Senior Attorney/Assistant Attorney Trainee1/2/3 - NY HELPS

About the role

Each attorney in the Division of Legal Affairs is assigned a diverse portfolio that may include novel and complex issues facing the Department. These assignments are often related to vital infrastructure projects improving the transportation future of New York State.

Responsibilities

• Provide general legal advice, support, and counsel in collaboration with other attorneys, engineers, and program areas throughout NYSDOT, involving subject matter areas such as FOIL, environmental law, legislation, litigation, bond issuances, federal compliance, insurance, eminent domain, rail, aviation, employment matters, permitting, motor carrier enforcement, ethics, contracts, procurements, and contractor compliance.
• Collaborate with program areas and other Department attorneys to identify legal issues, and research, analyze, and interpret statutes, regulations, case law, opinions, briefs, and related documentation.
• Negotiate, draft, review, and revise legal documents, correspondence, and memoranda, including contracts, agreements, permits, leases, legislative and regulatory proposals, and internal and external guidance documents and communications.
• Support the Office of the Attorney General on litigation actions such as torts, eminent domain claims, Article 78, employment, environmental, contractual, and enforcement proceedings, and provide summaries and recommendations on matters of liability, settlement, and appeal after independently reviewing, researching, and analyzing the facts and legal issues presented.
• Process and determine small claims for alleged property damage from road defects.
• Represent NYSDOT in administrative proceedings involving employment matters, motor carrier safety and compliance violations, rail crossings and use, violations concerning the unauthorized use and occupancy of State property, and disputes arising from contract audits.
• Serve a role within the Incident Command System to support the department's response to regional and statewide emergency situations.

Qualifications

This position may be filled at the Senior Attorney level or one within the Legal Traineeship appointment levels. Appointment title will be dependent upon qualifications of candidate selected.

Assistant Attorney 1 (SG-18)

• Law school graduation and/or eligibility to take the NYS Bar Examination

Assistant Attorney 2 (SG-20)

• Admission to NYS Bar

Assistant Attorney 3 (SG-22)

• One year as Assistant Attorney 2 or admission to the NYS Bar and one year of subsequent professional legal experience

Senior Attorney (SG-25)

• Admission to the NYS bar and two years of post-licensure professional legal experience

This position may be filled as a traineeship at the Assistant Attorney 1, 2, or 3 levels. Candidates appointed at the trainee level will be required to successfully complete the traineeship to advance to the journey level title and salary. If appointed as Assistant Attorney 1, you will be automatically advanced to the Assistant Attorney 2 upon admission to the New York State Bar. If you are not admitted to the New York State Bar within two years of appointment, your appointment will be terminated.

Candidates may also be qualified for permanent competitive appointments if reachable from the appropriate Civil Service eligible list or eligible for reassignment or transfer in accordance with Civil Service Law.

This title is part of the New York Hiring for Emergency Limited Placement Statewide Program (NY HELPS). For the duration of the NY HELPS Program, this title may be filled via a non-competitive appointment, which means no examination is required but all candidates must meet the minimum qualifications of the title for which they apply. At a future date, it is expected employees hired under NY HELPS will have their non-competitive employment status converted to competitive status, without having to compete in an examination. Employees will then be afforded with all of the same rights and privileges of competitive class employees of New York State. While serving permanently in an NY HELPS title, employees may take part in any promotion examination for which they are qualified.

Required educational credentials must have been awarded by an educational institution accredited by a regional, national, or specialized agency recognized as an accrediting agency by the United States Department of Education/Secretary of Education. If awarded by an institution outside of the U.S. and its territories, you must provide independent verification of equivalency.