Assistant General Counsel

About the role

The Office of the General Counsel (OGC) provides legal services and guidance to executive agency staff, tribunal personnel, and the Clerk's Office. The OGC plays a key role in supporting and strengthening the agency's legal foundation and mission through legal analysis, research and writing, and advice.

Responsibilities

• Handle the agency’s employment-law matters;
• Serve as disciplinary counsel;
• Handle Labor Relations matters;
• Aid in monitoring probationary and provisional employees’ work performance;
• Provide training on disciplinary issues.

Additional counsel work includes reviewing policies and procedures, providing legal guidance to management, and working with the Law Department and various agencies on the application of laws. Exceptional writing, research, and analytical skills, and good interpersonal and communication skills are required. The ideal candidate pays attention to details, thinks strategically, and exercises sound judgment. Commitment to public service is an asset.

Duties

• Performing all aspects related to employment law, including prosecuting disciplinary cases from inception to conclusion under New York State Civil Service Law and the City’s collective bargaining agreements;
• Conducting investigations by interviewing witnesses and gathering evidence;
• Responding to employee grievances;
• Representing the agency in formal and informal conferences, arbitrations, OATH tribunal hearings, and the NYC Office of Labor Relations (OLR) proceedings;
• Reviewing and preparing legal documents, including statement of charges;
• Providing legal advice;
• Performing special projects as requested by the General Counsel;
• Maintaining a high degree of professionalism.

The ideal candidate works well in a team comprised of attorneys and non-attorneys, enjoys working in a fast-paced environment, and is able to multitask.

Qualifications

• Admission to the New York State Bar;
• Four years of recent full-time responsible, relevant, satisfactory legal experience subsequent to admission to any bar, eighteen months of which must have been in the supervision of other attorneys, in an administrative, managerial or executive capacity, or performing highly complex and significant legal work.

Incumbents must remain Members of the New York State Bar in good standing for the duration of this employment.

Preferred Skills

• Familiarity with employment law;
• Experience working within a government agency and/or in an in-house capacity at an institution;
• Demonstrated experience in legal research and writing;
• Strong oral communication skills, including the ability to liaise with internal staff and external stakeholders;
• Excellent writing, communication, interpersonal, analytical, research, problem-solving, multitasking and organizational skills;
• Familiarity with virtual meeting applications, such as Teams, WebEx, and Zoom.

Benefits

Public Service Loan Forgiveness

As a prospective employee of the City of New York, you may be eligible for federal loan forgiveness programs and state repayment assistance programs. For more information, please visit the U.S. Department of Education's website at https://studentaid.gov/pslf/.

Additional Information

The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual's sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.