SENIOR DEPUTY COUNTY COUNSEL - INFRASTRUCTURE LAW

L.A. County Library; California (MO); On-site; USD 80,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player seeks a Senior Deputy County Counsel to tackle complex legal matters in public agency law and construction law. This role involves advising the Board of Supervisors, drafting legal documents, and supervising attorneys. Join a team committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and make a significant impact in the legal landscape of Los Angeles County. With a strong public-sector benefits package, this position offers a unique opportunity to advance your legal career while serving the community. If you are passionate about public service and have the requisite legal expertise, this is the perfect opportunity for you.

Benefits

Health Care Options

Pension through LACERA

401k and 457b Savings Plans

13 Paid Holidays

Qualifications

• 5 years of experience in public agency law or civil law, with 4 years in construction law.
• Admission to practice law in California is required.

Responsibilities

• Provide legal advice and representation to the Board of Supervisors and County departments.
• Supervise subordinate attorneys and oversee outside counsel.

Skills

Public Agency Law

Civil Law

Construction Law

Legal Research

Supervisory Skills

Education

Juris Doctor (JD)

Tools

Westlaw

Lexis-Nexis

Job description

EXAM NUMBER

U9207J

TYPE OF RECRUITMENT

Open Competitive Job Opportunity

FIRST DATE OF FILING

Monday, January 27, 2025, at 8:00 a.m. (PT)

THIS EXAMINATION WILL REMAIN OPEN UNTIL THE NEEDS OF THE SERVICE

ARE MET AND IS SUBJECT TO CLOSURE WITHOUT PRIOR NOTICE.

ABOUT THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY OFFICE OF THE COUNTY COUNSEL:

The Office of County Counsel provides legal representation, advice and counsel to the Board of Supervisors, County departments, special districts, and other public agencies, as mandated and authorized by the County charter and State statutes. The Office provides a broad range of legal services directed at promoting the public service objectives of the County, while protecting the County from loss and risk. The Office of County Counsel is committed to inclusion, diversity, equity, and antiracism (IDEA), and we believe these principles are necessary to build a culture of belonging for all employees, volunteers, and contractors. Our commitment is to deliberately and intentionally advance IDEA and, by doing so, more effectively serve the County of Los Angeles.

BENEFITS:

The County of Los Angeles offers one of the strongest public-sector benefits package in the nation, including a wide range of health care options, pensions through LACERA, 401k and 457b savings plans with matching, and 13 paid Holidays.

DEFINITION:

Performs the most difficult legal assignments in providing advice to and representing the Board of Supervisors and the County and its departments/agencies in litigation and may supervise subordinate attorneys.

CLASSIFICATION STANDARDS:

These positions are allocated only to the Office of the County Counsel and typically receive general direction, from an Assistant County Counsel, primarily pertaining to policy. Senior Deputy County Counsel positions are responsible for assignments involving the most difficult and complex legal matters which requires a high degree of initiative, skill and specialized legal knowledge in Social Services Law and acts as principal legal advisor to a large County department or special district. This class is the first level at which supervisory duties may be assigned and requires that incumbents be able to exercise knowledge of the principles of supervision and have a thorough knowledge of legal principles and their application. In addition, incumbents must possess the ability to appear in federal and state court, and administrative hearings.

Represents, advises, and prepares legal documents for County departments and the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) for all stages of public sector infrastructure construction projects including environmental, solicitation documents and responding to bid protests, contract administration, construction claims and dispute resolution, and alternative project delivery systems including public-private-partnerships.

Advises and drafts for complex real estate transactions and contracts.

Drafts ordinances, resolutions, legislation and opinions relating to issues as requested by the Board of Supervisors, County staff, and LACMTA.

Supervises less experienced attorneys and oversees outside counsel on the conduct of their assigned cases, discussing questions of law and questions related to the procedure or strategy to be used in trial.

Acts as principal legal advisor to a large County department or special district, supervising and participating in the resolution of difficult legal questions regarding powers, jurisdiction, procedures and operations.

Provides in-depth legal advice to the Board of Supervisors, special districts, special boards, the LACMTA, commissions, and other official bodies regarding applicable municipal and governmental law in order to resolve difficult legal questions.

Oversees the review and resolution of complex, multi-agency issues, requiring coordination within the office, LACMTA, and between County departments/agencies.

Confers with attorneys, County officials and other interested parties for the purpose of obtaining information relative to the preparation of assigned cases, legal opinions, contracts and ordinances.

Conducts legal research by utilizing online services such as Westlaw & Lexis-Nexis, materials in the law library, and other treatises in order to advise County staff regarding labor and employment matters.

Analyzes written reports and legal documents; confers with witnesses, experts, investigative personnel, and others for the purpose of obtaining relevant information relating to the litigation of such matters.

Engage in and advance the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Antiracism mission of the Office of the County Counsel.

SPECIALTY REQUIREMENTS / TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE:

Five (5) years of experience in the practice of *public agency law, or civil law, four (4) years of which must have been in the practice of construction, public sector infrastructure, construction projects, and related contract matters.

