The Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia is one of the largest and most diverse government legal offices in the country. Employing over 250 attorneys, the Office is statutorily responsible for conducting all the legal business of the District of Columbia government including all lawsuits initiated by or against it.
Within the Office of the Attorney General, the Public Advocacy Division’s Office of Consumer Protection (“OCP”) protects District consumers by bringing cases against businesses that take advantage of District residents, educating consumers in the District through outreach events and consumer alerts, and receiving and investigating complaints from consumers regarding potential violations of District consumer laws. OCP both investigates and brings enforcement actions of high priority to residents and participates in national and multistate actions. OCP also regularly proposes legislative solutions to better protect District residents and engages frequent public speaking and consumer education efforts. Recent case highlights include:
D.C. v. Capitol Petroleum Group, et. al: Suit against regional gasoline distributor for price gouging District consumers over $6 million during COVID-19 pandemic.
D.C. v. Juul: Challenging the marketing of tobacco products to kids and teens in the District.
D.C. v. Express Homebuyers: Protecting District homeowners from false and misleading claims that they owe overdue property taxes and will lose their homes unless they quickly sell for cash at below-market rates.
D.C. v. Grubhub, Inc.: Challenging deceptive statements and practices by food delivery company causing harm to District residents and businesses by charging consumers hidden fees on their restaurant delivery orders.
To see our latest work, check out oag.dc.gov/newsroom, Topics: Consumer Protection.
FELLOWSHIP DESCRIPTION
OCP seeks to sponsor one or more fellows who are passionate about promoting the public interest through consumer protection work and who seek to gain hands-on litigation experience doing so. Fellows will have the title of Assistant Attorney General and will assume the duties of entry-level attorneys in OCP. Expect to be responsible for managing investigations and cases, writing substantive motions, developing ideas for new matters, issuing and responding to discovery, taking depositions, and getting in-court experience. You will work alongside experienced attorneys with ample opportunities for hands-on training and mentorship.
Fellows must secure their own funding source, though OAG will assist qualified applicants in securing outside funding, including by acting as the sponsoring organization. OCP will consider one- or two-year fellows. Shorter-term fellowships will not be considered at this time.
HOW TO APPLY
Please submit a resume and cover letter to Adam Teitelbaum, Deputy Director of the Office of Consumer Protection at Adam.Teitelbaum@dc.gov. Your cover letter should address the funding source that you plan to apply to for funding during the fellowship year. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, but applicants are encouraged to apply early.