General Counsel

Oklahoma State Government•Oklahoma City, OK

14d

About The Position

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. SPECIFIC DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: 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.

Requirements

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)
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

Nice To Haves

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

Responsibilities

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
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
Monitors and manages the progress of all litigation
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
Prepares the draft Revocation Certificates for all revocations
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
Documents and maintains all information accessible to the Board