University FOIL and Records Access Attorney (Repost)

About the role

The City University of New York (CUNY) is seeking a public service attorney to fill a FOIL and Records Access Attorney position. The attorney will respond to requests for access to public CUNY Central Office records made under the New York State Freedom of Information Law (“FOIL”) and ensure compliance with Federal, State, local laws, and University policies and guidelines regarding the retention and disposition of records, and identification and preservation of records of historic importance.

Responsibilities

• Responds to FOIL requests for access to CUNY Central Office public records and assists the University FOIL and Records Access Officer with the collection of records and substantive responses to FOIL requests for access to the entire CUNY University public records.
• Coordinates with the Office of the General Counsel and the Central Office Records Access Unit to administer the records access and management program of Central Office.
• Works with the University FOIL and Records Access Officer to coordinate related FOIL and records access requests.
• Maintains the privacy and security of sensitive institutional information and assists the University FOIL and Records Access Officer to withhold certain requested records, or redact identifying information in records, in accordance with legal data protections and privacy laws.
• Prepares legal analyses and reports on FOIL and records retention activities.
• Provides legal administrative support to the University FOIL and Records Access Officer, attorneys working on FOIL issues, and OGC attorneys on legal matters.
• Affords legal assistance on a wide variety of issues and participates in evaluating and developing University policy related to legal matters.
• Reviews contracts, agreements, and other transactions, identifying risks and proposing risk mitigation options.
• Maintains a caseload as per prescribed procedures.
• Assists outside counsel and works as a team with other in-house and College campus attorneys.

Requirements

• A Juris Doctorate (JD) Degree from an ABA-accredited law school and three (3) years of FOIL experience or comparable experience required.
• Current New York State Bar membership in good standing required, or admission in another jurisdiction with eligibility for admission to the NYS bar through reciprocity.

Qualifications

• Preferred Experience with FOIL and disclosure issues, laws and procedures in a public organization or government agency (incl. Section 87(2) of Public Officers Law), NY State Education Department laws, plus Federal, State and local data protection and privacy laws (FERPA, HIPPA, etc.), and subpoena process.
• Experience with FOIL and disclosure issues, laws and procedures in a public organization or government agency (incl. Section 87(2) of Public Officers Law), NY State Education Department laws, plus Federal, State and local data protection and privacy laws (FERPA, HIPPA, etc.), and subpoena process.
• Experience with Adobe Acrobat, document review software, and electronic databases.
• Experience with GovQA, NYC Open Records or other records access systems, Purview, NY State archive guidelines, and CUNY Records Retention and Disposition Schedule, policies and procedures.
• Experience and/or familiarity with records management and document archival, conservation and storage methods.
• Strong work ethic, character and personal integrity to handle confidential documents and matters and perform work with the utmost professionalism, confidentiality and diplomacy.
• Detail oriented and accurate with strong legal research, critical analysis, and problem-solving skills.
• Strong writing, interpersonal and cross-cultural communication skills to work effectively, collaboratively and independently, with diverse internal and external stakeholders.
• Computer proficiency using legal, administrative, financial or academic software programs, systems or databases.