Child Advocate Attorney

WV Department of Human Services; West Virginia; On-site; USD 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

The WV Department of Human Services, through the Child Advocate Office, seeks an attorney to represent children in establishing paternity, creating and enforcing child support orders, and pursuing URESA cases, while ensuring compliance with federal and state law and audit requirements.

You will supervise regional staff, coordinate duties, and provide training while upholding agency policy. A car is required for employment, and occasional geographic relocation may occur.

Qualifications

• Knowledge of statutes, court opinions, and Attorney General opinions related to child support and domestic relations.
• Knowledge of administrative law and policy interpretation.
• Experience with debt collection procedures and enforcement of family obligations.
• Ability to draft petitions and present legal issues clearly.

Responsibilities

• Represent children in establishing paternity and in establishing, enforcing and collecting family support obligations.
• Brief and advise on legal issues in ongoing cases; interpret laws and policies for staff.
• Supervise regional office personnel and ensure compliance with federal/state requirements.
• Ensure all applications and audits meet agency policy and regulatory standards.

Skills

Legal knowledge

Administrative law

Debt collection

Legal writing

Education

West Virginia Bar Admission

Job description

Nature of Work -

Under administrative direction, represents children, unless otherwise provided, in establishing paternity, establishing child support orders, enforcing support orders, proceeding in Uniform Reciprocal Enforcement of Support Act (URESA) cases, making recommendations regarding child support or spousal support, enforcing spousal support obligations, and related matters including, but not limited to, providing informational pamphlets to the public, instituting collection proceedings, and complying with state and federal statutory and regulatory requirements, Child Advocate Office policy, and audit requirements. Responsible for applying federal and state law mandates and federal code of regulations, and state policies and procedures in the provision of equal services to applicants for services of the Child Advocate Office. Responsible for coordination of all duties to be performed by administrative support staff, and for maintaining regional statistical records necessary to ensure federal and state reporting requirements of the IV-D program are met. Responsible for ensuring that federal audit requirements are met through performance standards and compliance to the federal requirements. Directly supervises and assumes all responsibility for all work and all personnel of the regional office, and is responsible for implementing a state-administered cost-effective regional Child Advocate Office, and for initiating measures to ensure the program operates in an effective and efficient manner. Supports the child advocate program, and will publicize the program’s services and promote the Child Advocate Office throughout the communities to which assigned by the State Office. May be temporarily assigned from one geographical area to another geographical area. Performs related work as required.

Example of Work

• Directly supervises and assumes responsibility for all work and all personnel in the regional offices to which assigned.
• Trains, directs, coordinates and evaluates work of child advocate regional office staff.
• Provides legal representation to children seeking to establish paternity, and to establish, enforce and collect family support obligations.
• Briefs legal issues as they arise in on-going cases.
• Provides supervision and training on all matters of law and legal ethics arising in the local office.
• Interprets court opinions, statutes, and policy and provides information to administrative personnel and others on appropriate legal recourse and remedies.
• Consults and advises administrative personnel on administrative rules, regulations and policies, and provides supervision as may be required.
• Ensures that all applications for services of the Child Advocate Office program are processed by staff in accordance with agency policy, federal regulation, and applicable court orders.
• Ensures compliance with federal and state regulatory and statutory requirements so as to meet the performance standard audit requirements, and to supply through conferences and reports, such information and documentation as may be necessary or desirable for the management of the program and audit review.
• Interprets federal and state regulations and applies policy and procedures as defined by the Child Advocate Office.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Knowledge of statutes, court opinions, and Attorney General opinions, and federal and state laws and policies, generally related to child support and domestic relations.
• Knowledge of administrative law.
• Knowledge of debt collection procedures/practices.
• Skill in the preparation and presentation of petitions for child support and the initiation of contempt proceedings, and skill in the application of creditors' remedies for collections and enforcement of family support obligations.
• Ability to analyze, appraise and organize facts and present such materials in a clear and logical form for oral and written preparation.
• Ability to communicate effectively with others.
• Ability to perform complex legal work in the drafting of legal instruments and opinions.
• Ability to supervise and evaluate the work of subordinate personnel.

Minimum Qualifications

Training:

Admission to practice law in the State of West Virginia.

Experience:

Two years of full-time or equivalent part-time paid experience as an attorney.

Substitution:

Full-time or equivalent part-time paid professional employment with the Child Advocate Office, (including experience as a Child Advocate Office Legal Assistant) or with a child support agency for another state may substitute for the required experience on a year-for-year basis.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENT:

Availability of a car for continuous use is a specific requirement of employment.