General Counsel

Job Posting Title

Agency

Supervisory Organization

Job Posting End Date

Refer to the date listed at the top of this posting, if available. Continuous if date is blank.

Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the day prior to the posting end date above.

Estimated Appointment End Date (Continuous if Blank)

Full/Part-Time

Job Type

Compensation

Job Description

FUNCTION:

The primary responsibility of the General Counsel for the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board is to provide research, legal opinions, advice, counsel, and assistance to the Board, Executive Director, Deputy Director, and staff.

The duties of this position may include, but are not limited to the following:

Legal Advice

· Provides advice and counsel to the Board members, Executive Director, and Deputy Director on questions of law pertaining to pardons, paroles, commutations, capital clemencies, as well as regarding personnel and other agency matters;

· Reviews the eligibility of applications to the Board for relief;

· Assists in the development of policies and procedures for the Board and the agency;

· Serves as primary point of contact in the development of potential legislation and the review of legislation which impacts the agency;

· Assists in the process of administrative rule making to further agency procedures pertaining to pardons, paroles, commutations, and/or capital clemencies;

· Drafts legal opinions and request opinions from the Office of Attorney General;

· Responds to Open Records Act requests;

· Responds to subpoena requests.

Litigation Support

· Drafts and files answers and briefs in response to civil litigation in which the Pardon and Parole Board is a party;

· Works closely with Litigation Division at the Office of the Attorney General on civil matters;

· Serves as a liaison between the Board and the Office of the Attorney General;

· Assists with responses to discovery;

· Prepares employees to serve as witnesses; and,

· Monitors and manages the progress of all litigation.

Revocation Proceedings

· Logs, reviews, and maintains files for parole revocations received from the Department of Corrections (DOC);

· Collaborates with the DOC to schedule parole revocation hearings on a monthly basis;

· Serves as the Executive Hearing Officer for parole revocation hearings;

· Conducts all hearings pursuant to the legal requirements of Morrissey v. Brewer;

· Drafts summaries of the proceedings and makes recommendations for the Governor and/or Board’s consideration; and,

· Prepares the draft Revocation Certificates for all revocations.

Expungement Proceedings

· Reviews all Petitions for Expungement for accuracy;

· Redacts all appropriate information from the Board’s records upon receipt of Orders of Expungement;

· Directs staff to redact all appropriate information for public view and seal all information from public review; and,

· Documents and maintains all information accessible to the Board.

· Juris Doctorate Degree with a minimum of three (3) experience of practice in the criminal justice field;

· Licensed to practice law in the State of Oklahoma;

· Admitted to practice law in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma;

· Excellent communications skills, both oral and written;

· Ability to communicate and work well with other government officials and agencies;

· Good organizational skills with the ability to plan, coordinate, and evaluate activities in multiple areas;

· Ability to utilize tact, discretion, and diplomacy when interacting with Board members, criminal justice professionals and the public;

· The ability to work independently and within a team on special and/or ongoing projects;

· The ability to follow oral and written instructions;

· Ability to exercise initiative;

· Ability to direct and supervise the work of legal interns and others;

· Ability to make decisions in accordance with laws, rules, and regulations and apply policies to difficult problems;

· Ability to interpret, analyze and resolve complex issues;

· Ability to interpret and apply rules and policies as provided in the agency’s Employee Handbook and Policies and Procedures Manual;

· Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States without visa sponsorship;

· Proficiency in MS Office Suite (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint); and,

· Applicant must possess a valid Oklahoma State Driver’s license at the time of appointment in order to perform necessary travel and must be willing and able to fulfill all job-related travel normally associated with this position.

· Knowledge and/or experience working in state government;

· Proficiency in working with Microsoft SharePoint;

· Experience in coordinating and/or providing training for criminal justice professionals;

· Knowledge in administrative rule making;

· Knowledge of Title 57 of the Oklahoma Statutes;

· Knowledge of Oklahoma’s Open Records Act and Open Meeting Act; and

· Admitted to practice in the Tenth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals.

· Sitting at a desk and using a computer terminal and keyboard;

· Filing and retrieving hardcopy and electronic files;

· Using recording equipment to record;

· Using the scanner, calculator, copier, and fax machine;

· Making and receiving telephone calls throughout the day; and,

· Ability to travel on occasion.

Equal Opportunity Employment

The State of Oklahoma is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of genetic information, race, religion, color, sex, age, national origin, or disability.

Current active State of Oklahoma employees must apply for open positions internally through the Workday Jobs Hub.

If you are needing any extra assistance or have any questions relating to a job you have applied for, please click the link below and find the agency for which you applied for additional information:

Agency Contact