Assistant General Counsel

Massachusetts Department of Public Health; McKnight and Bay (MA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Commonwealth of Massachusetts seeks an Assistant General Counsel (Counsel II) for the Central West region, based in Springfield. The AGC will provide practical legal advice on a broad range of matters, including probate, privacy, and agency regulation, and represent the Department in Probate and Family Courts statewide.

The role involves advising senior staff, supervising paralegal personnel, supporting agency litigation, and handling administrative appeals and audits. Travel statewide as needed.

Qualifications

• Juris Doctor (JD) degree required for admission to the Massachusetts Bar or eligible by motion.
• Excellent oral and written advocacy skills are essential.
• Strong analytical skills and good judgment are required.

Responsibilities

• Provide legal consultation and advice to the Department’s senior managers and field staff on public agency administration.
• Handle guardianship and protective services cases for individuals with developmental disabilities and related conditions.
• Prepare legal memoranda, petitions, motions, and reports; represent the Agency in courts and administrative tribunals; manage pre-hearing and discovery tasks.

Skills

Oral advocacy

Written advocacy

Analytical skills

Judgment

Legal research

Education

Juris Doctor (JD)

Massachusetts Bar admission

Job description

An Official website of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Job Description - Assistant General Counsel (260006BV)

Job Description

Assistant General Counsel - (260006BV )

Description

The Department of Developmental Services (DDS) is seeking an Assistant General Counsel (Counsel II) for its Central West region based in our Springfield office. This is an excellent opportunity for attorneys looking to take on meaningful, hands on legal work in a collaborative, mission-driven public sector environment. Assistant General Counsels (AGCs) play a key role in advancing DDS ' s mission by providing practical, solutions oriented legal advice on a broad range of matters, including Probate and Family Court proceedings, benefits eligibility, service delivery, privacy and records, protective services, tort liability, and agency regulations and policy. This Counsel II position would provide legal advice and services to agency staff and represent the Department in Probate and Family Courts throughout the state in a variety of matters including petitions for guardianship, substituted judgment and Rogers reviews, and protective services. Counsel would also provide legal advice to General Counsel and agency senior staff on a variety of public law issues; represent the agency in administrative appeals and audits; manage and support agency litigation; respond to requests for public records; and draft regulations, legal memoranda and correspondence as needed.

Duties and Responsibilities (these duties are a general summary and not all inclusive)

• Provide legal consultation and advice to the Department’s senior managers, Regional and Area Directors, and field staff regarding issues relevant to the administration of a public agency.
• Handle guardianship and protective services cases for persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities, autism, and acquired brain injuries.
• Prepare legal memoranda, petitions, motions, reports, opinions, letters, etc.
• Represent the Agency in matters before courts and administrative tribunals; conduct all pre-hearing/trial preparation, discovery, etc., present evidence and oral argument in support of the Department’s position.
• Conduct investigations and participate in informal hearings on matters affecting the Agency.
• Assist the Attorney General’s Office in the preparation of cases in which the Agency is an interested party.
• Exercise direct supervision of paralegal and/or administrative personnel, as assigned.
• Perform other legal tasks as may be assigned from time to time by the General Counsel.
• Travel throughout the state as required.

Required Qualifications:

• Juris Doctor (JD) degree, admission to the Massachusetts Bar or eligible for admission by motion, and at least three years of full-time or equivalent part-time professional experience in the practice of law.
• Excellent oral and written advocacy skills.
• Excellent analytical skills.
• Good judgment.
• Ability to