Assistant General Counsel

State of Illinois - Illinois Student Assistance Commission; Deerfield (IL); On-site; USD 110,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, vision, and life insurance

State Employees’ Retirement System

Tuition waivers

Vacation days

Paid holidays

Job summary

A state agency in Illinois is seeking an Assistant General Counsel to support legal activities, including grant agreements and records management. This role requires a Juris Doctor and at least 7 years of legal experience. Familiarity with Illinois laws is preferred. The position offers a salary range of $110,000–$120,000, along with a comprehensive benefits package including health insurance and vacation days. Full-time commitment is expected in the legal sector, supporting higher education initiatives.

Qualifications

• Excellent writing and editing skills.
• 7 years of experience in transactional matters and/or administrative law.
• Proficient in computer skills including Microsoft Office.

Responsibilities

• Assist in legal research, grant agreements, and legal opinions.
• Draft administrative rules and maintain record retention policies.
• Conduct research on procurement code and related legal matters.
• Assist with responses to Freedom of Information Act requests.

Skills

Legal research

Writing and editing

Proficient computer skills

Education

Juris Doctor (J.D) law license

Tools

Microsoft Office applications

Job description

Assistant General Counsel – State of Illinois – Illinois Student Assistance Commission

The Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) has an immediate opening for an Assistant General Counsel. The person selected for this role will act as a junior counsel in all areas of the legal department.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Assist in legal research, drafting grant agreements, and requests for legal opinions regarding agency matters pertaining to the Grant Accountability and Transparency Act and the state grants and scholarships administered by ISAC.
• Research and draft agency administrative rules, track and document research and final drafts, and review policy and procedure to report issues to senior counsel.
• Meet with other divisions to assess the current record retention needs of the Agency and with the Records Officer to draft revised record retention schedules.
• Maintain and review the record retention policies and serve as counsel for questions from outside the agency with record retention questions.
• Conduct research pertaining to the State’s procurement code and any legal matters pertaining to the agency’s procurement needs and contract requirements at the direction of senior counsel.
• Assist with drafting and contract review.
• Attend open meetings, draft minutes, and respond to questions as they arise about the Open Meetings Act.
• Assist senior counsel with administrative hearings, as requested by defaulted student loan borrowers, schools, scholarship and grant applicants and recipients.
• Assist senior counsel with responses to Freedom of Information Act requests and due dates to ensure timely compliance.
• Assist senior counsel with state required ethics training and reporting to ensure timely compliance.
• Assist senior counsel with research and drafting policies about new and emerging legal issues (ex: AI policy).
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Minimum Acceptable Qualifications

• Juris Doctor (J.D) law license.
• A minimum of 7 years of practice in transactional matters and/or administrative law.
• Excellent writing and editing skills.
• Proficient computer skills including Word, Excel, Outlook and other Microsoft Office applications.

Preferred Qualifications

• Familiarity with the Illinois Compiled Statutes, Illinois Administrative Code, JCAR, Illinois Open Meetings Act, Local Records Act, Illinois Privacy Acts, and the Illinois Procurement Code.
• Knowledge of federal and state statutes as well as federal rules and state regulations relating to grant, scholarship, and loan programs.
• Knowledge of ISAC scholarship, grant, and loan programs.
• Previous experience working for the State of Illinois.
• ISAC offers an attractive benefits package including health, vision, and life insurance, State Employees’ Retirement System, educational benefits, and more.
• 24 earned vacation days per year.
• 13 paid holidays.
• Tuition waiver at select public Illinois universities and tuition reimbursements for non-public Illinois universities.

Salary range: $110,000–$120,000

Visit us at https://www.isac.org.

For consideration, please complete an application at https://recruiter.isac.org.

Applicants must be authorized to work for any employer in the US. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of employment visas at this time.

The person selected for this position will be required to complete a criminal background check.

ISAC does not discriminate against someone (applicant or employee) because of that person's race, color, religion, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation, and pregnancy), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information.

Seniority level

Mid-Senior level

Employment type

Full-time

Job function

Legal

Industries

Higher Education