February 2007

Career Spotlight - Working for the Legislature

by Julia A. Bahner

     This article focuses on one of the various opportunities available to lawyers wanting to work for the State of Washington. It highlights a Washington young lawyer, Jason Callahan, who works as counsel for the Natural Resources Committee serving the House of Representatives.
     Jason graduated in 2000 from the Florida State University College of Law and knew early on that he was interested in government work. While obtaining his undergraduate degree in fish and wildlife management from West Virginia University, he realized that he was particularly drawn to the policy debates in his field of study. He had an inkling that he would like to merge his interest in wildlife and natural resources with law. He also thought that he would like to move to the Northwest, so he headed to Seattle after graduation to take the bar examination.
     While waiting for his bar results, Jason worked at various temporary jobs and conducted informational interviews. With a combination of perseverance and good timing, as well as the impending legislative session, Jason landed himself a job as counsel for the Natural Resources Committee serving the House of Representatives – the perfect match for his background.
     Jason's clients are an exclusive group and consist solely of the elected members of the House Representatives. He is responsible for working with all 98 House members, regardless of party affiliation or committee assignment. Once a member introduces a new bill, it is assigned to one of the various committees serving the House, matched by subject matter. Thus, most natural resource and environmental matters are referred to Jason's office. The Natural Resources Committee staff consists of himself, a research analyst and an assistant. The work of each committee is strictly non-partisan.
     Jason's work involves a dizzying task of activities, including researching bills introduced by members. He also conducts other research for the members, many of which arise because the members' constituents raise issues of concern they want to see addressed. Much of his work involves programmatic research – researching comparative programs and bills in other jurisdictions. Thus, much of the work is behind the scenes. Although he doesn't come up with the ideas for the bills (which come from the House members), Jason works on drafting the bills and possibly amendments, providing counsel to his clients on those matters, conducting bill analysis, coordinating the hearings on the bills, and mediating between stakeholder groups. So far, none of the bills Jason has worked on have been overturned, although he has had to amend certain bills following interpretive court rulings.
     Jason's busiest time by far occurs during the legislative session, which runs 90 to 120 days per year. During the session, it is hard for any of the committee counsel to keep a head above water. When not in session, Jason's work is more self-directed, working on task force issues, preparing bills and other matters for the coming session, and researching emerging or complex areas of the law. His time also includes outreach to community groups and lobbyists, in order to help them understand the effect of a proposed bill. Finally, Jason sometimes travels throughout the state on committee or agency tours or fact finding missions.
     In essence, Jason's work represents a non-traditional career path as there are no courtroom appearances, litigation, or the like. His practice focuses exclusively on the legislative branch of government. Benefits include the great culture, no billable hours, and a flat hierarchy so staff counsel are not competing for a partnership position or other promotions so everyone is helpful, collegial, and willing to share information. The few downsides include the fact that it is imperative in the job to remain non-partisan, meaning that staff counsel are precluded from voicing personal opinions about the bill or about politics in general. This is necessary to ensure trust with each client. Another downside is that the work is cyclical in nature, so during the legislative session Jason rarely has a free moment.
     For recent grads, Jason believes a career in government is an excellent job because you can learn about many different areas of the law. Another advantage is that it is fairly easy to explore different areas of the law and redefine your subject matter expertise. For example, counsel may have the opportunity to switch to one of the other substantive committees. So for attorneys who enjoy a diverse, interesting, and non-competitive work environment, this type of public service is a great option to consider.

Julia A. Bahner is the ABA YLD District Representative for Washington and Oregon. She can be reached at julbahner@hotmail.com.