Senior Regional Counsel
Position Overview
The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services is seeking an organized, professional, and results oriented individual to serve as Senior Regional Counsel. Under administrative direction, this position will represent the Department at all hearings on calendars in the juvenile courts of assigned counties, including temporary custody, adjudication, disposition, permanency, status, progress, termination of parental rights, and motion hearings. Additionally, the position will provide technical advice and counsel to Agency personnel conducting all levels of administrative fair hearings and serve as the Departments representative in the fair hearing process, while supervising a subordinate attorney or paralegal. This position is a great opportunity for anyone who would like to use their skills as an attorney to benefit child welfare services. DCFS offers a competitive compensation plan, excellent benefits, and a pension program. The ideal candidate for this position will have excellent legal and organizational skills and strong leadership capabilities. We invite all qualified applicants to apply to join our innovative team to help make a difference in the lives of children and families.
Essential Functions
- Serves as Senior Regional Counsel
- Interviews Department witnesses
- Evaluates cases involving clients where the Department is involved in court or seeking expunction or indication
- Serves as legal advisor to regional field staff
- Plans, directs, and conducts technical legal screening and provides case consultation to caseworkers and supervisors to help prepare cases for termination of parental rights (TPR), to determine when cases are trial ready for TPR
- Serves as Department liaison to judiciary, States Attorneys Offices, and various court personnel in numerous counties in the region
- Maintains current working knowledge of new legislation, Department rules and policy, and all relevant law
- Performs other duties as required or assigned which are reasonably within the scope of the duties enumerated above