Assistant General Counsel

THE CITY OF NEW YORK

OFFICE OF ADMINISTRATIVE TRIALS AND HEARINGS

Job ID: 577824

Job Title/Level: Executive Agency Counsel/M-I

Business Title: Assistant General Counsel

Number of Positions: 1

Salary Range: $90,000 – $100,000 (Annual)

Work Location: Manhattan, NYC

About OATH:

The City of New York’s Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings (OATH) is the nation’s largest administrative tribunal, holding approximately 400,000 trials and hearings a year. As the City’s central, independent administrative law court, OATH adjudicates a wide range of matters filed by nearly every city agency, board and commission.  OATH also houses the Center for Creative Conflict Resolution which provides mediation and restorative justice support to City government agencies and the general public, and the Administrative Judicial Institute, a resource center that provides training, continuing education, research and support services for administrative law judges and hearing officers.

JOB DESCRIPTION:

The Office of the General Counsel (OGC) provides legal services and guidance to executive agency staff, tribunal personnel, and the Clerk’s Office. The OGC plays a key role in supporting and strengthening the agency’s legal foundation and mission through legal analysis, research and writing, and advice.

The OGC seeks a dynamic and thoughtful attorney to serve as Assistant General Counsel. This person will have extensive responsibility for all legal matters affecting OATH. His or her primary responsibility will be to:

• Perform the agency’s rulemaking
• Research and draft memoranda to legal staff
• Provide parliamentary support to the Environmental Control Board.

Additional counsel work includes reviewing policies and procedures, providing legal guidance to management, and working with the Law Department and various agencies on the application of laws. Exceptional writing, research, and analytical skills, and good interpersonal and communication skills are required. The ideal candidate pays attention to details, thinks strategically, and exercises sound judgment. Commitment to public service is an asset.

Duties include but are not limited to:

• Performing all aspects of rulemaking: fact-finding, legal research and analysis, drafting and publishing rules and notices, consulting with the Mayor’s Office and the Law Department, holding public hearings
• Reviewing and preparing legal documents
• Providing legal advice and drafting memoranda
• Identifying and researching new or evolving legal issues
• Preparing materials and agenda to facilitate meetings
• Liaising and collaborating with the NYC Law Department and other City agencies on rulemaking and legal matters
• Managing internship/law fellow programs
• Performing special projects as requested by the General Counsel and
• Maintaining a high degree of professionalism.

The ideal candidate is enthusiastic, professional, works well in a team comprised of attorneys and non-attorneys, and can multitask.

QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS:

Admission to the New York State Bar; and four years of recent full-time responsible, relevant, satisfactory legal experience subsequent to admission to any bar, eighteen months of which must have been in the supervision of other attorneys, in an administrative, managerial or executive capacity, or performing highly complex and significant legal work.

Incumbents must remain Members of the New York State Bar in good standing for the duration of this employment.

Preferred Skills

• Familiarity with rulemaking and drafting legislation.
• Experience working within a government agency and/or in an in-house capacity at an institution.
• Demonstrated experience in legal research and writing.
• Familiarity with virtual meeting applications, such as Teams, WebEx, and Zoom.
• Familiarity with, or expressed interest in, Open Meetings Law.
• Familiarity with, or expressed interest in, Robert’s Rules of Order.
• Ability to communicate with the public, government agencies, and agency staff on legal matters.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.

To Apply:

For current City employees, please go to Employee Self Service (ESS), click on Recruiting Activities > Careers, and search for the Job ID 577824. For all other applicants, please go to www.nyc.gov/jobs/search and search for the Job ID 577824.

SUBMISSION OF A RESUME IS NOT A GUARANTEE THAT YOU WILL RECEIVE AN INTERVIEW.
APPOINTMENTS ARE SUBJECT TO OVERSIGHT APPROVAL.

No telephone calls, faxes, or personal inquiries please.  Only those candidates under consideration will be contacted.

Residency Requirement

New York City residency is generally required within 90 days of appointment. However, City Employees in certain titles who have worked for the City for 2 continuous years may also be eligible to reside in Nassau, Suffolk, Putnam, Westchester, Rockland, or Orange County. To determine if the residency requirement applies to you, please discuss with the agency representative at the time of interview.

The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual's sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.