The legislature directed that the AGO “shall” represent state agencies, including “before all administrative tribunals or bodies of any nature, in all legal or quasi legal matters, hearings, or proceedings, and advise all officials, departments, boards, commissions, or agencies of the state in all matters involving legal or quasi legal questions, except those declared by law to be the duty of the prosecuting attorney of any county.”
That is very specific, and bolstered by an opinion from Washington’s Governor, what does this mean for you now if you are fighting a state agency in an administrative hearing—it depends! You should seek counsel on this for your specific case to appreciate what you might have to do now or preserve for further appeal higher up.
