Assistant General Counsel

State of North Carolina

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Department of Public Safety's mission is to safeguard and preserve the lives and property of the people of North Carolina through preparation, prevention, and protection with integrity and honor. Our agency houses many public safety divisions, including Emergency Management, Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Alcohol Law Enforcement, Samarcand Training Academy, and the North Carolina National Guard. The Department of Public Safety (DPS) is currently accepting applications for the position of Assistant General Counsel with the Office of General Counsel (OGC) in Raleigh, NC. The Assistant General Counsel (Assistant Agency General Counsel I) position is responsible for providing support to all areas of the Department on topics related to public records, contracts, employment matters, and other areas as assigned. The position will be responsible for policy review, drafting legal opinions, reviewing internal administrative investigations and performing timely and accurate research on a variety of issues. The position may assist with developing and delivering legal training on a variety of topics. The Office of the General Counsel (OGC) provides to executive management and managers oral and formal written legal opinions on laws, constitutional provisions, administrative rules and regulations, court decisions, and other precedents impacting the department‘s policies and operational procedures. This section drafts departmental rules and regulations, operational guidelines, contracts, department-sponsored legislation, and other legal documents. Attorneys in the OGC provide oral and written responses to inquiries by federal, state and local officials including legislators, judicial officials, law enforcement personnel and citizens about the department’s policies and practices and the statutes and regulations it enforces. The OGC advises the Secretary and executive management on the merits of litigation against or on behalf of the department.

Requirements

Licensed to practice law by the North Carolina State Bar
Two years of progressively responsible professional legal experience.

Responsibilities

Providing written and oral legal advice/counsel to high level managers and executives in the Department on a myriad of topics related to their statutory duties and responsibilities.
Interpreting constitutional provisions, state and federal statutes, administrative rules and regulations, state and federal court decisions, and applying them to the department’s current operations to determine whether procedural or substantive changes should be made in the department’s policies and practices to ensure compliance with federal and state laws.
Demonstrating expertise in analyzing new laws and court decisions, recognizing their potential impact upon the department and effectively expressing analysis and conclusions to department officials.
Reviewing investigations and critical incidents to ascertain potential liability and to recommend appropriate policy changes or corrective action with the Department.
Conducting legal research and analysis of the broad spectrum of legal issues affecting agency action, giving legal advice based on that research and the consequence of applying the law include the examination of federal and state legislation, policy case law and administrative rules and regulatory requirements.
Conducting legal review of a variety of contracts, agreements, policies, and legislation; completing all legal reviews in a timely fashion and providing constructive feedback and guidance in order to minimize the liability exposure to the Department.
Working independently, receiving general supervision/training from Deputy General Counsel and providing assistance to other members of the Office of General Counsel as needed.
Completing special assignments (usually confidential, highly sensitive and urgent in nature) which have been assigned by the Secretary, Chief of Staff, General Counsel or direct supervisor.