OCJ - Senior Employment and Labor Relations Counsel

Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois•Chicago, IL

4d•Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Employment and Labor Relations Counsel is employed by the Office of the Chief Judge and reports to the Human Resources Administrator. The position requires a high degree of integrity and discretion, the interpersonal skills to interact cordially and professionally with court staff, union representatives, justice partners, and the public, and the ability to contribute as a member of the Human Resources team.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree and Juris Doctor degree.
Licensed and in good standing to practice law in Illinois.
Minimum of 3 years of legal experience in litigation, arbitration, and other adversarial proceedings strongly preferred.
Excellent written and oral communication skills.
Excellent interpersonal skills.
Excellent computer skills including Microsoft Word and Excel.
Ability to work as a team player and integrate with legal and non-legal personnel.
Experience applying federal statutes impacting employees, including FMLA, Americans with Disabilities Act Titles I and II, FLSA, and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

Advise management in all departments under the administrative authority of the Chief Judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County with respect to compliance with federal, state and local labor and employment laws and collective bargaining agreements with the unions representing employees in all departments under the administrative authority of the Chief Judge, including implementation of compliance protocols;
Represent management as counsel in arbitration and administrative hearings for departments under the administrative authority of the Chief Judge;
Participate in development, review and update of employment policies and procedures;
Collaborate with outside counsel as required;
Serve as hearing officer for grievances filed at the Chief Judge’s level by unions representing employees within the departments under the administrative authority of the Chief Judge;
Investigate employee or other complaints alleging illegal discrimination and/or sexual harassment and other wrongdoing alleged to violate federal, state and local laws, and take appropriate action including issuing discipline or referring to other agencies for further action;
Conduct training for employees on Office of the Chief Judge policies and other matters impacting employees;
Represent management as directed in collective bargaining and labor-management meetings;
In conjunction with other Human Resources staff, negotiate and draft documents such as settlement agreements, memoranda, position statements, grievance responses, and responses to agency complaints on behalf of management;
Serve as the Court Disability Coordinator or otherwise collaborate with or advise the Court Disability Coordinator on accommodation requests made under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act within the court system;
Such other duties as may be assigned.