job? Please explain.
I work with many others on a day to day basis. First and foremost, I have clients, whose interests I represent, and I have to interact with them. I have to work with opposing counsel, court staff, court reporters, etc. And, here at the office we work as colleagues in a very supportive environment to do the best job we can for our clients. I very much enjoy working with people regularly, which is one of the the things that had started to be missing for me in my prior practice.
Do you work collaboratively with supervisors/managers?
Yes
Do you work collaboratively with your co-workers?
Yes
Describe your work location (e.g., office, home, theatre, in the field) and what you like/dislike about working in it.
Please rate each of the following aspects of your current job on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest/best):
Income: 5
Benefits: 6
Hours: 7
Co-Workers: 4
Supervisors: 3
Job Title: 8
Level of Responsibility: 2
The Actual Work: 1
A day in the life of…
Please describe a typical workday for you in your current job:
| 5am to 6am | |
| 6am to 7am | |
| 7am to 8am | still asleep |
| 8am to 9am | getting ready, logging on and checking email, and commuting |
| 9am to 10am | Phone conference with client about the documents and information we need to provide to opposing counsel; work on some of the written documents for that case. |
| 10am to 11am | Continue working on the discovery documents; take call from opposing counsel in another case regarding an appeal of a case relating to a university in the northern part of the state. |
| 11am to 12pm | Review employment file for former professor who has sued state university for gender discrimination and send email to client asking for some additional information. |
| 12pm to 1pm | Lunch at my desk; work on writing a demand letter for a client who I’m helping through Volunteer Legal Services. The client did not get her security deposit back when she moved out and I’m trying to help her out. |
| 1pm to 2pm | Meet with a colleague to discuss strategy for a trial we have in February; make list of additional witnesses to interview and email client to begin arranging time to set up interviews. |
| 2pm to 3pm | Make travel plans for interview trip for another case. Review and organize documents from human resources. |
| 3pm to 4pm | Research two legal issues: what the university must do to comply with a federal privacy statute when it provides documents to the plaintiff that include information regarding students and whether the 11th Amendment precludes bringing of certain claims by a plaintiff in federal court. |
| 4pm to 5pm | Review a brief and provide comments on the wording. |
| 5pm to 6pm | Continue review and comments. |
| 6pm to 7pm | Send comments to clients and other attorneys working on document. Follow up phone call to clarify certain comments and issues. |
| 7pm to 8pm | go home! |
| 8pm to 9pm | off work |
| 9pm to 10pm | off work |
| 10pm to 11pm | check emails before bed. |
| 11pm to 12am | bed |
Table of Contents
How you got your job
How did you get your current job?
Listing on the OAG’s website.
What was the application process?
Electronic application and interviews.
Did you have to interview for your current job? If yes, what did the interview process entail?
Yes. I interviewed with thehead of my division and the deputy chief of my division. We discussed my skills and experience and why I was crazy enough to leave the big money in private practice to work for the government.
If you can remember, what questions were you asked during the interview?
Why are you interested in working for the government? What experience do you have that is relevant to this line of work? Do you really understand the magnitude of the pay cut? Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Do you feel your employer properly prepared you for your job? Explain.
It was my education and prior experience that prepared me.
Was there training for your current position? If yes, what did it entail?
Not really; more on the job.
Do you feel your educational background prepared you for your job? Explain.
Absolutely. My business background gave me a strong, analytical foundation. Law school is what you do when you want to become an attorney.
If applicable, do you feel your internship experience helped you prepare for your job?
It wasn’t really an internship, but I clerked for a federal judge when I graduated from law school. That experience gave me a real leg up when I entered practice because I had seen so many briefs and arguments and really learned what worked and what didn’t.
If someone wanted to go about getting a job similar to yours, what would you recommend for him or her to do?
You can only have this job if you go to law school first, so that’s an obvious one. The division that I work in does not hire new graduates; an applicant needs some experience. This can be at a private firm or another government agency.
What skills do you think a person should have if they want to pursue a position like yours?
To be effective at this job, you must be a great manager of time and tasks, and it is helpful to be good with people. Good analysis and writing skills are also important to ensure that your court papers accurately reflect the factual and legal positions of your client and are persuasive. Since I’m a trial attorney, interest in and skill at oral argument and public speaking are also necessary.
Do you feel that you need a certain level of education or training to be successful in your job?
Yes; one must generally have gone to law school to be a lawyer.
What advice would you give to someone who was about to start work in your position/ line of work?
Study hard.
Long-term career plans
Is your current employment part of your overall career plan? Why or why not?
I plan to stay here, but am open to other government jobs.
What are your current career goals?
Work here for 10 years to get guaranteed healthcare upon retirement. I currenty intend to stay an attorney, but it’s possible I will consider the bench someday.
Is there anything else you would like to share about your career?
Prior work history
Please list your most recent jobs prior to this current job:
| Title | Length | Salary | Description | |
| Prior Job 1 | Attorney | 3.5 years | 235000 | Participate in all phases of sophisticated, commercial litigation in state and federal court. |
| Prior Job 2 | Attorney | 7 months | 125000 | Contract attorney preparing removals in pharmaceutical actions. |
Educational background
Please list your educational background:
High School GPA:4
| GPA | School | Degree | |
| College (Undergraduate) or Technical/Vocational |
3.7 | Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania | B.S. Econ. |
| Graduate or Professional (Masters or Doctorate) |
10.5 (out of 12) | Georgetown University Law Center | J.D. |
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