Assistant County Attorney (Government Operations) I/II/III, Grade 24/27/32
Montgomery County See More Job Openings by This Employer
- About the Position
The anticipated salary range on hire for this role is:
Grade N32: $108,687 - $165,922
Grade N27: $88,406 - $128,867
Grade N24: $77,738 - $101,101
WHO WE ARE
The Office.
The Montgomery County Government Office of the County Attorney is among the premier local government legal offices in the United States. Representing one of the nation’s largest local governments, with an annual budget that presently exceeds $7 billion, attorneys in Office of the County Attorney are called upon to handle a wide variety of matters, many of which involve exciting and novel areas of the law. The Office provides legal advice and representation to all County departments, agencies, instrumentalities, boards and commissions, including the County Council, and all their employees. A full description of the Office’s work is available here. https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/cat/index.html
The Office also provides legal defense for cases involving Montgomery County and other governmental entities which participate in the Montgomery County Self-Insurance Program (including the Board of Education for Montgomery County, Montgomery College, and the Housing Opportunities Commission) and all their employees.
The Division.
Attorneys in the Division of Government Operations advise on legal issues unique to the functioning of County government, such as the Maryland Public Information Act, the Maryland Open Meetings Act, and the County’s Ethics Law. The Division also opines as to the legality of pending State and County legislation.
Attorneys in the Division also represent the County before Maryland and U.S. appellate courts, the Maryland Public Service Commission, and provide support in the production of electronically stored information in pending civil litigation. Additionally, Division attorneys serve as general counsel for the County Council, the Office of the Inspector General, the Office of Public Information, the Office of Intergovernmental Relations, the Department of Technology and Enterprise Business Solutions, the Office of Consumer Protection, and the County Charter Review Commission. Attorneys also advise several County quasi-judicial entities: the Merit System Protection Board, the Human Rights Commission, the Board of License Commissioners, and the Board of Appeals.
The position requires the ability to attend meetings, in person and virtually, or perform work at locations outside the office.
WHO WE ARE LOOKING FORWhile you might be assigned any task within the Division, we anticipate the successful candidate will undertake a variety of assignments to include: representation of the County before the State Public Service Commission; advising on Open Meetings Act compliance matters, including representation of the County before the Open Meetings Act Compliance Board and in Circuit Court; advising the Merit System Protection Board and the Charter Review Commission; and fielding legal questions from any County board, committee, or commission (“County groups”) that do not have specially-assigned counsel. The ideal candidate will possess:
The ability to successfully handle a diverse caseload independently and efficiently;
Exceptional research, analytical, and problem-solving skills;
The ability to work collaboratively within a team environment while also demonstrating initiative and self-motivation;
Superior written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to articulate complex legal concepts clearly and persuasively; and
A commitment to professionalism, ethics, and client service.
- What You'll Be Doing
The primary responsibilities of the position are:
Advising employees at all levels of County government, as well as residents who volunteer as members of County groups, on legal issues arising under County, State, and Federal law.
Serving as lead counsel for the County before State courts,State administrative agencies, and Federal courts as necessary in any mattersarising from departmental general counsel responsibilities or assigned legal areas of expertise.
Reviewing and advising as to the legality of pending State and County legislation.
Reviewing,drafting, and advising onCounty laws (Code and regulations), agreements, and policies.
Working collaboratively with other agency counsel within the Office as necessary to bring issues to resolution.
- Minimum Qualifications
Education - Graduation from an accredited university school of law.
Experience:
At the Assistant County Attorney I level, Grade 24: One (1) year of post degree experience as a law clerk or in a similar capacity.
At the Assistant County Attorney II level, Grade 27: Two (2) years of professional experience as an attorney, including trial experience.
At the Assistant County Attorney III level, Grade 32: Thorough (four (4) years) experience as an attorney, including some specialized (one (1) year) experience involving either State or local government law.
License - Membership in the Maryland State Bar. Note: There will be no substitutions for this section.
Equivalency - None
- Preferred Criteria, Interview Preferences
All Applicants will be reviewed by the Office of Human Resources (OHR) for minimum qualifications. Those applicants who meet minimum qualifications will be rated “Qualified,” placed on the Referred List, and may be considered for an interview.
Preference for interviews will be given to applicants with experience in the following:
Experience in the areas of law handled by the Division, particularly civil litigation with an emphasis on government practice
Trial skills and experience
Knowledge of local government law
Organizational skills
Ability to cope with exposure to new and difficult subject matters
Ability to communicate legal concepts to non-lawyers effectively
Ability to work collaboratively and on a team.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
The Office of Human Resources (OHR) reviews the minimum qualifications of all applicants, irrespective of whether the candidate has previously been found to have met the minimum requirements for the job or been temporarily promoted to the same position. This evaluation is based solely on the information contained in the application/resume submitted for this specific position.
Montgomery County Government(MCG) is an equal opportunity employer, committed to workforce diversity. Accordingly, as it relates to employment opportunities, the County will provide reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities, in accordance with the law. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should email OHR at Hiring@montgomerycountymd.gov. Individual determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made in accordance with all applicable laws.
MCG also provides hiring preference to certain categories of veterans and veterans/persons with a disability. For more information and to claim employment preference, refer to the Careers webpage on Hiring Preference.
All applicants will respond to a series of questions related to their education, relevant experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities required to minimally perform the job. The applicant's responses in conjunction with their resume and all other information provided in the employment application process will be evaluated to determine the minimum qualifications and preferred criteria or interview preference status. Based on the results, the highest qualified applicants will be placed on an Eligible List and may be considered for an interview. Employees meeting minimum qualifications who are the same grade will be placed on the Eligible List as a "Lateral Transfer" candidate and may be considered for an interview.
This will establish an Eligible List that may be used to fill both current and future vacancies.
If selected for consideration for this position, you may be required to provide evidence that you possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities indicated on your resume.
Montgomery County Ethics Law: Except as provided by law or regulation, the County's "Public Employees" (which does not include employees of the Sheriff's office) are subject to the County's ethics law including the requirements to obtain advanced approval of any outside employment and the prohibitions on certain outside employment. The outside employment requirements of the ethics law can be found at 19A-12 of the County Code. Additional information about outside employment can be obtained from the Ethics Commission website.
- $108,687 - $176,054/year
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