Attorney III, will consider Attorney (Attorney III)
State Water Resources Control Board · Sacramento County
Salary: $10,852 – $15,325 per month
Closes: 2026-11-30T00:00:00.000Z
Job description and requirements
Show full description and requirements
Job Description and Duties
Please note, the Water Boards do not participate in E-Verify.
The State Water Resources Control Board’s Office of Chief Counsel has an opening for an Attorney III or Attorney in the Regional Water Boards Legal Services Branch 1. Attorneys in Branch 1 provide legal counsel to four of the nine regional water quality control boards (North Coast Region, San Francisco Bay Region, Central Coast Region, and Central Valley Region). This position may be assigned to any of these regions or a combination thereof.
The position is located at 1001 I Street, Sacramento, CA 95814, right in the heart of downtown next to light rail stations and other public transportation.
CANDIDATES MEETING QUALIFICATIONS FOR EITHER ATTORNEY III OR ATTORNEY WILL BE CONSIDERED.
The Office of Chief Counsel fosters an intellectually stimulating, dynamic, and very collegial environment, with a strong emphasis on attorney development and mentorship. The Office houses more than 50 attorneys with a diverse set of backgrounds, all of whom share a strong work ethic and a strong commitment to protecting the waters of California. Attorneys are allowed significant independence in setting priorities and managing their work and time.
Duties:
The State Water Resources Control Board and the nine regional water quality control boards are the principal state agencies for the coordination and control of water quality in the State of California. The regional water quality control boards are the primary planning, permitting and oversight agencies under the Clean Water Act and Porter-Cologne Water Quality Control Act within their respective jurisdictions. The Office of Chief Counsel provides legal counsel to the regional water boards, each of which has one to three attorneys who handle virtually all of the region’s water quality law issues. The practice is varied and interesting. It includes participating in complex administrative adjudications and general representation of the seven-member boards and assisting in civil litigation involving the boards’ decisions. This position presents an opportunity to gain entry into the exciting and dynamic field of water quality law. Under the general direction of an Attorney, Assistant Chief Counsel, regional water board attorneys work independently in a fast-paced, collegial environment.
Duties include advising the regional water board members, management, and staff in matters relating to water quality control planning, waste discharge permitting, enforcement, underground storage tank, and other environmental cleanups under the Clean Water Act and the Porter-Cologne Water Quality Control Act and other state and federal laws. Attorneys also advise on California Environmental Quality Act, Administrative Procedure Act, Public Records Act, Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act, environmental justice, and related issues, and assist and work with the Attorney General in litigation involving the regional water board.
You will find additional information about the job in the Duty Statement.
Additional information:
Candidates must possess essential personal qualifications including integrity, initiative, dependability, good judgment, the ability to work cooperatively with others, and the ability to perform the assigned duties of the class.
If the position requires driving, you must possess a current and valid driver’s license. Please Do Not include full Social Security Number, method of eligibility, and LEAP information in your application package.
Please let us know how you heard about this position by taking this brief survey: Recruitment Survey.
You will find additional information about the job in the Duty Statement.
Special Requirements
In order to be considered for this position, you must include the following:
- RPA# 26-220-010 in the “Examination or Job Title(s)” section of the State application when submitting a hardcopy application.
- Active membership in the California State Bar (Applicants who are not members of the California State Bar but who are eligible to take the California State Bar examination or are in their final year of law school will be admitted to the examination but will not be considered eligible for appointment until they are admitted to the California State Bar).
Must have Attorney III or Attorney list, transfer, or reinstatement eligibility and be reachable on the certification list.
Here is the link to the Attorney III exam: https://calcareers.ca.gov/CalHrPublic/Exams/ExamBulletin.aspx?ExamControlId=1580
Here is the link to the Attorney exam: https://calcareers.ca.gov/CalHrPublic/Exams/ExamBulletin.aspx?ExamControlId=1579
An applicant with a college degree obtained outside the United States that does meet accreditation standards must have education records evaluated by a credentials evaluation service. Evaluation of education records will be due during final minimum qualification evaluation of candidate(s). A link of accepted evaluation agencies can be found here: https://www.naces.org/members.
Electronic submittal of applications and attachments through jobs.ca.gov is preferred. Emailed or faxed applications will not be accepted. You are required to complete employment history on the application form (STD. 678), including work experience, dates, hours worked, contact names and phone numbers of supervisors on the state application. Applicants who fail to submit a completed STD. 678 may be disqualified.
In the hiring interview, the panel will consider education, experience, personal development, personal traits and fitness for the job. In appraising experience, more weight may be given to the breadth of pertinent experience and evidence of the candidate's ability to accept and fulfill increasing responsibilities than to the length of his/her experience. For additional information, you may refer to the class specification.
Desirable Qualifications
In addition to evaluating each candidate's relative ability, as demonstrated by quality and breadth of experience, the following factors will provide the basis for competitively evaluating each candidate:Excellent written and oral communication skills; knowledge of and/or experience with the law and legal research and analysis, especially in environmental law, administrative law, and/or public agency law; knowledge of and/or experience in public interest, including with environmental justice issues and work with nongovernmental agencies or underserved communities; demonstrated leadership skills or experience, including serving as a law review editor, seminar chair or officer in a law-related or public service organization; demonstrated interest in environmental law or public service; ability to work independently in a fast-paced environment.
About this opportunity
Salary context
The annualized midpoint for this posting is $157,062. That matches the $157,062 median among 24 current California public jobs with the same normalized title.
More jobs at this employer
State Water Resources Control Board currently has 16 other open positions in this database.
Regional hiring context
There are 658 current state openings in Sacramento County, including this position.
Application timeline
Applications close in 26 days, on November 30, 2026.
Similar roles at other employers
These employers are currently listing the same normalized role:
- ATTORNEY III at Department of Education — Sacramento County
- ATTORNEY III at Department of Industrial Relations — Sacramento County
- ATTORNEY III at State Air Resources Board — Sacramento County
- ATTORNEY III at California Victim Compensation Board — Sacramento County
- ATTORNEY III at California Energy Commission — Sacramento County
Posting history
This posting appears on CalCareers. CA Public Jobs first observed it on October 30, 2026. It was last verified open on November 4, 2026.