Duties
LEGAL ADVICE AND COUNSEL:
- Provides legal advice and written legal opinions on labor and employment issues.
- Provides legal advice on laws including Title VII, FMLA, ADA, ADEA, Maryland Human Relations Law, Howard County Human Rights Law, FLSA, and other wage/pay laws.
- Provides legal advice to the Office of Human Resources and management on matters such as the Merit System, Employee Manual, fringe benefits, collective bargaining agreements, union grievances, negotiations, pension plans, and internal investigations.
- Provides advice on disciplinary actions, hiring issues, and other employment-related issues.
- May provide legal advice in other areas including the Public Information Act and Open Meetings Act.
LITIGATION AND CASE PREPARATION:
- Reviews prospective cases to determine adequacy of legal claims; prepares complaints and responsive pleadings.
- Interviews witnesses, conducts legal research, obtains documents, and prepares civil cases for prosecution or defense.
- Appears in state and federal courts and before administrative agencies (EEOC, MCCR, OHRE, HRC, Personnel Board) in complex employment cases.
- Responds to judicial inquiries and maintains working relationships with judges and court personnel.
DOCUMENT DRAFTING AND REVIEW:
- Writes and prepares legal opinions, documents, and memoranda.
- Drafts and reviews legal documents for legal sufficiency.
- Reviews and drafts departmental and board procedures.
- Writes and prepares persuasive, well-organized, written and reasoned position statements, pleadings, motions (including dismissal, summary judgment) and appellate briefs.
INTERAGENCY COMMUNICATION AND SUPPORT:
- Confers with and responds to inquiries from County departments, boards, and commissions.
- Interacts with agencies and personnel of county, state, and federal government.
Other related duties as assigned.
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:
May supervise legal or support staff.
Qualifications
Law Degree from an accredited law school and five (5) years related experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Admitted to practice and in good standing with the Maryland Supreme Court.
REQUIRED CERTIFICATIONS, LICENSES, AND REGISTRATIONS:
- Graduated from an accredited law school and a member in good standing with the Maryland Bar.
PREFERRED EDUCATION, KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:
Ten (10) to Fifteen (15) years of related experience.
Civil jury and trial experience, and appellate oral argument.
Excellent writing, analytical, oral communication, and organizational skills, with the ability to work well under pressure and deadlines.
A strong work ethic and ability to work both individually and with a team are a must.
Knowledge of the principles and practices of Maryland civil, administrative, regulatory, state and local government and constitutional law, and court procedures and practices.
Skill in word processing and database programs.
Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with others, including fellow attorneys, paralegals, and court personnel.
Ability to exercise good judgment in deciding when to act independently and when to refer situations to a higher authority.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT:
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to sit. The employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; and use hands to finger, handle, or feel. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, and ability to adjust focus.
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
The noise level in the work environment is usually quiet.
LANGUAGE SKILLS, MATHEMATICAL SKILLS AND REASONING ABILITY:
Ability to read, analyze, and interpret legal and technical documents, statutes, regulations and case law. Ability to write legal documents, memoranda, letters, reports, business correspondence, and procedure manuals. Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from clients, the legal community and the general public.
Ability to calculate figures and amounts such as discounts, interest, commissions, proportions, percentages, area, circumference, and volume. Ability to apply concepts of basic algebra and geometry.
Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions. Ability to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions and deal with several abstract and concrete variables.