The Solicitor General Division is responsible for supervising and approving all appellate litigation for the State of Texas and for ensuring consistency in legal positions taken by the state. The Solicitor General determines which division within the Office of the Attorney General will handle any appeal in a case. The Solicitor General Division is responsible for handling the appeals deemed most significant to Texas’s interests and the development of federal and state jurisprudence.
Employment Opportunities
The Solicitor General is supported by two Deputy Solicitors General, 14 Assistant Solicitors General, two recent law-school graduates serving as Coleman Fellows, and a highly dedicated professional support staff.
The Division will accept applications for these positions only as specified in a given job announcement, which can be found when available.
Coleman fellowships
Every year, the Solicitor General Division accepts applications for prestigious, one-year Coleman fellowships. Coleman Fellows work closely with Solicitor General Division lawyers in representing Texas’s interests before appellate courts. Duties include preparing briefs and petitions in cases on appeal in the United States Supreme Court, the Texas Supreme Court, and federal and state courts of appeals; preparing recommendations to the Solicitor General regarding authorization of appeals; and assisting attorneys in the Division in preparing for oral arguments. The Division also tries to ensure that Coleman Fellows who are licensed to do so have an opportunity to lead the briefing and then present oral argument in at least one appeal.
The fellowship is named after Gregory S. Coleman, Texas’s first Solicitor General and one of the preeminent appellate advocates of his generation.
To apply for a fellowship, candidates must be rising 3Ls or graduates of accredited law schools and have excellent academic records. The typical candidate comes to the fellowship immediately after the completion of an appellate judicial clerkship. Applications will be accepted after June 1 for fellowships beginning in September of the following year. Hiring decisions are typically made in November of the year preceding the fellowship year.
Clerkships
The Solicitor General Division hosts highly qualified law students for paid clerkships during the summer or unpaid clerkships during school semesters.