Competition Unit Deputy Attorney General

State of California; California; On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

CalPERS benefits

CalHR information access

Job summary

The California Department of Justice's Healthcare Rights and Access Section seeks a Deputy Attorney General to lead and coordinate antitrust and competition-related healthcare matters in California. You will handle investigations, trials, writs and appeals, often in teams, and guide compliance monitoring and enforcement of settlements.

Ideal candidates bring strong experience in antitrust, healthcare regulation, and appellate advocacy, with excellent research, writing, and oral communication

Qualifications

• Experience handling antitrust or consumer protection matters for government, private plaintiffs, or defendants.
• Background in economics, healthcare, and industrial organization is a plus.
• Strong trial and appellate advocacy skills with knowledge of civil and administrative procedure.

Responsibilities

• Handle complex antitrust and competition-related healthcare matters, including investigations, trials, writs, and appeals.
• Engage in compliance monitoring and enforcement of settlements and conditions on nonprofit health facility transactions.
• Coordinate with other state and federal offices and communicate findings clearly.

Skills

Antitrust & competition work

Healthcare law

Legal research

Oral advocacy

Team collaboration

Education

Juris Doctor (JD)

Job description

The California Department of Justice is responsible for protecting and serving the People and interests of California. Among other things, we represent the People of California in civil and criminal matters before trial courts, intermediate appellate courts, and Supreme Courts of California and the United States, and serve as legal counsel to state officers, and most state agencies. Highlighting the importance of these functions are developments at the federal and state level in healthcare, which can or have adversely impacted California.

The Competition Unit of the Healthcare Rights and Access Section conducts all antitrust and other competition-related legal work that impacts the healthcare payor, provider, life sciences, and pharmaceutical markets in or involving California. The Competition Unit enforces California's antitrust and unfair competition laws as well as federal antitrust laws to ensure the affordability, accessibility, availability, and quality of healthcare and pharmacy services, and pharmaceutical and medical products. Typical matters include the competitive impact review of nonprofit health facility transactions and retail pharmacy mergers under the public interest standard, review of other proposed healthcare-related transactions under federal antitrust law, and assisting state agencies in their competitive impact reviews of transactions. The Unit also conducts investigations and litigation over predatory and/or exclusionary conduct by healthcare market participants and over collusive agreements between pharmaceutical companies, between providers, or between insurers.These matters may also include reviewing and proposing legislation, commenting on regulations and guidelines, and other advocacy work.

The Deputy Attorneys General (DAG) will work often in teams that handle this affirmative healthcare work in the Attorney General's Office, including difficult and complex legal work related to investigations, trials, writs, and appeals on all antitrust and competition-related healthcare matters. Additionally, the DAG will engage in compliance monitoring and enforcement of settlements as well as of Attorney General conditions issued on nonprofit health facility transactions. They may also coordinate and facilitate communications with other state Attorney General's Offices and other federal and state government agencies working on similar issues. DAGs work under the direction of the Supervising Deputy Attorney General, the Senior Assistant Attorney General, the Chief Assistant Attorney General of the Public Rights Division, the Chief Deputy to the Attorney General, and the Attorney General.

You will find additional information about the job in the Duty Statement.

Benefit information can be found on the CalHR website and the CalPERS website.

Minimum Requirements
You will find the Minimum Requirements in the Class Specification.

• DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL IV
• DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL
• DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL III
• DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL V

Desirable Qualifications

In addition to evaluating each candidate's relative ability, as demonstrated by quality and breadth of experience, the following factors will provide the basis for competitively evaluating each candidate:

Highly competitive candidates should have significant experience working on matters involving the investigation and/or prosecution of antitrust or consumer protection matters, either for a government agency, for private plaintiffs, or for defendants, with matters involving healthcare or complex litigation being desired. A background in, or understanding of, economics, healthcare, and industrial organization, is a plus. They also should have experience and proven skill as a trial and/or appellate advocate, including demonstrated knowledge of trial and/or appellate procedure and strategy in civil and/or administrative law cases; the ability to identify quickly and to describe succinctly, orally and in writing, the salient legal issues in potentially complex government investigations, litigation, and/or administrative proceedings, especially those involving healthcare, antitrust, mergers, and/or consumer protection; and the ability to work closely in a team, or the ability to manage a team, with the ability to work effectively with Section employees in all areas. Ideal candidates should have initiative and an excellent work ethic; strong interest in and demonstrated aptitude for handling complex, high-profile litigation, often on an abbreviated schedule and of a sensitive nature; innovative thinking; strong research, computer literacy, investigatory, analytical, and writing skills; excellent public speaking and communication skills; and judgment and discretion in handling sensitive matters. Strong candidates will exhibit the ability to handle multiple projects and meet deadlines; prioritize tasks and projects; maintain professionalism under pressure; work independently and as a team member; and self-educate when confronted by complex and multidimensional problems.