General Counsel

About the role

The Texas Civil Commitment Office (TCCO) is a small state agency with a critical public safety mission—providing intensive supervision and treatment to civilly committed sexually violent predators. TCCO is a separate state agency administratively attached to the Health and Human Services Commission. TCCO is seeking dedicated professionals ready to contribute to this small but important agency.

Responsibilities

• Attends work on a regular and predictable schedule in accordance with agency leave policy and performs other duties as assigned.
• Organizes and coordinates legal activities for the Texas Civil Commitment Office.
• Provides legal counsel and advice to the TCCO Executive Director and the agency’s governing board on matters affecting the agency to include the identification and management of risk, strategic planning and policy decision-making.
• Manages litigation including interacting with the Office of Attorney General in monitoring cases and recommending strategies for litigation cases and all legal issues and functions.
• Counsels and advises on the preparation of legal opinions, briefs, contracts, proposals and reports.
• Coordinates and communicates with multiple agencies and individuals including, but not limited to, TCCO Board members, TCCO Staff, Special Prosecution Unit, Office of the Attorney General, Independent Office of Inmate Counsel, District Attorneys, District Courts, Defense Attorneys, Texas Department of Criminal Justice staff, Health and Human Services Commission staff and law enforcement agencies.
• Responds to subpoenas requiring the appearance of witnesses, records, or documents for hearing, criminal cases and civil litigation.
• Prepares employees for testimony.
• Coordinates with the Office of the Attorney General regarding motions to quash.
• Tracks the status of each SVP Client's appeals, monitors and reviews appellate decisions regarding SVP appeals.
• Researches, monitors and reviews court decisions regarding civil commitment nationwide.
• Serves as the agency's liaison with the Special Prosecution Unit and the Independent Office of Inmate Counsel regarding civil commitment processes and cases.
• Serves as the agency's ethics advisor and Public Information Officer.
• Plans, develops, interprets and evaluates agency policies, procedures, rules and statutory mandates.
• Assists in the implementation of agency policies and procedures.
• Participates in the agency’s strategic planning process.
• Provides legal consultation and expertise to the Executive Director and governing board to identify and manage strategic risks.
• Serves on various agency committees and task forces; testifies at hearings and legislative meetings.
• Serves as the agency's legal counsel for contracting.
• Maintains knowledge of state contracting and procurement processes and regulations.
• Drafts and reviews legal documents, administrative rules, and bills for legislative consideration.
• Reviews laws, rules, and regulations affecting agency operations and administration.
• Conducts interviews and testifies at hearings.
• Prepare cases for trial.
• Confers with legislators, legislative staff, other state agencies and federal entities and responds to inquiries in accordance with direction from executive leadership.
• Serves as the agency's Public Information Officer, responsible for the coordination and response to all Public Information Act requests and release of agency information.
• Prepares information in response to Public Information Act requests and submits requests for an opinion to the Office of the Attorney General as appropriate.
• Tracks all incoming Public Information Act requests.
• May act as agency spokesperson or representative in interviews with members of the media.
• Develops agenda items and publishes agendas of meetings in accordance with the Open Meetings Act.
• Advises the TCCO Board and Executive Director concerning the Open Meetings Act and ensures compliance with the Open Meetings Act.
• Manages the rulemaking process including the development of new rules and review of existing rules in accordance with the Administrative Procedures Act.
• Ensures compliance with the Administrative Procedures Act.
• Hires, manages, and develops staff, and recommends appropriate personnel actions.

Qualifications

Graduation from an accredited law school with a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) or a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree. Experience practicing government or administrative law. Public information act request experience preferred, state experience preferred.