General Consul-1.0-Senior Assistant Gene...
Location: Seattle Washington
Description: Seattle Public Schools is employing General Consul-1.0-Senior Assistant Gene... right now, this vacancy will be placed in Washington. For detail informations about this vacancy opportunity kindly read the description below. ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:
1. Acts as legal counsel and representative to the District; advises District administrators regarding complex legal and factual issues in economic, social or political terms; undertakes lead responsibilities for a wide-breadth of legal practice areas and practioner in specialty areas of strategic importance to the District; supportive of colleagues, maintains the office as a positive workplace and contributes to the office’s efficient operation.
2. Provides professional interpretation! s and recommendations to assigned management, administrators, ! and their staff in order to respond to complaints and suits; plan preventative measures; serve as a resource for decisions affecting policies and procedures; attends Board meetings and makes presentations to Board members as legal counsel in areas of responsibility; assists in management and Board decision-making to ensure maximum protection of the District’s legal rights.
3. Represents the District in legal proceedings, including initiating legal action and defending the District in legal action initiated against it; contracts and manages outside counsel to defend the District’s interests in litigation, including controlling fees and costs and advising on strategy and settlement.
4. Participates in a wide breadth of legal issues and cases filed against assigned management, administrators, and their staff which may involve employment and labor law, contract administration, facilities operation, federal and state educational program compliance and staff certifica! tion, student rights and responsibilities, Constitutional law issues, Administrative Procedures Act, commercial transactions, premises and tort liability; researches issues, incidents, laws, documents, and records; prepares witnesses; interacts with opposing counsel to resolve legal issues prior to litigation; prepares and represents the District at litigation hearing(s), hearing appeals, settlement meetings, and notifying parties of the results of legal actions.
5. Develops areas of in-depth knowledge/expertise in areas of the law that have high impact or frequency for the District enabling the District to rely on in-house expertise instead of referral to outside law firms.
6. Writes and reviews written policies and procedures; develops and reviews contracts and provisions; writes responses to and verbally responds to requests for legal advice on a wide variety of employment issues; provides interpretation of written policies and District practices to ensure proper! application when converted to procedures.
7. Supervises and works ! as a team with assigned legal office staff and outside contracted staff to respond to legal inquiries and to prepare for legal actions; supervises and evaluates legal secretary or legal assistant(s), as assigned; may lead entry level attorneys, as assigned.
8. Serves as an advisor to assigned management and administrators to respond to complaints, disputes, claims, suits, injunctions, and contract issues.
9. Provides ongoing training to management and administrators on legal issues, laws, and best practices of a wide range of subjects within area of assignment; identifies areas of concern that need to be shared with a broader audience, which may include acting as a staff development instructor for classes or giving presentations to groups within a department or division.
10. Investigates and responds to inquiries, complaints, and requests for public records; researches various incidents and issues to respond to requests and inquiries; works as a team with other ! District department and building staff to pursue documents, records, and information, as needed.
OTHER FUNCTIONS:
11. Serves on committees; attends meetings; makes presentations and conducts training.
12. Maintains knowledge of current trends in laws, affecting area of assignment and public employers; participates in training to enhance professional skills; coordinates with outside agencies to establish working relationships with other professionals engaged in legal arenas of interest to the area of assignment.
13. Required to shift tasks and priorities; experiences frequent interruptions; required to think logically and creatively; requires mental concentration; requires flexibility and adaptability; requires effective decision making and problem solving; requires initiative and teamwork; may occasionally deal with distraught or difficult individuals; required to travel between sites; required to attend evening, weekend, and summary meetings or ! activities; may represent the District on potentially sensitive or cont! roversial matters; required to facilitate group discussions; required to communicate clearly with diverse audiences; requires excellent listening skills.
