TJJD - Attorney IV - Senior Staff Attorney - (AUS) - 49303

Texas Department of Public Safety; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 60,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a senior-level attorney to join their Office of General Counsel. This role involves providing legal advice on a variety of juvenile justice matters, representing the agency in administrative hearings, and ensuring compliance with state and federal laws. The position offers an opportunity to influence juvenile justice practices and policies while working collaboratively with various stakeholders. Ideal candidates will possess strong legal research and writing skills, a deep understanding of the juvenile justice system, and a commitment to advocacy for youth rights. Join a team dedicated to making a meaningful impact in the lives of young individuals.

Benefits

Paid Holidays

Paid Vacation Leave

Educational Assistance Program

Employee Assistance Program

Health Insurance

Life Insurance

Longevity Pay

Optional Dental and Vision Insurance

Flexible Spending Accounts

Hazardous Duty Pay

Qualifications

• Must be licensed as an attorney by the State of Texas and in good standing.
• Five years of full-time experience as an attorney required.

Responsibilities

• Provide legal advice on personnel and juvenile corrections matters.
• Represent the agency in administrative hearings and court cases.
• Draft legal documents and manage compliance with laws.

Skills

Legal Research

Legal Writing

Analytical Skills

Negotiation

Supervisory Skills

Communication

Education

Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D.)

Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.)

Tools

LexisNexis

Westlaw Next

Job description

HOW TO APPLY

Complete a State of Texas Application for Employment and the following additional forms (available at https://www.tjjd.texas.gov/careers/):

• TJJD Employment Application Supplement (HR-003)
• Child Abuse Registry Check Consent Form (HR-028)
• Disclosure of PREA Employment Standards Violation (HR-975)
• Authorization to Release Information (HR-074)

Failure to complete and submit the above forms will cause delays in your consideration for this position.

Apply Online at https://capps.taleo.net/careersection/644/jobdetail.ftl?job=00049303&tz=GMT-05:00 and attach to the application the above additional forms along with copies of high school/college diploma(s), copy of official college transcripts, any licenses/certifications, and, if a military veteran, any Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty (DD Form 214).

Apply through Work-In-Texas at https://www.workintexas.com/vosnet/loginintro.aspx. You will also need to complete and attach to the application the supplemental questions/forms indicated above along with copies of high school/college diploma(s), copy of official college transcripts, any licenses/certifications, and, if a military veteran, any Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty (DD Form 214). The additional forms are available at: https://www.tjjd.texas.gov/careers and can be submitted via email to: [e-mail].

PLEASE NOTE

Your job application must be completely filled out and include all employment; do not limit employment to the past 10-15 years. Your application must contain complete job histories, which include job titles, name of employer, dates of employment (month & year), supervisor’s name and phone number, and a description of duties performed, and whether it was full-time or part-time and hours per week. If any of this information is not provided, your application may be rejected as incomplete. Resumes do not take the place of this required information.

Applicants must be able to pass a Criminal Background Check and any other requirements listed under Minimum Qualifications.

BENEFITS

State of Texas Benefits and Retirement Information can be found at https://www.ers.texas.gov. Benefits include: Retirement plan, paid group health & life insurance for employee, paid holidays, paid vacation leave, paid sick leave, longevity pay, educational assistance program, employee assistance program. Optional add-on benefits include: Dental, Vision, Optional Life Insurance, Voluntary AD&D Insurance, Dependent Health & Life insurance, Health & Dependent care flexible spending accounts, etc. Additionally, certain designated positions are eligible for hazardous duty pay, career ladder advancements, and free meals while on duty.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

Performs advanced (senior-level) attorney work for the Office of General Counsel (OGC), which provides in-house legal and administrative services to TJJD and provides educational training and technical assistance on juvenile-related matters to counties, juvenile boards, and probation offices.

Work involves: (1) providing legal advice to agency staff on a variety of matters, including personnel, juvenile corrections and supervision practices, open records, open meetings, administrative procedure, and transactional matters; (2) providing technical assistance on juvenile-related matters to juvenile justice practitioners across the state; (3) reviewing agency investigations and administrative hearings; (4) representing the agency in administrative hearings before the State Office of Administrative Hearings in cases involving potential revocation or suspension of certification for juvenile probation or supervision officers or ineligibility for certification for other juvenile justice professionals; (5) serving as the hearing officer in parole revocation hearings; (6) developing proposals for decision in employee termination grievances and may serve as a mediator in employee-related mediations; (7) performing legal activities and providing oversight for the records and public information section, which is responsible for records management, records retention, and maintenance of all youth records in accordance with state rules and agency policy; (8) performing legal activities for the youth rights section, which involves management of a confidential grievance system through which youth, parents or guardians of youth, and youth advocates file grievances concerning the care, treatment, services, or conditions provided for youth in state-operated facilities or programs, review of grievance resolutions to ensure all issues are addressed appropriately, and advocating for the protection of basic youth rights; and (9) performing legal activities related to TJJD’s oversight and regulation of juvenile probation departments and facilities.

