Attorney III-IV - Office of Parental Representation

Serves as an Attorney with the Travis County Office of Parental Representation, a civil public defender’s office. Provides client-centered representation to indigent clients in child welfare law litigation with the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. 

This is the fourth in a series of seven attorney-related job classifications within the Attorney's job family. This classification handles cases and matters that are moderately complex without supervision, handles cases and matters that may result in the least severe consequences without supervision, and handles cases and matters that may result in moderately severe consequences with supervision.

• Provides client-centered representation to indigent clients in child welfare law litigation with the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services.

• Litigates cases at statutory and special review hearings, contested motion hearings, and trials. 

• Works collaboratively within a multidisciplinary team to achieve client-centered case goals. 

• Attends case meetings with clients, the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, CASA, attorneys, and other case professionals. Attends mediation. 

• Performs legal research. Searches resources and studies legal records and documents to obtain information applicable to case or issue under consideration.

• Drafts briefs, motions, orders, subpoenas, and other legal documents, as well as correspondence and memos.

• Responds to discovery requests. Oversees the creation and issuance of legal documents, including subpoenas, motions, orders, and other related documents. 

• Prepares cases for trial. Collects, organizes, and prepares evidence and exhibits.

• Performs other job-related duties as assigned.

Education and Experience:

• Jurisprudence, criminal and civil law and procedures, including constitutional and statutory law.
• Federal, State, Local and County applicable laws, rules, regulations and guidelines.
• Methods and practices of pleading cases and of effective techniques for presentation of cases in court or to effectively present facts and precedents verbally and in writing in law related matters.
• Policies, practices, procedures and legal terminology related to court system.
• Computer equipment to include word processing, spreadsheets, databases and a variety of software packages.
• Business letter writing, grammar and punctuation, and report preparation.
• May be required to develop knowledge of and adhere to federal and state laws requiring the confidential handling of certain health information.

• Problem-solving and decision-making.
• Analyzing and appraising facts, policies, procedures and legal precedents in area of specialty.
• Both verbal and written communication, including presentations.

• Conduct legal research and analysis, both manually and electronically.
• Present facts, precedents and arguments verbally and in writing and apply negotiation skills.
• Communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
• Work independently.
• Manage time well and perform multiple tasks, and organize diverse activities.
• Work well under pressure and exercise tact in trying situations.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with departmental clientele, representatives of outside agencies, other County employees and officials, and the general public.

Physical requirements include the ability to lift/carry up to 25 pounds occasionally, visual acuity, speech and hearing, hand and eye coordination and manual dexterity necessary to operate a computer and office equipment. Subject to standing, walking, sitting, repetitive motion, reaching, climbing stairs, bending, stooping, kneeling, crouching, crawling, pushing, pulling, balancing, client/customer contact, squatting to perform the essential functions.

Travis County employees play an important role in business continuity. As such, employees can be assigned to business continuity efforts outside of normal job functions.