Administrative Law Judge
About The Position
The Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH) is seeking to fill multiple temporary Entry and Line Administrative Law Judge positions across various divisions. These roles are anticipated to last up to 12 months, with potential for extension. Depending on the caseload, positions may offer hybrid or full-time telework, with Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Work Zone Speed Camera (WZSC) positions designated for full-time telework. All alternate worksites must be within Washington state. Administrative Law Judges (ALJs) are crucial to OAH's mission, managing caseloads, conducting thorough pre-hearing preparation, presiding over fair hearings, and issuing well-reasoned, timely decisions. These positions are represented by the Washington Federation of State Employees - Administrative Law Judges (WFSE ALJ) (2025-27). OAH provides hearings for over 30 agencies and 160 programs, including unemployment insurance benefits, child support, food assistance, medical benefits, and business and professional licensing. The agency's mission is to provide an independent, fair, and neutral forum for administrative hearings, and its vision is for all people of Washington to meaningfully participate in and understand their hearings.
Requirements
- An active or judicial membership in good standing with the Washington State Bar Association
- Five (5) years of experience working as a licensed attorney OR one (1) year of full-time experience as an ALJ
- Clear and effective oral and written communication skills, including excellent legal writing skills
Nice To Haves
- Experience with the subject matter of the caseloads adjudicated by OAH.
- Experience with adjudication, litigation, and or/mediation.
Responsibilities
- Managing an assigned workload commensurate with level of experience, complexity of cases, and overall agency workload as determined by your supervisor.
- Maintaining a thorough understanding of statutes, regulations, case law, and agency procedures relevant to assigned caseload(s) and keep current on new developments.
- Presiding over and ruling on pre-hearing, hearing, and post-hearing matters in a fair and impartial manner.
- Working with supervisor as necessary to meet assigned caseload timeliness standards and other deadlines, being mindful of time pressures and stressful circumstances related to the job.
- Using agency equipment and technology systems to perform and manage work and communicate with others.
- Making a clear and complete hearing record.
- Making legally sufficient Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law on all contested issues.
- Writing accurate legal documents that clearly set out the analysis used in reaching decisions, using proper grammar, clear language, and “plain talk” when possible.
- Demonstrating judicial demeanor and maintaining control of legal proceedings involving multiple parties.
- Keeping supervisor timely informed of work progress, significant developments, case status, and other issues.
- Following specific work directives of supervisor, as appropriate for the position.
- Maintaining reliable and regular attendance and being readily available to coworkers and others, as appropriate for the position.
- Protecting privileged and confidential information.
- Complying with all office policies, administrative and court rules, state ethics laws, and the OAH Code of Ethics for ALJs.
- Accurately tracking and accounting for case-specific work and non-billable hours.
- Appropriately demonstrating respect, diversity, equity, and inclusion practices with parties, stakeholders, and co-workers.
Benefits
- In-house training and professional development opportunities.
- Healthy work/life balance, including remote work options.
- Comprehensive benefits package.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Entry Level
Education Level
No Education Listed
