Seattle City Attorney

City Attorney of Seattle
Incumbent Ann Davison since January 1, 2022
Term length	4 years
Deputy	Scott Lindsay
Website	http://www.seattle.gov/law/

The Seattle City Attorney is a non-partisan elected official in Seattle, Washington whose job is to "prosecute people for misdemeanor offenses, defend the city against lawsuits, and gives legal advice to the city". ^[1] The current city attorney is Ann Davison. ^[2]

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. ^[3] There are approximately 90 staff attorneys and 65 support staff. ^[4] They are split between four divisions:

• Civil: torts (claims), land use, environmental protection, employment, contracts & utilities, government affairs, and regulatory enforcement & economic justice ^[5]
• Criminal: 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): 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). ^{[6] [7]}

The Law Department began issuing a digital newsletter in 2011. ^[4]

List of City Attorneys

• Ann Davison, 2022–present
• Pete Holmes, 2010–2022 ^[8]
• Tom Carr, 2002–2009 ^[9]
• Mark Sidran, 1990–2002 ^{[10] [11]}
• Douglas Jewett, 1978–1989 ^[12]
• John Harris, 1974–1977 ^[13]
• A.L. Newbould, 1963–1973 ^[13]
• A.C. Van Soelen, 1930–1963 ^[13]
• Thomas Kennedy, 1924–1930 ^[13]
• Walter F. Meier, 1918–1923 ^[13]

References

1. Local News | New Seattle city attorney fires 14, replaces some with less-experienced lawyers | Seattle Times Newspaper
2. Brunner, Jim; Gutman, David (August 6, 2021). "Pete Holmes concedes Seattle city attorney race; Thomas-Kennedy, Davison will face off in November". The Seattle Times. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
3. Peter S. Holmes (2009). "Seattle City Attorney's Office - 2009 Annual Report" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-11-03.
4. "Seattle City Attorney - Annual Report 2012" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-09-23. Retrieved 2013-06-25.
5. "The Civil Division - CityAttorney". seattle.gov. Retrieved 2022-08-21.
6. City of Seattle employees salary database from The News Tribune | Tacoma, WA
7. "2006 Salary Schedule and Compensation Plan" (PDF). City of Seattle Personnel Department. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-05-10.
8. Seattle News and Events | Why Is Nobody Running Against Pete Holmes?
9. Boulder hires Tom Carr as new city attorney – Boulder Daily Camera
10. Mark Sidran's Seattle - Seattle News - City - The Stranger, Seattle's Only Newspaper
11. Editorials & Opinion | Heft to mayoral race | Seattle Times Newspaper
12. Corporation Counsel/City Attorney
13. Corporation Counsel/City Attorney

External links

• Official Website