The Juneau Assembly has selected Emily Wright to serve as the City and Borough of Juneau’s new city attorney. She will be officially appointed to the position on Wednesday.
Wright may be a familiar face. She is currently assistant municipal attorney for the city. She also worked for the Alaska Court System, the State of Alaska and has lived in Juneau since 2011.
She went to law school at the University of Colorado and has a master’s in teaching from the University of Alaska Southeast.
Wright was a finalist for the position alongside Megan Costello and Rebecca Convery.
During a candidate interview with the Assembly earlier this month, Wright said she feels a sense of duty to serve her community. Growing up with a single mom and a father who was in prison, she says she knows firsthand how crucial it is that local governments support all members of its community.
“So many things could have been different, and I described earlier that it’s not an obligation, but kind of an honor to be able to take my education and serve my community — and it’s a responsibility,” she said.
Wright said over the years with the city, she’s gained a wide range of municipal law experience – especially with the unique issues that Juneau faces. She has also served as the city’s acting attorney on multiple occasions.
“I’ve got criminal experience, I’ve got civil experience, and Anchorage and Juneau are the only places where you have a city attorney assigned to both criminal and civil,” she said.
Juneau’s outgoing city attorney Robert Palmer announced plans to resign in May. He’s held the position since 2018.
He will continue to reside in Juneau but will work for an Anchorage-based firm that deals with municipal and private law.