PT Law Clerk

Houston Community College•Houston, TX

12d

About The Position

The PT Law Clerk coordinates the review of General Counsel legal issues for Houston Community College (HCC). The role is responsible for initial analysis, preparation, verification, and documentation of legal issues, and for providing initial legal responses. It serves as a resource for college personnel, particularly administrators and officers, and coordinates activities of external counsel. The clerk reviews legal questions and proposed actions, conducts legal research, evaluates compliance with applicable policies and laws, and prepares written reports. The role also supports investigations and litigation or complaint preparation, reviews policies and procedures, monitors laws affecting higher education, provides training as needed, and coordinates workload and project tracking. More complex matters are reported to and reviewed with General Counsel.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree and postgraduate work in law or contracts.
One year of experience in the legal field.
Knowledge of Westlaw, Lexis-Nexis, and other legal research databases.
Ability to research governmental regulations, laws, and legislation.
Strong analytical ability, flexibility, self-motivation, dependability, and interpersonal skills.
Effective written and oral communication skills.
Accuracy, attention to detail, teamwork, organization, problem-solving skills, and initiative.
Sound judgment in decision-making and ability to work with little or no supervision.

Nice To Haves

Legal experience in a post-secondary education institution.
Extensive knowledge of laws applying to higher education.

Responsibilities

Provide initial review of HCC contacts.
Draft, review, revise, and negotiate terms and conditions as needed to ensure compliance with local, state, and federal requirements.
Interpret and answer questions about HCC political matters.
Conduct investigations and gather documents from departments to prepare for lawsuits and student or employee complaints, grievances, or incidents.
Review HCC policies and procedures for compliance with current local, state, and federal law.
Review new and revised laws that affect higher education.
Provide training on legal issues as needed.
Direct the legal secretary on scheduling requests and other matters to bring to General Counsel’s attention.
Analyze questions and actions raised by administrators, employees, or the board and determine research requirements.
Research proposed actions to determine compliance with policy and law.
Prepare written reports on steps to avoid legal liability and address compliance issues.
Report higher-complexity issues to General Counsel and review them with General Counsel.
Communicate responses to questions or actions following initial analysis and, when appropriate, review with General Counsel.
Prioritize and handle varied projects, correspondence, and project or report tracking, including coordination of external counsel projects.