May supervise the work of others. Works under minimal supervision, with considerable latitude for the use of initiative and independent judgment. May be required to work in excess of 40 hours per work week and be on-call.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

Works under the direction of the General Counsel. Duties may include:

Planning and organizing legal activities.

Drafting and coordinating the preparation of legal opinions, briefs, contracts, memorandums of understanding, proposals, and reports.

Conducting and participating in administrative, regulatory, evidentiary, and enforcement hearings either as a hearings examiner in certain TJJD hearings or by representing the agency before the State Office of Administrative Hearings; enforcing agency regulatory provisions; investigating and prosecuting violations of regulatory provisions; reviewing agency hearing decisions; researching points of law involved in agency hearings; interrogating witnesses; and preparing decisions on administrative appeals of decisions and rulings.

Planning, organizing, managing, and participating in the daily operations and activities of TJJD personnel handling due process matters. Overseeing the development and implementation of techniques for evaluating and monitoring compliance to ensure individuals’ due process rights are protected.

Reviewing the results of operational reviews, special investigations, internal audits, and research studies, and taking necessary action to ensure compliance with laws, rules, regulations, policies, and standard operating procedures with respect to due process matters.

Serving as a liaison to the Attorney General’s Office in the prosecution and defense of litigation involving the agency.

Preparing cases for court and trial and representing the agency in matters before the court as appropriate; assisting in preparing subpoenas requiring the appearance of witnesses, records, and documents for hearings and civil litigations. Providing case management on agency litigation and claims.

Providing assistance in all employment-related matters with the agency to achieve appropriate and legal resolution within a timely manner.

Assisting in formulating, coordinating, and establishing employment policies and procedures and ensuring policies and procedures are in accordance with legal requirements.

Preparing agency position during administrative hearings on cases involving employment issues to provide a thorough investigation of facts, law, and policies applicable to each case.

Consulting on state and county investigations conducted by the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) regarding allegations of abuse, neglect, and exploitation (ANE); conducting legal sufficiency review of the OIG recommended findings pursuant to established laws, rules, and policies; making recommendations to the Executive Director and the TJJD Board regarding discipline and/or certification of personnel working with youth.

Reviewing court commitment documents for legal sufficiency for purposes of TJJD commitment; providing feedback to counties; advising other Intake personnel regarding commitment issues.

Planning, organizing, managing, and participating in the daily operations and activities related to records and public information to ensure compliance with laws, rules, regulations, policies, and standard operating procedures.

Overseeing the development of and/or developing guidelines, procedures, policies, rules, and regulations relating to records management, including the development and implementation of techniques for evaluating and monitoring compliance with records management standards, schedules, priorities, and standards for legal compliance.

Hiring and overseeing the training of new staff; planning, assigning, and overseeing the work of supervised staff; promoting ethical leadership, excellent performance, confidentiality, a positive working environment, and professional development; and providing feedback and conducting performance reviews.

Providing legal technical assistance to juvenile court judges, probation officers, parole officers, prosecutors, and other juvenile justice practitioners on matters pertaining to Title III of the Family Code and related laws.

Advising TJJD staff and the public on legal matters and on the interpretation and application of agency regulations and state and federal laws.

Assisting and engaging in legal activities related to the regulation of juvenile probation departments and juvenile facilities operated under the purview of juvenile boards.

Reviewing drafts of laws, rules, regulations, and policies affecting agency direction and operations; analyzing juvenile justice legal issues; monitoring legislation affecting justice and agency operations; and drafting or assisting in drafting bills, legislative amendments, or agency administrative rules and policies.

Assisting in obtaining established agency objectives and goals; evaluating agency programming, organization, and systems to determine effectiveness and best legal practices; sharing information, identifying concerns and trends, and recommending improvements to resolve problems or enhance operations. Assisting in formulating, coordinating, and establishing policies and procedures.

Interfacing with and communicating with others, including, but not limited to, the Texas Juvenile Justice Board, the Office of the Inspector General-TJJD, the Office of the Independent Ombudsman, county juvenile probation departments, judges, prosecutors and defense attorneys, state legislators, and agency stakeholders.

Conducting trainings and making legal presentations to agency personnel, the Texas Juvenile Justice Board, juvenile probation personnel, juvenile justice attorneys, and others on legal and juvenile justice matters.

Drafting memoranda on regulatory matters and administrative rules for the Texas Register.

