Attorney IV

Commerce • Wake County, NC

8d

About The Position

Are you looking for meaningful public service work that will positively impact the residents of North Carolina? If your answer is yes, we want you to join our team at the Utilities Commission. The NC Utilities Commission is looking for an Attorney IV. This position is assigned to the Commission’s Legal Division. The Commission regulates the rates charged and service provided by approximately 3,000 public utilities operating in the State. The Legal Division is currently comprised of 9 attorneys, including the General Counsel and Deputy, plus 4 paralegals, 1 legal assistant, and 5 other employees in the records management and court reporter sections. The Attorney IV serves as a legal advisor to the members of the Utilities Commission and its professional staff. The Attorney IV is responsible for the most advanced, difficult, and important matters of legal interpretation, counsel, and litigation in the highly complex and specialized field of public utilities regulation. They regularly advises Commission members and professional staff on matters in the Commission’s jurisdiction and in matters involving the decision-making process in contested cases, rulemaking proceedings, and other public policy related proceedings. This a full-time position (40 hours per week) with State Benefits, including health insurance, as well as retirement. Applicants invited to interview will be required to provide a writing sample. The writing sample must be the applicant’s original work and should demonstrate legal analysis, clarity of written communication, and the ability to present complex information in an organized and persuasive manner. Acceptable samples include judicial decisions, administrative law decisions, legal memoranda, briefs, motions, or other comparable legal documents authored solely by the applicant. Samples should be submitted in hard copy at the interview, should have original formatting and content intact, and should be no more than 15 pages.

Requirements

• APPLICANTS MUST MEET THE EDUCATIONAL AND EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENT IN ORDER TO QUALIFY FOR THIS POSITION.
• Licensed to practice law by the North Carolina State Bar and four years of progressively responsible professional legal experience.

Nice To Haves

• These skills are not required but managers may choose to interview/select applicants who demonstrate Management Preferences.
• Demonstrated ability to conduct legal research and analyze the law in highly complex issues.
• Demonstrated ability to provide independent legal advice and counsel.
• Demonstrated ability to find creative solutions to legal issues with major ramifications.
• Demonstrated ability to express highly complex legal concepts and related facts in a clear, concise, and organized manner, both oral and written.
• Demonstrated ability to coordinate, facilitate, and participate in a collaborative approach to complete assignments.

Responsibilities

• Coordinating the proceedings before the Commission.
• Analyzing and making recommendations for Commission action on the most advanced, difficult, and complex legal issues presented in these proceedings. These proceedings include general rate cases and other cost recovery proceedings, rulemaking proceedings, certification proceedings, complaint cases, show cause proceedings, and special investigations.
• Working under minimal supervision to analyze facts, research and comprehend legal issues, and make recommendations to the Commission, either alone or with other Commission staff members, such as accountants, engineers, and policy analysts.
• Ensuring the lawfulness of decisions issued by the Commission.
• Coordinating case management timelines and the order writing process among various Commission staff to ensure that orders of the Commission are timely, well-written, legally sound, and accurately reflect decisions made by the Commission.
• The Attorney IV is expected to work independently, with minimal supervision from their manager. The Senior Staff Attorney is also expected to work constructively and collaboratively with commissioners and other Commission staff. They must communicate clearly and effectively on complex topics, both verbally and in writing.
• When serving as a hearing examiner, the Attorney IV must preside over a legal proceeding, develop a record, make a sound decision based on law applied to the findings of facts, and draft a clearly written decision that is well-reasoned and accurate.

Benefits

• 12 Annual Paid Holidays and monthly accrual of vacation and sick leave.
• North Carolina State Health Plan administered by Aetna.
• Supplemental Benefits including Flexible Spending Accounts, Accident Insurance, Cancer & Specified Disease, Critical Illness, Dental, and Vision.
• NC State Retirement (TSERS), 401(k), and 457 savings plans.
• WeSave Employee Discounts.
• Eligibility for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed
• Number of Employees: 1,001-5,000 employees