14. Performs related duties consistent with the scope and intent of the position.
_________________________________________________________________ REPORTING RELATIONSHIPS Reports to the General Counsel; supervises legal secretary, legal assistants(s) and entry-level attorney(s); supervises contracts with outside legal counsel and investigators; work as a team with other legal office staff, other department and building staff; serves as an advisor to management and administrators. _______________________________________________________________________ WORKING CONDITIONS Required to shift tasks and priorities; experiences frequent interruptions; required to think logically and creatively; requires mental concentration; requires flexibility and adaptability; requires effective decision-making and problem-solving! ; requires individual initiative and teamwork; may occasionally deal with distraught or difficult individuals; required to travel between sites; required to attend evening, weekend and summer meetings or activities; may represent the District on potentially sensitive or controversial matters; required to facilitate group discussions; required to communicate clearly with diverse audiences; requires excellent listening skills.
Minimum Qualifications:
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS Education and Experience : J.D. or L.L.M. degree; and five (5) years of experience practicing general law, including at least two (2) years in a specialized area(s) as identified by the General Counsel.
Allowable Substitution : Any combination of experience practicing law which includes at least 2 years in a specialized area to total 5 years.
Licenses/Special Requirements : Member in good standing of the Washington State Bar Association; valid Washington! State driver’s license or evidence of equivalent mobility.
! Required Testing :Certificates & Licenses :
Member in good standing of the Washington State Bar Association;
Valid Washington State driver’s license or evidence of equivalent mobility.
Continuing Education/Training :
Satisfaction of continuing legal education requirements/reporting every three years
Clearances :
Criminal Justice Fingerprint
Background Clearance
REQUIRED DISTRICT-WIDE CORE COMPETENCIES:Collaboration :
Is seen as a team player who encourages efficient and effective collaborations.
Works skillfully in difficult situations with both internal and external groups.
Represents his/her own interests while being open-minded to other groups.
Builds respectful and productive relationships internally and externally.
Getting Results (Action Oriented) :
Demonstrates a strong sense of urgency about solving problems and getting work done.
Focuse! s on achieving the goal even in the face of obstacles.
Assumes responsibility for starting and finishing work with minimal supervision.
Strives for new levels of performance.
Decision Quality & Problem Solving :
Weighs the consequences of options before making a decision.
Applies appropriate criteria to situations for the purpose of making decisions.
Displays self-confidence in own judgment.
Focuses in the facts and solutions instead of opinions and problems.
Integrity :
Deals with people and situations in an honest and forthright manner.
Represents information and data accurately and completely.
Represents the confidentiality of information and concerns shared by others.
Takes ownership if a mistake is their own and does not blame others.
Accountability :
Takes responsibility and actions as if the risks (financial or otherwise) are his or her own.
Holds individuals and team acco! untable for their actions and results.
Initiates action even if out! come is uncertain and is willing to accept the consequences of failure.
Aligns own activities and priorities to meet broader organizational needs.
Demonstrates courage and confidence in his or her own ability.
REQUIRED JOB SPECIFIC COMPETENCIES:
There are two Senior Assistant General Counsel positions. Incumbents for both positions shall have demonstrated expertise in each of three areas: Litigation/Arbitration; Negotiation Skills; Lead team efforts.
Litigation/Arbitration : Incumbents are expected to have expertise representing the District and to assume lead counsel responsibilities in litigation, arbitrations and other adversarial matters, and to manage and direct outside counsel. Manage all aspects of case preparation and presentation for assigned matters.
Negotiation Skills : expertise in negotiation and resolution of disputes of all types, to achieve both immediate goals, including financial goals, and long term p! olicy objectives of the District.
Teamwork : As assigned, participate in staff projects for resolution of complex processes, bringing together disparate departments to identify, agree upon, plan, develop processes and implement steps to achieve common goals.
Serve as advisor to senior management : Incumbents are expected to serve as advisors to management on a wide range of legal, policy, strategic and tactical issues. Incumbents are expected to have strong knowledge and familiarity with District organization, mission, goals, policies and practices.
