The Seattle City Attorney is a non-partisan elected official in
Seattle, Washington
Seattle ( ) is the List of municipalities in Washington, most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the List of Unit ...
whose job is to "prosecute people for misdemeanor offenses, defend the city against lawsuits, and gives legal advice to the city". Since 2022, the position has been held by
Ann Davison.
Departmental Organization
The
City Attorney is the head of the Seattle City Law Department, a branch of the
Seattle Municipal Government, and the fourth-largest public law office in
Washington
Washington most commonly refers to:
* George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States
* Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A ...
. There are approximately 90 staff attorneys and 65 support staff.
They are split between four divisions:
*
Civil
Civil may refer to:
*Civility, orderly behavior and politeness
*Civic virtue, the cultivation of habits important for the success of a society
*Civil (journalism)
''The Colorado Sun'' is an online news outlet based in Denver, Colorado. It lau ...
: torts (claims), land use, environmental protection, employment, contracts & utilities, government affairs, and regulatory enforcement & economic justice
*
Criminal
In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a State (polity), state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definiti ...
: traffic infractions, misdemeanors, and gross misdemeanors
*Administration: human resources, information technology, budgeting, accounting, internships/externships (approximately 35 law students per year)
*Precinct Liaison (with the
Seattle Police Department
The Seattle Police Department (SPD) is the principal police force, law enforcement agency of the city of Seattle, Washington, United States. It is responsible for the entire city except for the campus of the University of Washington (which is und ...
): North, South, East, Southwest, Vice/Narcotics
The City Attorney receives a salary of $145,000 per year, making them only the 265th highest paid municipal employee (as of 2012).
The Law Department began issuing a digital newsletter in 2011.
List of City Attorneys
*
Ann Davison, 2022–present
*
Pete Holmes
Peter Benedict Holmes (born March 30, 1979) is an American comedian, actor, writer, producer, and podcaster.
Holmes gained recognition in the early 2010s as a stand-up comic, during which he launched his podcast ''You Made It Weird'' (2011–p ...
, 2010–2022
*
Tom Carr, 2002–2009
*
Mark Sidran
Mark Sidran (born July 7, 1951) is a former Seattle City Attorney, serving three terms from 1990 to 2002. He is remembered most for his controversial "civility" laws.
Early life
Sidran grew up in the Rainier Valley neighborhood of Seattle, Wash ...
, 1990–2002
*Douglas Jewett, 1978–1989
Corporation Counsel/City Attorney
/ref>
*John Harris, 1974–1977
/ref>
*A.L. Newbould, 1963–1973
References
External links
Official Website
Washington (state) city attorneys
Government of Seattle
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