Other LanguagesOLYMPIA…The Attorney General’s Office this week named Tim Lang as the new Division Chief of the office’s newly formed Corrections Division.
The new Corrections Division emerged after a reorganization of the Criminal Justice Division (CJD) in the Attorney General’s office earlier this year. The reorganization splits the duties of the larger division into two smaller divisions, in response to its growing size and complexity.
“This reorganization will result in more clearly defined areas of responsibility and authority,” said Attorney General Rob McKenna. “Over the years, and as a result of our successes, the present CJD has grown in size and the complexity of its mission. As currently configured, CJD covers a broad expanse of responsibility from client advice to litigation, from Corrections to Sexually Violent Predator cases, and many more loosely related functions. This move will more closely align related functions and place them under two Division Chiefs.”
The dedicated Corrections Division will represent the Department of Corrections, Indeterminate Sentence Review Board, Washington State Patrol, Governor’s Clemency and Pardons Board, and the Governor’s Office on extraditions and detainers, and handle Habeas Corpus petitions.
The CJD Division will house the Criminal Litigation Unit (CLU), which prosecutes cases at the request of country prosecutors and the Governor, the Sexually Violent Predator Unit, the Homicide Investigation and Tracking System Unit (HITS) and the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU). It will be led by Division Chief Lana Weinmann, who served as the office’s Chief Criminal Prosecutor and CJD Seattle Section Chief.
Prior to his promotion, Lang was chosen to work with the office’s Complex Litigation Division, defending the state against class action lawsuits and other complex cases.
“Tim’s expertise in electronic discovery and disclosure is important as the Corrections division work becomes increasing complex,” McKenna said.
Lang joined the Attorney General’s Office in 2002 after 10 years of practicing law in the private sector. He started in the AGO’s Social and Health Services Division where he worked as a litigation attorney in the Mental Health Section. He received his B.A. in Public Administration and Economics from the University of Colorado and earned his J.D. from the Northwestern School of Law at Lewis and Clark College in Portland.
Former CJD Division Chief Scott Blonien left the office for a new position as Assistant Secretary for Government, Community Relations and Regulatory Compliance for the state Department of Corrections. Blonien joined the Attorney General’s Office in 1987 and served as DOC’s senior legal adviser for 21 years.
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Contact:
Janelle Guthrie, Director of Communication, (360) 586-0725
Nick Werts, Public Affairs Intern, (360) 664-0403