See Legal Examiner 1

Supervises the work of Legal Examiners and performs two or more of the following responsibilities:
1. Independently performs advanced professional legal work, including planning, conducting, and providing highly complex legal analysis and case preparation for the most legally or factually complex cases.
2. Acts as legal subject matter authority for assigned professions, which includes shared decision-making authority in discipline cases.
3. Functions as the principal advisor to the office director and deputy director on all legal matters relating to assigned professions. Recommends actions and policy direction on difficult substantive and procedural issues.
4. Develops, implements, and monitors performance standards for team and assigned professions.

This is the supervisory level of the series. Assigns and directs caseloads of Legal Examiners. This position:
1. Oversees and coordinates highly complex cases.
2. Performs work that has a high degree of political sensitivity or is high profile.
3. Performs work in which a mistake has a high risk to the agency or to the safety of the public.
4. Oversees work that involves novel legal issues requiring the exercise of a high degree of judgement.
5. Oversees work relating to challenging areas regulated by the agency.

Plans, assigns, directs, coordinates, and supervises the work of the Legal Examiners to ensure balanced caseloads, taking into consideration staff expertise, case complexity, coordination with other work areas, and other factors;

Provides guidance on investigations and conducts expert-level legal analysis;

Drafts, reviews, and edits legal pleadings, agreements, or memoranda in factually and/or legally complex cases;

Evaluates the Legal Examiners’ application of the law to the evidence, and accuracy of the resulting pleadings;

Recommends specific and general training for individual Legal Examiners;

Sets performance standards and expectations; utilizes technology to remotely supervise staff in a variety of work settings; encourages continuous process improvement; and provides ongoing feedback to Legal Examiners;

Uses expert-level negotiation skills to achieve settlement of disciplinary cases;

Collaborates with staff of other agencies on issues common to both agencies;

Drafts proposed rules and legislation or provides legal analysis of draft legislation proposed by others outside the agency that impacts regulatory or disciplinary work. Makes policy recommendations on difficult and complex substantive and procedural issues;

Develops procedures, protocols, and training for Legal Examiners;

Assists staff, board members, and/or commission members with general legal issues and serving as a resource on special projects, quality improvement work groups, and other activities as called upon;

Participates as the subject matter expert in legislative implementation;

Serves as a legal resource for one or more professions/entities regarding high priority or complex matters;

Performs the work of the lower level in the series;

Performs related duties as required.

Knowledge of: administrative, procedural, tort, and common law and procedures, including adjudicative proceedings and rulemaking; rules of evidence and case law related to admissibility of evidence; civil procedure; constitutional law; public disclosure laws; agency, board, or commission specific statutes and related regulations and the case law relating to statutes; specific body of law applicable to their field of assignment to include federal and state statutes, court decisions, and agency regulations; departmental policies relevant to the hearings process; the organization and industry for which cases are heard.

Ability to: supervise and/or review conduct of fair hearings; give legal counsel to department heads and subordinates; scrutinize transcripts, findings, and orders from hearings conducted by other Legal Examiners for errors of language, instructions to witnesses, rulings on evidence, conclusions of law, conformance with policy, and any other elements which could result in improper resolution of issues; write findings of fact, conclusions of law, and orders concisely and accurately; instruct lower-level examiners in all phases of hearings examination, including writing of findings and orders; travel regularly within the state.

There may be instances where individual positions must have additional licenses or certification. It is the employer's responsibility to ensure the appropriate licenses/certifications are obtained for each position.

Persons legally authorized to work in the U.S. under federal law, including Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients, are eligible for employment unless prohibited by other state or federal law.

Admission to practice law in the state of Washington; or graduation from an accredited school of law and current admission to practice before the highest court of a state.


Five years of law experience that includes litigation experience and at least three years of supervisory experience.


One year experience at the Legal Examiner 3 level and at least two years of supervisory experience.

Equivalent education/experience.

New classification: Legal Examiner 4, class code: 422L, range 74; adopted June 23, 2025; effective July 1, 2025.