About Us
The Seattle City Attorney's Office (CAO) is also known as the Law Department under Article XIII of the Charter of the City of Seattle. With a staff of approximately 200, including approximately 135 attorneys, the CAO is one of the largest law offices in Seattle and is the third largest public law office in the state.
The Law Department is comprised
of three major divisions.
The Criminal Division prosecutes misdemeanors, gross misdemeanors, and traffic infractions in Seattle Municipal Court. The types of cases prosecuted by the Criminal Division include driving under the influence (DUI), misdemeanor assault, misdemeanor domestic violence, misdemeanor theft, and trespassing.
The Civil Division represents the City in lawsuits and advises City officials as they develop programs, projects, policies, and legislation. The sections within the Civil Division are Civil Enforcement; Constitutional and Complex Litigation; Contracts and Utilities; Employment; Environmental Protection; Government Affairs; Land Use; Torts.
The Administration Division provides budgeting, accounting, human resources, clerical, information technology services, internal/external communications, and media relations for the Seattle City Attorney's Office.
For representative examples of CAO work, please see the Reports page.
Frequently Asked Questions about the Seattle City Attorney's Office.
Contact Us
Seattle City Attorney's Office reception - (206) 684-8200.
General inquiries - SeattleCityAttorney@seattle.gov
Media inquiries - Tim Robinson, Communications Manager, tim.robinson2@seattle.gov