*Public agency law refers to experience working for the government of a State or political subdivision thereof; any agency of the United States, a State, or political subdivisions of a State, or municipality; or any interstate government agency.

LICENSE:

Admission to practice law in all courts of California.

A valid California Class C Driver License or the ability to utilize an alternative method of transportation when needed to carry out job-related essential functions.

PHYSICAL CLASS:

Physical Class II – Light: This class includes administrative and clerical positions requiring light physical effort that may include occasional light lifting to a 10-pound limit and some bending, stooping, or squatting. Considerable ambulation may be involved.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENT INFORMATION

**A copy of a valid and active California Bar card with a visible watermark of the year - OR - A printed copy of the member profile information from the State Bar of California website, with an "Active" status designation. If you are unable to attach the required document(s), you must email them to [e-mail]

Applications received without this required documentation, at the time of filing or within five (5) calendar days from the application submission date, will be rejected as incomplete.

AT THE TIME OF FILING, you are encouraged to provide a copy of your resume, which details relevant professional experience.

Please DO NOT attach or upload your writing samples, or confidential case files to your application.

We do not accept password-protected documents. Ensure documents are unlocked before attaching to your application or sending to the exam analyst.

EXAMINATION CONTENT:

This examination will consist of an evaluation of experience based on application information, weighted 100%.

Candidates must achieve a passing score of 70% or higher will be placed on the eligible register.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS:

Additional points will be granted to candidates with experience beyond the requirements in the practice of construction, public sector infrastructure, construction projects, and related contract matters.

ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

The names of applicants receiving a passing grade in the examination will be placed on the Eligible Register in the order of their score group from a period of 6 months following the date of promulgation.

Applicants will be processed on an as received basis and promulgated to the Eligible Register accordingly.

No persons may compete for this examination more than once every 6 months.

VACANCY INFORMATION

The resulting Eligible Register for this examination will be used to fill vacancies throughout the Office of the County Counsel.

Passing this examination and being placed on the Eligible Register does not guarantee an offer of employment.

APPLICATION AND FILING INFORMATION

Applications must be filed online only. Applications submitted by U.S. mail, fax, or in person will not be accepted. Apply online by clicking on the "Apply" green button at the top right of this posting. You can also track the status of your application using this website.

Plan to submit your online application well in advance before the deadline as you may be required to verify your email address. This only needs to be done once per email address, and if you already have a job seeker account on governmentjobs.com/careers/lacounty, you can verify at any time by logging in and following the prompts. This is to enhance the security of your online application and to ensure you do not enter an incorrect email address.

Fill out your application completely. The acceptance of your application depends on whether you have clearly shown that you meet the Specialty Requirements to qualify as listed on this job bulletin. Provide any relevant job experience in the spaces provided so we can evaluate your qualifications for the job. For each job held, give the name and address of your employer, your job title, beginning and ending dates, number of hours worked per week, and description of work performed. If your application is incomplete, it will be rejected.

Important: Please note that all information included in the application materials is subject to verification at any point during the examination and hiring process, including after an appointment has been made per Civil Service Rule 6.04. Falsification of any information may result in disqualification or rescission of appointment. Utilizing verbiage from the Class Specification and Selections Specialty serving as your description of duties will not be sufficient to demonstrate that you meet the requirements. Doing so may result in an incomplete application, and you may be disqualified.

FAIR CHANCE INITIATIVE

The County of Los Angeles is a Fair Chance employer. Except for a very limited number of positions, you will not be asked to provide information about a conviction history unless you receive a contingent offer of employment. The County will make an individualized assessment of whether your conviction history has a direct or adverse relationship with the specific duties of the job, and consider potential mitigating factors, including, but not limited to, evidence and extent of rehabilitation, recency of the offense(s), and age at the time of the offense(s).

If asked to provide information about a conviction history, any convictions or court records which are exempted by a valid court order do not have to be disclosed. Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with County Fair Chance Policies and the Fair Chance Act (Gov. Code Section 12952).

ANTI-RACISM, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSION (ARDI)

The County of Los Angeles recognizes and affirms that all people are created equal and are entitled to all rights afforded by the Constitution of the United States. The Office of the County Counsel is committed to promoting Anti-racism, Diversity, and Inclusion efforts to address the inequalities and disparities amongst race. We support the ARDI Strategic Plan and its goals by improving equality, diversity, and inclusion in recruitment, selection, and employment practices.

SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER

Please include your Social Security Number for record control purposes. Federal law requires that all employed persons have a Social Security Number.

COMPUTER AND INTERNET ACCESS AT PUBLIC LIBRARIES

For applicants who may not have regular access to a computer or the internet, applications can be completed on computers at public libraries throughout Los Angeles County.

NO SHARING OF USER ID AND PASSWORD

All applicants must file their application online using their own user ID and password. Using a family member's or friend's user ID and password may erase a candidate's original application record.

ADA Coordinator Phone: [phone]

Teletype Phone: [phone]

Alternate Teletype Phone: [phone]

California Relay Services Phone: [phone]

Department Contact Name: Stephanie S. Millan

Department Contact Phone:[phone]

Department Contact Email: [e-mail] or [e-mail]

Exam Number: U9207J