Deputy Director of the Employment Law Unit, Office of General Counsel

About the role

The Employment Law Unit (ELU) within the Office of General Counsel (OGC) at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYC Health Department) seeks an experienced senior attorney to serve as Deputy Director of ELU. The Deputy Director will function as an integral member of the legal team, supporting the Director of ELU in handling disciplinary matters, conflicts of interest issues, and agency-wide legal initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Assist the Director of ELU in handling disciplinary cases, including advising managers on strategy and determining appropriate disciplinary actions and investigations.
• Prepare and draft charges, litigate charges at the informal conference stage through the appeal process (including Step II, Step III, OATH trials, OCB arbitrations, and Civil Service Commission hearings).
• Assist with the preparation and adjudication of NYS Civil Service Law Sections 71, 72, and 73 cases, including analyzing statements, evidence, meeting with supervisors, interviewing witnesses, and drafting pleadings; litigate Section 72 cases before OATH.
• Evaluate and respond to inquiries concerning conflicts of interest law; interpret and advise on potential conflicts; evaluate and respond to requests for support of waivers from the Conflicts of Interest Board (COIB); and draft waiver requests to COIB from the Commissioner.
• Train new ELU attorneys on the application of Chapter 68 to DOHMH employees and provide training to supervisory staff on progressive discipline and its role in the administrative disciplinary process.
• Assist the General Counsel’s office with varied assignments, such as revising agency policies.
• Supervise and train new ELU attorneys.
• Participate in mandatory agency-wide emergency preparedness activities and respond promptly.
• Maintain sensitive and confidential information; manage and distribute information accurately and appropriately.
• Monitor workflow, ensure compliance with deadlines, and prepare reports and summaries.
• Establish positive working relationships with colleagues and programs.
• Attend to other ad hoc projects and tasks as needed or assigned.

Requirements

• Admission to the New York State Bar.
• One year of satisfactory United States legal experience subsequent to admission to any state bar; or six months of satisfactory service as an Agency Attorney Interne (30086).
• Incumbents must remain Members of the New York State Bar in good standing for the duration of employment.

Qualifications

• To be assigned to Assignment Level II: one year of experience at Assignment Level I or two years of comparable legal experience subsequent to admission to the bar, in areas related to the assignment.
• To be assigned to Assignment Level III: two years of experience in Assignment Levels I and/or II or three years of comparable legal experience subsequent to admission to the bar, in areas related to the assignment.

Preferred Skills

• 5–10 years of professional experience as an attorney after admission to the NYS Bar.
• Highly detail-oriented with the ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects.
• Proficiency with online legal research platforms such as Westlaw, CLEAR, and LexisNexis.
• Administrative law or employment law litigation experience.