Performing a variety of related duties not listed, to be determined and assigned as needed.

Perform all duties in compliance with agency safety policies and procedures:

• Reports safety hazards and corrects hazards when possible.
• Completes required documentation in the event of an accident/injury within requested time frames.

Attend work and scheduled meetings on a regular and predictable schedule in accordance with agency attendance and leave policies.

This position requires travel up to 25% of the time.

Expected to gain an understanding of TJJD's treatment programs including Texas Model 2.0, learn to evaluate application of the Model by TJJD staff when visiting/auditing facilities and locations where youth are supervised, and consider and understand its relationship to the drafting and review of agency policies.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D.) Degree or a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.).

Must be licensed as an attorney by the State of Texas and must be in good standing with the State Bar of Texas.

Five (5) years of full-time wage-earning experience as an attorney.

Experience and Education Substitutions:

• Experience requirements may be satisfied by the prorated part-time equivalent.

Note: Any degree, diploma, high school equivalent, or course hours required to meet minimum qualifications must be obtained from an accredited educational institution.

Preferred:

· Seven (7) years of experience as an attorney with three (3) years working in the juvenile justice system.

· Supervisory experience

· Prosecution or other litigation experience.

· State agency experience.

· Experience drafting, reviewing, and negotiating contracts.

· Experience in employment matters.

· Knowledge and understanding of basic adult training and legal education concepts.

Requirements for Continued Employment:

· Failure to maintain required licensure/certification will result in termination of employment.

· Remain in good standing with the State Bar of Texas.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES

· Knowledge of legal principles, practices, and proceedings.

· Knowledge of state and federal laws, rules, and regulations.

· Knowledge of agency administrative rules and regulations.

· Skill in legal research, writing, and analysis.

· Skill in operating computers and using applicable computer software.

· Skill in using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.

· Skill in identifying and solving complex problems.

· Skill in prioritizing workloads.

· Skill in analyzing.

· Skill in using judgment to identify courses of action.

· Ability to conduct computerized legal research and access information from legal and legislative databases (e.g., LexisNexis, Westlaw Next and other Internet sources).

· Ability to conduct hearings.

· Ability to prepare cases for trial.

· Ability to write clear and accurate opinions and briefs.

· Ability to summarize findings.

· Ability to use legal reference materials.

· Ability to interpret and apply knowledge of laws affecting the agency and the juvenile justice system.

· Ability to draft, review and negotiate contractual matters.

· Ability to conduct hearings, negotiate and prepare cases for trial, summarize findings and use legal reference materials.

· Ability to see with or without visual aid.

· Ability to hear with or without hearing aid.

· Ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing.

· Ability to work collaboratively with all stakeholders and maintain a professional, courteous demeanor and establish and maintain an effective working relationship with others.

· Ability to prioritize and manage multiple tasks; plan, organize, and coordinate work assignments; and meet deadlines.

· Ability to recognize when decisions need to be made, process information logically, make decisions, and demonstrate the soundness of those decisions.

· Ability to supervise the work of others.

· Ability to travel up to 25%, work in excess of 40 hours per work week and/or be on-call.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORKING CONDITIONS

The following physical demands and working conditions are representative of those encountered and/or necessary for the employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations will be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Heavy lifting, up to 25 lbs.

Heavy carrying, up to 25 lbs.

Pulling

Pushing

Alphabetizing

Repeated bending

Identify colors

Depth perception

Operate motor equipment

Reaching above shoulder

Dual simultaneous grasping

Manual/finger dexterity

VETERANS

In order to receive veteran’s preference, a copy of your DD Form 214 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty), VA disability rating (if applicable), or a DD Form 1300 (Report of Casualty) must be attached to your application.

Go to https://texasskillstowork.com/, https://www.onetonline.org/, or http://www.careeronestop.org/ for assistance translating your military experience and training courses into civilian job terms, qualifications/requirements, and skill sets.

Additional Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) Code or Crosswalk information is available from the Texas State Auditor’s Office at Legal MOS Codes.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

If you are scheduled for an interview and require any reasonable accommodation in our interview process, please inform the hiring representative who calls you to schedule your interview. Whenever possible, please give the hiring representative sufficient time to consider and respond to your request.

Only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.

Due to the high volume of applications, we do not accept telephone calls. If you submitted your application through the CAPPS Career Center ( https://capps.taleo.net/careersection/ex/jobsearch.ftl?lang=en), you may also check the status of your application by accessing your profile and selecting My Jobpage and selecting My Submissions.

Thank you for considering employment with the Texas Juvenile Justice Department.

AN EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

The Texas Juvenile Justice Department does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, or disability in employment or the provision of services.