Associate General Counsel

About the Role

The Associate General Counsel, serving as Executive Director of Legal Services, provides legal advice, representation, and support on matters related to U.S. and Texas law, Board policy, and district operations. This role leads legal functions across the district and supervises assigned legal staff.

Responsibilities

• Advise district and campus leaders on legal matters involving federal/state law, board policy, and administrative regulations.
• Draft legal opinions and memoranda on matters such as the Texas Education Code, IDEA, FERPA, employment law, and governance.
• Conduct legal research and provide interpretations of laws and regulations impacting public education.
• Monitor legal developments and provide guidance on implementation of new legislation and regulatory changes.
• Support Human Resources and other departments with legal advice on personnel matters and employment practices.
• Provide counsel on district elections, student matters, and compliance risks.
• Foster strong collaborative relationships with district departments and external legal partners.
• Represent the district at board meetings and other official functions, including formal presentations.
• Draft, review, and revise contracts, agreements, policies, and other legal documents to ensure legal sufficiency and alignment with district operations.
• Ensure that all district communications and agreements comply with applicable legal mandates.
• Coordinate and support responses to grievances, investigations, and hearings.
• Manage district responses to agencies such as TEA, OCR, EEOC, and U.S. Department of Education.
• Guide internal investigations, including employee or stakeholder complaints, ensuring legal compliance and risk mitigation.
• Provide legal guidance on the Texas Public Information Act, subpoenas, litigation discovery, and expunctions.
• Oversee the district’s Public Information and Records Management functions, ensuring accurate and timely responses.
• Provide direct supervision and support to assigned legal staff.
• Assist in recruitment, hiring, evaluation, and professional development for assigned legal staff.
• Initiate personnel actions including documentation and termination under the guidance of Human Resources.
• Address complaints and resolve problems in a timely manner.

Requirements

• Juris Doctorate degree from an accredited school of law.
• Licensed to practice law in the State of Texas and a member in good standing with the State Bar of Texas.
• Minimum of 3 years of experience in administrative proceedings, grievance hearings, and litigation in Texas or US courts.
• Minimum of 3 years of experience in the practice of law concentrating in issues arising from Texas public schools or other local, state, or federal government agencies.
• Minimum of 1 year of experience in drafting, reviewing, and revising legal contracts and service agreements.
• Previous experience within a public school or higher education (preferred).
• Experience in K-12 education law, including student rights, FERPA, employment law, and governance (preferred).
• Experience advising on compliance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Section 504, and related special education regulations/laws (preferred).
• Experience with civil rights law, election law, open meetings, and public information laws (preferred).

Skills

• Effective public speaking abilities, including presentations and trainings.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, both orally and in writing.
• Proficient with personal computer using Microsoft Office and other software.
• Ability to multi-task and prioritize work.
• Ability to work independently with a high degree of initiative and self-motivation.

Working Conditions

Work is performed in classrooms, offices, work stations, and meeting rooms. The position requires occasional walking, standing, sitting, bending, stooping, kneeling, crouching, crawling, and lifting/carrying work-related items weighing less than 40 pounds, such as books, papers, and presentation materials.

• The employee is regularly required to use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls; reach with hands and arms; and talk or hear.
• Specific vision abilities required include close vision, color vision, and the ability to adjust focus.
• Attendance at conferences and professional development is required.
• Work involves everyday risks and discomforts which require normal safety precautions when operating equipment or performing job duties.
• May work prolonged or irregular hours and must be able to maintain emotional control under stress.
• Considerable local travel and moderate distance travel required.
• Frequent interaction with distressed, irate, and sometimes irrational stakeholders; expected to handle sensitive investigations professionally and confidentially.