General Counsel - Administration

State-of-Missour; Jefferson City (MO); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

State of Missouri, Department of Economic Development, Jefferson City, seeks a General Counsel to lead a small legal team and advise on tax credits, financing, contracts, and regulatory matters. The role involves drafting legislation, reviewing procurement, and ensuring policy compliance, with in-person work in the Jefferson City office and close collaboration with the department director and staff.

Qualifications

• Juris Doctor degree from an accredited law school is required.
• Member in good standing of The Missouri Bar is required.
• Minimum of five years of legal practice experience is required.

Responsibilities

• Serve as General Counsel for the Department Director on departmental matters including tax credits, economic development initiatives, projects and programs, policy matters and legislation.
• Advise non-attorney team members on implementation of new DED programs and procurement processes.
• Draft and review procurement documents and advise on state procurement requirements.
• Supervise the legal team in drafting templates for agreements, certifications, and other documents.
• Provide legal advice across divisions on employment law, administrative procedures, Sunshine Law, contracts, and compliance.

Skills

Strong written and oral communication

Knowledge of Missouri statutes

Public financing knowledge

Litigation management

Legal research skills

Contract law understanding

Education

Juris Doctor (JD) degree

Job description

Job Location: This position will be located in Jefferson City, MO, within the Harry S. Truman Building, 301 W. High Street, Jefferson City, MO 65101

Why you’ll love this position:

You’ll lead a small, collaborative team of attorneys supporting the Department of Economic Development's mission to create greater opportunities for Missourians to prosper, operating under the values of exceptional service, creative solutions, and good stewardship of state and federal dollars and incentives.

This is a highly responsible position, reporting to the Department Director. The General Counsel responsibilities include:

• Serve as the General Counsel for the Department Director on departmental matters including tax credits, economic development initiatives, projects and programs, policy matters and legislation, drawing upon statutory construction, administrative law, contract law, and other skills
• Advise non-attorney team members on implementation of new DED programs, including reviewing and editing program guidelines and forms, and ensuring program requirements, including requirements applicable to multiple DED programs, are included
• Legislative drafting and assisting in the review of pending legislation affecting DED
• Supervise and provide direction to legal team charged with setting up templates for agreements, certifications, and other legal documents - this will include eliminating legalese and increasing clarity
• Advise other members of the Divisions that serve the rest of DED, including fiscal, budget, legislative, and human resources, in matters such as employment law, administrative procedure, Sunshine Law, contracts, and overall legal compliance
• Draft portions of procurement documents, review and approve procurement documents, and advise team members about the varying procurement requirements under state law
• Analyze potential program agreement violations for action by DED, repayment demands, and possible referral for litigation
• Draft administrative rules and amendments
• Respond to or assist in responding to records requests and subpoenas, including reviewing and redacting records
• Advise team members about record retention laws and assist in interpreting or seeking modifications to applicable retention schedules
• Oversee legal due diligence checks on applicants for incentives
• Serve as Custodian of Records and oversee administration and fulfillment of public record requests
• Other related work as needed

Required Competencies:

• Strong written and oral communication skills
• Knowledge of Missouri statutes
• Knowledge of complex public financing options, state and local
• Knowledge of such terms and concepts as economic impact analysis, cost-benefit ration, rate of return, return on investment, time value of money, and gap financing
• Knowledge of business and real estate financing
• Ability to direct all litigation against and by the Department
• Ability to interpret federal, state and local laws, rules and regulations and policies and procedures
• Ability to provide legal advice, opinions and recommendations, both orally and in writing
• Ability to conduct highly complex legal research on a wide variety of matters
• Ability to effectively communicate with all levels within the organization, Governor's Office, and legislature
• Ability to effectively negotiate with private practice public finance attorneys representing local governments or developers with an application before the department

Qualifications:

Required:

• Graduation from an accredited law school
• Be a member in good standing of The Missouri Bar
• Minimum of five years' experience practicing law
• Work in-person within DED's Jefferson City office

Preferred:

• Previous in-house counsel to a government entity, or other government experience
• Ability to proactively identify legal issues
• A desire for public service and for learning
• Education or experience in finance and/or economics preferred
• Direct experience with, or knowledge of tax credit programs

DED pays annual bar dues and although free Continuing Legal Education (CLE) is encouraged, will pay for reasonable CLE expenses.

DED is a qualifying Public Service Loan Forgiveness employer.

The State of Missouri offers an excellent benefits package that includes a defined pension plan, generous amounts of leave and holiday time, and eligibility for health insurance coverage. Your total compensation is more than the dollars you receive in your paycheck. To help demonstrate the value of working for the State of Missouri, we have created an interactive Total Compensation Calculator. This tool provides a comprehensive view of benefits and more that are offered to prospective employees. The Total Compensation Calculator and other applicant resources can be found here.

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