One of the Senior Assistant General Counsel positions is primarily responsible for Administrative Law, Tort and Litigation Budget Management, and Labor and Employment law matters:
Employment : Possesses expertise in employment law, including laws relating to the hiring, termination of classified employees, civil rights discrimination, and FLSA issues. Drafts and reviews policies and procedure! s for the facilities department on employment issues. Advises the Direc! tor of Facilities and the Executive Director of Human Resources on Local 609 and Building Trades employment issues. Represents the District in arbitration hearings.
Labor : Possesses expertise in labor law, including laws related to public employees and unfair labor practices before PERC. Represents the District in administrative hearings before PERC.
Litigation and Claims Management : Maintains the $1,600,000 annual outside counsel budget and new case reserve budget for the General Counsel’s Office. Maintains reserve log on litigation matters and claims filed against the District using best risk management practices. Reviews and accepts or rejects all tort claims that are submitted by the public or employees requesting payment from the District.
Discipline : Advises the School Board and represents the school board on approximately 15 discipline appeals per school year. Possesses expertise in student discipline regulations and constitution! al law, which includes search and seizure and First Amendment free speech. Advises staff and principals on discipline rules.
Open Government . Supervises the Public Records Officer for the District. Possesses expertise in Open Public Record Act, including the defense of public record act lawsuits in superior court.
Advises the School Board Office on compliance with the OPMA. Possesses expertise in OPMA laws and administrative guidance documents.
Drafts Administrative Contracts and MOUs . Possesses expertise to prepare and review contracts for the curriculum and instruction department, schools, and other departments upon request to achieve objectives on joint partnerships or projects. Reviews other contracts when Deputy General Counsel is out.
One of the Senior Assistant General Counsel positions is primarily responsible for Academic and student related issues:
Areas of expertise include a broad range of statutory and regulatory compliance questions ! related to Access Restriction Letters, Advanced Learning, Alternative L! earning, Bilingual Instruction, Enrollment Issues, Inter-District Agreements (related to academic issues such as provision of special education services and dual enrollment of students between more than one district) First Amendment Issues (Speech and Religion), Grading and Credit Issues, McKinney Vento Homeless Assistance Act, Military Recruiting, NCLB/WASL, OSPI Compliance, parent custody disputes that impact schools, Program Placement, School Closure Litigation, Student Assignment Plan, Special Education, and Violent/Sex Offending Students.
Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
Knowledge : Knowledge of wide range of legal and compliance issues in identified specialized area; current trends and related laws and regulations which affect Washington public schools or similar local government organizations; collaborative problem-solving and teamwork methods; research and investigative methods.
Skills : Skill in oral and written communications! ; team building; problem-solving; time management; risk identification and minimization; research and analysis.
Abilities : Ability to lead and facilitate groups; individually advise and counsel higher management and top-level executives; supervise staff and work as a team member; motivate and influence other and team processes; effectively represent the District; develop and assist with developing legal strategies in support of District operations, in area of assignment; evaluate legal issues and recommend appropriate courses of action; take individual initiative; accept responsibility and be held accountable; coordinate multiple activities simultaneously; establish and maintain effective working relationships with District management and staff, students, parents or guardians, outside agencies and the public in a multicultural community.
Area of Specialization : to be identified by the General Counsel. See discussion above.
WORKING EN! VIRONMENT:PHYSICAL DEMANDS OF ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS/TASKS:
! Please check all that apply.
Never
Seldom
1-10% or
0-1
hours/day
Occasional
11-33% or
1-3
hours/day
Frequent
34-66% or
3-6 hours/day
Constant
67-100% or
7-8 hours/day
Sit
X
Stand/Walk
X
Keyboard (use a computer)
X
Twist/Reach
X
Bend/Stoop
X
Squat/Kneel
X
Crawl
X
Climb (ladder/stairs)
X
Lift/Push/Carry (10 lbs)
X
Lift/Push/Carry (20 lbs)
X
Lift/Push/Carry (50 lbs)
X
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If you were eligible to this vacancy, please email us your resume, with salary requirements and a resume to Seattle Public Schools.
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This vacancy starts available on: Wed, 27 Nov 2013 04:37:16 GMT