The City Attorney’s Office is dedicated to providing excellent, timely and cost-effective legal services to the city's leaders so that they can govern effectively with the highest level of integrity and serve the best interests of the community. Our office is comprised of in-house legal counsel staff. We are tasked with addressing the city's various legal needs, ranging from information technology to zoning.
The City Attorney's Office is organized into two divisions:
- Civil Services
- Criminal Prosecution
The city manager appoints the city attorney. As the chief legal adviser for the city, the city attorney and the City Attorney’s Office provide legal advice and representation to the City Council, city officers, city manager, city departments and boards and commissions.
The City Attorney’s Office represents the interests of the public as a whole and does not represent individuals. The office is prohibited from providing legal advice and/or representation to residents in any matter, civil or criminal. Except for criminal matters where an attorney can be appointed for indigent persons, individuals must retain private counsel for legal assistance. For attorney referrals, people can contact the King County Bar Association’s Lawyer Referral Service (206-267-7010) or go directly to the King County Bar Association.
Please note: The city's webpages and any locations accessible from them, as well as any links accessible through them, shall not be used to make litigation discovery or public disclosure requests. There will be no response to any electronic public disclosure request or litigation discovery.
Mission
The mission of the City Attorney’s Office is to protect lives and property, to preserve and enhance the quality of life of the public by delivering effective and high-quality advice, litigation and prosecution that furthers the city’s policies and programs.