ASSISTANT COUNSEL - 80870

State of Tennessee; Nashville (TN); Hybrid; USD 67,000 - 82,000; Full time

Job summary

State of Tennessee, Department of Education, Office of General Counsel in Nashville is seeking an Assistant Counsel for Operations to provide legal support to the Commissioner and DOE staff. This role focuses on day-to-day operations, contracting, regulatory interpretation, and public records requests.

You will advise on school health, nutrition programs, privacy issues, and procurement ethics, and may present at conferences across the state.

Qualifications

• JD and license to practice law in Tennessee required.
• One year of legal practice experience preferred.

Responsibilities

• Provide legal support and counsel to the Commissioner and DOE staff.
• Advise on operational programs, contracting, and procurement matters.
• Interpret statutes/rules and draft internal/external guidance, board items, and policies.
• Assist with public records requests and legislative analysis.
• Deliver trainings on education law topics to stakeholders.

Skills

Legal research

Contract drafting

Policy interpretation

Public records awareness

Education

Juris Doctorate

Tennessee bar license

Job description

Executive Service

Closing Date: 09/21/2026

This job is in office, with flexibility to work remotely as business needs support

Executive Service

ASSISTANT COUNSEL

Tennessee Department of Education Office of General Counsel Nashville, TN

The anticipated annual salary range for this position is $67,000-$82,000

Closing Date: 09/21/2026

This job is in office, with flexibility to work remotely as business needs support

How You Make a Difference In This Role

The Assistant Counsel for Operations position is a member of the Office of General Counsel (OGC) and provides legal support and counsel to the Commissioner of Education, Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) personnel, and the State Special Schools. The Assistant Counsel provides proactive and strategic legal guidance to help ensure that TDOE activities comply with all applicable federal and state laws and regulations, as well as Department of Human Resources (DOHR) policies.

Job Overview

This position supports operational program areas, including coordinated school health and school nutrition. The Assistant Counsel is expected to advise on day-to-day operations, policy and regulatory interpretation, and contracting and procurement matters related to these program areas. In addition, this position provides legal counsel regarding public records requests and legislative analysis for assigned program areas. The Assistant Counsel may also be called upon to present at conferences, conventions, and workshops across the state for local education agencies (LEAs) and state education and child-focused organizations on matters related to education law, as requested by the General Counsel.

Key Responsibilities

• Coordinated School Health: Provide day-to-day legal advice on student safety and emergency operations, pupil transportation, school mental health services, and school nursing/health services; review policies and guidance; advise on privacy and data-sharing issues (e.g., student records and health information considerations) and accessibility/ADA issues related to services and transportation.
• School Nutrition: Advise on federal and state regulatory requirements, monitoring and compliance activities, waivers, and related contracting/procurement for child nutrition programs; review program communications and guidance for legal sufficiency.
• Contracts, Procurements, and Grants: Draft, review, and negotiate contracts, MOUs, amendments, SOWs, and grant documents supporting the Department's workstreams; ensure alignment with applicable state and federal procurement rules and policies.
• Policy, Rulemaking, and Guidance: Interpret statutes and rules; draft and review internal/external guidance, board items, and operational policies for assigned program areas to ensure legal clarity and ability implement.
• General Legal Support: The staff attorney will provide legal support and consultation to the OGC and other relevant departments within the TDOE. This includes assisting with legal research, drafting legal documents, and providing legal advice on a wide range of issues.
• Trainings: Deliver trainings for TDOE staff, LEAs, and stakeholders on topics such as school safety/transportation legal basics, student health services, school nutrition compliance, public records, and procurement ethics/processes.
• External Communication: The staff attorney will assist in communicating TDOE's position on matters of education law to parents, school officials, and other stakeholders and assist the TDOE communications team by providing legal support related to the Tennessee Open Records statute.
• Legislative Support: The staff attorney will assist TDOE and the OGC in conducting legislative analysis of education related bills introduced by the General Assembly.

Minimum Qualifications

• Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university, Juris Doctorate, and license to practice law in Tennessee.
• One (1) year of experience in legal practice is preferred.

Pursuant to the State of Tennessee's Workplace Discrimination and Harassment policy, the State is firmly committed to the principle of fair and equal employment opportunities for its citizens and strives to protect the rights and opportunities of all people to seek, obtain, and hold employment without being subjected to illegal discrimination and harassment in the workplace. It is the State's policy to provide an environment free of discrimination and harassment of an individual because of that person's race, color, national origin, age (40 and over), sex, pregnancy, religion, creed, disability, veteran's status or any other category protected by state and/or federal civil rights laws.