Associate GeneralCounsel-Litigation

Qualifications:

BASIC REQUIREMENTS:
A) Juris Doctor (J.D.) professional law degree
OR
B) Master of Law (LL.M) professional law degree
OR
C) Bachelor of Law (LL.B) professional law degree
AND
Active member in good standing of the bar of the highest court of a State, U.S. Commonwealth, U.S. territory, or the District of Columbia is required at time of application and throughout the duration of the appointment of the position. Copy of Transcripts with your degree date conferred/awarded must be submitted with your application. Failure to submit the transcripts will result in an incomplete application. In addition to the Basic Requirement for this position, your resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience. Specialized Experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position.

In addition to the Basic Requirement for this position, your resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience.

Specialized Experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Applicants must have a minimum of one year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility comparable to the GS-15 or comparable pay band in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private sector.

Specialized Experience for this position includes: 1) Experience providing legal counsel on matters relating to litigation and litigation risk, including employment litigation and labor law 2) Experience establishing policies related litigation and employment law; 3) Knowledge of federal laws and regulations related to litigation, labor, and employment law; (4) Experience demonstrating the ability to:

• Engage in creative and flexible legal thinking, including the ability to leverage existing and new authorities in a manner which allows the agency to engage in the type of novel operations requisite to carrying out a large news-media organization.
• Carry out top notch legal thinking, including an innate sense of the law and how it may apply to agency-specific fact scenarios.
• Convey concepts in terms of legal risk, so as to properly advise clients as to the risks associated with a course of action (in contrast to a binary thinker); and not try to give advice that substitutes one's personal risk preference for that of the client.
• Work well with others, including the ability to put oneself in others shoes, especially one's clients.
• Demonstrate an innate enjoyment of law; this is critical to legal leadership to lead a team of attorneys with various levels of ability, skills and experience to accomplish the litigation division and thus agency goals.
• Demonstrate mastery of or master the concepts, principles, practices, laws, and regulations, governing all areas of Agency operations.
• Provide material experience with the majority of legal areas that the office addresses.
• Provide expert judgment and critical thinking skills, demonstrated through leadership of complex projects and management of competing priorities in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.
• Engage in expert collaboration and consensus building skills to work across multiple organizations and with personnel at all organizational levels.
• Provide expert interpersonal, leadership and managerial capabilities, including the ability to effectively direct tasking, assess and manage performance, and support personal and professional development of all levels of personnel.
• Serve as a partner to the General Counsel and as an alter-ego of the GC as called upon.

Responsibilities:

Duties include, but are not limited to:

Manage and oversee the Litigation Unit of the General Counsel. Supervise two or three Assistant General Counsels for litigation issues, and any additional paralegal or contractor support. Directly handle cases and litigation, as well. Supervisory and related managerial duties will occupy less than 25 percent of the incumbent's time.

Creatively leverage new authorities granted to the agency (under the 2017 NDAA), some of which may come into force in calendar year 2020 (upon appointment of a senate- confirmed CEO). Research and resolve unprecedented legal questions pertaining to pay, benefits, and status within a federal executive agency, requiring experience and technical analysis of agency authorities and other relevant statutory and regulatory requirements.

Address litigation issues related to a transition to a digital first strategy, including issues related to workforce restructuring. Develop practices that balance employees' free speech rights, while avoiding journalists taking positions in their social media or other outside activities, which undermine the agency's credibility and reputation and bring to bear media law experience with incorporating the best practices of professional journalism to enforce the "highest professional standards".

Leverage expertise and knowledge of the legal rules and requirements in litigation, legal risk management, and employment and labor law, to advise on courses of action which may be subject to challenge (or have been challenged) under Title 5 of the United States Code, including the Merit Systems Protection Board; the Equal Employment Opportunity Act; the Federal Labor Relations Act; Title 22 of the United States Code; and protections relating to media and freedom of press.

Assess and advise on litigation and employment law risks in developing a refining framework to accommodate a cadre of five hundred or so personal service contractors (this in in concert with Assistance General Counsel for Operations who handles contracting law aspects of PSCs).

Advise (along with Associate General Counsel for Operations) on developing a nuanced legal regime to accommodate our unique operations.

Coordinate with internal senior executives and technical experts on behalf of the GC and Deputy GC on highly complex and sensitive crosscutting issues, including with the Chief Risk Officer, Chief Information Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Director of Security, Human Resources Director, Chief Strategy Officer, and agency component executives, ensuring that joint efforts are informed by advanced legal analysis and principles.

Represent the agency's proposals for addressing its challenges to White House officials, congressional staff, and other external stakeholders, synthesizing highly technical information, and communicate, verbally and in writing, in a manner that is compelling and clear to diverse audiences.