Legal Advocate

Towson; Richmond (VA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

VDOT is seeking a detail-oriented legal/HR professional to represent the agency in non-judicial employee grievance hearings and to provide technical legal support to the Human Resources Division. The role includes reviewing policy, agreements, and regulatory proposals, and serving as the liaison to the Office of the Attorney General and outside counsel.

You will prepare hearing materials, analyze statutes, and translate complex legal requirements into practical HR guidance for agency leadership.

Qualifications

• Experience analyzing and applying state and federal labor laws.
• Ability to translate legal requirements into practical HR guidance.
• Experience supporting HR operations and policy development.

Responsibilities

• Prepare grievance hearing materials and present VDOT cases in hearings.
• Review memoranda, agreements, governance documents, and FOIA requests for compliance.
• Coordinate with the Attorney General’s Office and outside counsel on legal matters.
• Identify legal/regulatory impacts and provide status reports to HR leadership.

Skills

Witness credibility

Case strategy

Legal research

Policy interpretation

HR guidance

Oral advocacy

Negotiation

Client counseling

Discretion

Education

Employment Law

HR training

DHRM-EDR training

Job description

Represent VDOT’s interests as an employer in non-judicial employee grievance hearings challenging management actions pursuant to the Commonwealth’s State Grievance Procedure. Provide technical legal support and guidance to VDOT’s Human Resources Division in the development and review of policy, employee agreements, legislative and regulatory proposals. Serve as HR’s primary liaison to the Office of the Attorney General and outside counsel appointed to represent VDOT’s interests in employment-based legal matters.

How you will contribute:

• Administrative Hearings: Prepare grievance hearing qualification packages and briefings for Agency Head designee. Represent VDOT in employee grievance hearings, presenting evidence and questioning witnesses on VDOT’s behalf, making and responding to objections, and recommending and responding to settlement offers and drafting pre- and post-hearing briefs.
• Legal Reviews: Review memoranda, agreements, governance documents, Intellectual Property and FOIA requests and make recommendations. Review and interpret regulations, statutes and Commonwealth policy applicable to HR operations and programs for legal compliance. Work with Governance and Legislative Affairs Division (GALA) to respond to subpoenas and complex requests for employee-related records under FOIA and the State Grievance Procedure.
• Legislative and Regulatory Impacts: Identify federal and state legislation and regulations that affect HR-related operational areas. Analyze impacts and provide status reports to operational areas.
• Liasion to Attorney General’s Office: Serve as a point of contact with the Attorney General's Office to resolve legal issues and questions of law related to VDOT's programs and processes, and coordinate information and documentation with the AG's staff.
• Technical Support: Provide technical support and guidance in developing and interpreting policy, legislative, and regulatory proposals for VDOT. Work with outside counsel and assist with local coordination and responses to discovery.

What will make you successful:

• Ability to assess organizational, legal, and reputational risk and recommend legally sound strategies to mitigate exposure.
• Ability to by translate legal requirements into practical, compliant HR guidance.
• Ability to develop advisory memoranda, investigative summaries, risk assessments, and policy interpretations for agency leadership.
• Ability to interpret and apply employment laws, regulations, and DHRM guidance to complex, sensitive, and high-risk workplace scenarios on behalf of the employer.
• Ability to manage highly sensitive and confidential matters with professionalism, discretion, and sound judgment.
• Ability to provide strategic client counseling to supervisors and executives.
• Knowledge of Virginia and federal labor and employment laws, DHRM policies, and Commonwealth standards governing employee relations, investigations, discipline, grievances, and workplace conduct.
• Knowledge of public sector labor relations including investigative processes, grievance procedures, and disciplinary frameworks.
• Skill in legal research, analysis, and professional writing.
• Skill in negotiation and conflict resolution to support the resolution of employee relations disputes.
• Skill in oral communication and advocacy to present legal and HR positions clearly to agency leadership, managers, employees, and external stakeholders.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Ability to assess witness credibility and case merits, and develop, prepare, and propose case strategy based on that analysis.
• Skill in assessing and responding to discovery requests, subpoenas, and/or Virginia Freedom of information Act (FOIA) requests.
• Skill in conducting fact-finding during legal case research.
• Skill in delivering oral arguments, examining and cross-examining witnesses, and introducing documentary/physical evidence.
• Skill in interpreting and applying state and federal labor and employment laws on behalf of an employer.
• Skill in making and responding to objections in legal proceedings with opposing legal counsel.
• Skill in proposing strategies to effectively manage organizational risk.
• Skill in representing the interests of an employer in legal proceedings related to employee disputes.

Additional Considerations:

• A combination of training, experience or education in Employment Law, Human Resources or related field is desired.
• Completion of grievance training from the Department of Human Resource Management (DHRM) Office of Employment Dispute Resolution (DHRM-EDR) on the Commonwealth’s State Grievance Procedure highly desired.
• Experience representing state agencies in grievance hearings held pursuant to the Commonwealth of Virginia’s State Grievance Procedure desired.