SENIOR ATTORNEY

State of Florida; Fort Myers Beach (FL); On-site; USD 75,000 - 92,000; Full time

Job summary

Florida Department of Corrections seeks a Senior Attorney to provide legal counsel, represent the agency in court, draft pleadings, and advise on statutes and rules. The role supports the Office of the General Counsel and reports to the Chief Legal Counsel.

Candidates must be a member of the Florida Bar, with strong research, writing, and litigation skills, and willingness to work across divisions to support litigation, contracts, environmental, and administrative matters.

Qualifications

• Must be a member of the Florida Bar in good standing.
• Ability to research, summarize and provide advice on disparate legal issues.
• Experience in civil litigation and administrative law preferred.

Responsibilities

• Represent the Department of Corrections in federal and state courts and administrative bodies.
• Prepare legal pleadings in civil and administrative actions.
• Advise department administrators on legal matters.
• Review, analyze, and draft proposed legislation.
• Provide legal opinions on the application of statutes and rules.
• Handle discovery, interviewing witnesses, and appellate work as needed.
• Litigate and represent the agency before tribunals and courts.

Skills

Florida Bar knowledge

Legal research

Writing abilities

Communication skills

Litigation experience

Legal counsel

Ability to explain facts

Collaboration

Education

Florida Bar membership

Job description

Requisition No: 880364

Agency: Department of Corrections

Working Title: SENIOR ATTORNEY

Pay Plan: SES

Position Number: 70024361

Salary: $75,128.08 - $92,400.10, depending on experience

Posting Closing Date: 10/06/2026

This open competitive advertisement is for a SES (Selected Exempt Service) position located in Tallahassee, FL. Candidates may be considered for assignment to FDC offices in other cities.

Under the direction of Secretary Richard Comerford, the Florida Department of Corrections (FDC) is the 3rd largest state prison system in the country with a budget of 2.9 billion, approximately 90,000 inmates incarcerated and another 149,000 offenders on active community supervision. The FDC has 142 facilities and more than 20,000 staff members statewide, making it the State’s largest agency.

Office location will be determined by the candidate selected for the position.

Job Duties

• Representing the Department of Corrections before federal and state courts and administrative bodies.
• Reviewing agency policies.
• Preparing legal pleadings in civil and administrative actions.
• Reviewing written materials for legal sufficiency.
• Serving as legal advisor to department administrators.
• Reviewing, analyzing, and drafting proposed legislation.
• The successful candidate will also be expected to render legal opinions concerning the application of state and federal statutes and administrative rules.
• The successful candidate will handle telephone and written requests from agency staff for legal assistance, and will conduct legal research and issue legal opinions, as needed.
• The successful candidate in this position also represents the department and its officials in litigation matters before administrative tribunals and before state and federal courts, as requested.
• The successful candidate will be responsible for all matters related to such representation, including, but not limited to, reviewing evidence, researching law, drafting pleadings and memoranda, conducting, and responding to discovery, preparing and interviewing witnesses, providing legal representation at the hearing or trial, writing briefs, and representing the agency at appellate oral arguments.
• The Office of the General Counsel has units that specialize in the following areas of law: litigation; contracts and procurement; environmental; employment/personnel/labor relations; inmate sentence structure; inmate grievances; civil rights; torts; health care; ethics; probation; administrative law; and public records.
• The General Counsel’s office also represents the agency in garnishment proceedings, advises department staff and provides legal representation regarding subpoenas, litigates public records requests, and responds to requests generated by the Capital Collateral Regional Counsel.
• The position will be given responsibilities in one or more of these areas at any given time, depending upon the needs of the office.
• This position will report to the Chief Legal Counsel of the Human Resources and Community Corrections Section of the Office of the General Counsel, but applicants may be considered for vacancies in any section of the office.
• Expected to perform other tasks as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Preference will be given to those with knowledge of health care law, constitutional law, civil litigation, administrative law, Florida’s legislative process, criminal sentencing, and/or open government law.
• Knowledge of legal terminology.
• Knowledge of the principles and practices of jurisprudence.
• Knowledge of Florida laws and legal procedure.
• Knowledge of civil law and rules of procedure.
• Knowledge of court proceedings.
• Knowledge of Chapter 941-949 Florida Statutes.
• Skill in writing and research.
• Ability to communicate effectively.
• Ability to research, summarize and provide advice on disparate legal issues as needs dictate.
• Ability to clearly explain the facts of a case and the legal issues involved.
• Strong work ethic; willingness to learn, positive attitude, and ability to work in a collaborative work environment.
• Ability to provide legal counsel.

Benefits

• Paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays.
• Comprehensive health insurance and life insurance with accidental death and dismemberment benefits.
• Supplemental Dental, Vision, Life, Disability and Hospitalization insurance.
• Tuition-Free college courses.
• Retirement Plans with the Florida Retirement System:
• Pension Plan (Traditional Retirement Pension Plan)
• Investment Plan (401(K)-Type Retirement Plan)
• Deferred Retirement Option Program (Drop)
• Deferred Compensation
• Recently Retired? Beginning July 1, 2024, there is no longer a reemployment limitation; beginning with the 7th calendar month from the member's distribution date, there are no restrictions on working for an FRS employer. You will not be required to repay any prior distributions, and you may continue receiving distributions from the Investment Plan or Pension Plan without interruption.

Requirements

Please note, when submitting a college/university degree, if selected for this position official transcripts will be required.

• Must be a member of the Florida Bar in good standing.
• Support of KSAs should be demonstrated on the application through education, through work experience, in a writing sample, in the interview, and/or during reference checks.
• Preference will be given to applicants located in Tallahassee, FL.

BACKGROUND SCREENING REQUIREMENT

The Florida Department of Corrections requires all job applicants and volunteers to pass a Level 2 background check as per Chapter 435, Florida Statutes. This check must be completed before they can start working or volunteering.

EMPLOYMENT ELIGIBILITY

The Florida Department of Corrections (FDC) only hires U.S. citizens and those authorized to work in the U.S. FDC uses E-Verify to confirm an employee’s eligibility to work after completing the I-9 form.

The Florida Department of Corrections does not currently support H-1B Visa Sponsorship.

Drug-Free Workplace

The State of Florida supports a Drug-Free workplace. All employees are subject to reasonable suspicion drug testing in accordance with Section 112.0455, F.S., Drug-Free Workplace Act.