Principal Deputy Legislative Counsel I

Job Description and Duties

• Assign, review, and approve drafts of proposed legislation, opinions, and/or letters to ensure work products meet the needs of the client, are technically and legally accurate, reflect the style and philosophy of the Legislative Counsel, and are timely.
• Participate in planning and/or strategy meetings with attorneys to determine the best and most accurate approach to legal issues within the branch.
• Perform supervisory duties over attorneys within the branch, including, but not limited to, evaluating the performance of attorneys throughout the year; providing ongoing written and oral feedback; developing training plans, performance expectations, and guidelines; and assisting attorneys with meeting their professional development goals. Provide guidance to attorneys as needed or requested, and assists attorneys with the more difficult and complex aspects of their work.
• Work with other principals in the branch to assist with the planning, organization, coordination, and direction of the resources within the branch.
• Provide oral or written opinions for, or informal oral legal advice or consultation to, Members of the Legislature, legislative staff, the Governor, and other clients or authorized persons on a variety of issues, including legislative rules and procedures, legislative proposals, existing law and legal precedent, and how to accomplish desired statutory goals.
• Prepare difficult, complex, and sensitive elements of proposed legislation and provide assistance to attorneys preparing proposed legislation.
• Appear before legislative committees to provide legal advice on existing law or pro posed legislation.
• Act as back up to other legal managers and sup ervisors in their absence, and participate in agency-wide strategic planning and other efforts as requested or assigned.

You will find additional information about the job in the .

Special Requirements

Do not include any confidential information on any documents you submit for a job vacancy, such as your STD 678, resume, or school transcripts. Confidential information that should be excluded or removed from these documents includes, but is not limited to, your social security number, birthdate, student identification number, driver license number (unless required), examination results, LEAP status, marital status, and age. (Note confidential information on the first page of the application submitted online through your CalCareers account will be redacted automatically upon submission.)

(STD 678):
Applicants must submit the required documents in order to be considered for this position. Failure to complete the STD. 678 in its entirety may result in disqualification.

Desirable Qualifications

In addition to evaluating each candidate's relative ability, as demonstrated by quality and breadth of experience, the following factors will provide the basis for competitively evaluating each candidate:

• Experience supervising and/or leading staff, including attorneys, paralegals, support staff, and/or clerical staff.
• Ability and desire to mentor, motivate, and develop staff, and identify and implement strategies for increased employee engagement and morale.
• Ability to participate and function effectively as a member of a diverse leadership team comprised of peers, management, and support staff management.
• Experience researching, writing, and/or reviewing legal opinions or legal advice regarding the legality or constitutionality of laws, bills, or regulations; developing, drafting, interpreting, and/or reviewing constitutional, statutory, or regulatory language for legislative bodies or other governmental entities; making decisions on complex, high profile, or sensitive legal matters; and ensuring drafts of proposed legislation or legal advice meet the needs of the client, are technically and legally accurate, reflect the style and philosophy of the office, and are timely.
• Experience with and/or willingness to develop and implement department policies, practices, and procedures, and providing policy consultation to executives and management.
• Knowledge of the scope and character of California statutory law, and state and federal constitutional law.
• Knowledge of the rules, organization, and operation of the California State Legislature; goals, values, policies, and organization of the OLC; and practices of the OLC that govern drafting legislation, preparing opinions, and performing other legal services.
• Ability to present statements of facts, law, and argument clearly, logically, and effectively in written and oral form.
• Knowledge of legal principles and precedents and their application to difficult, complex, and novel legal problems.
• Knowledge of principles and practices of effective supervision.
• Ability to plan, organize, direct, and review the activities of legal staff; develop the skills and abilities of legal staff to ensure effective perform ance of their duties; and perform and direct legal research and difficult legislative drafting.
• Ability to analyze situations accurately and take effective action while appropriately applying office policies.

Benefits

All OLC employees are excluded from collective bargaining, and therefore, receive enhanced benefits, such as CoBen benefit allowance, employer paid life insurance, additional vacation/annual leave, and are not subject to State Disability Insurance payroll withholding. Additional information can be found on CalHR’s website under State Employee Benefits and Programs .

Required Application Package Documents

The following items are required to be submitted with your application. Applicants who do not submit the required items timely may not be considered for this job:

• Current version of the State Examination/Employment Application STD Form 678 (when not applying electronically), or the Electronic State Employment Application through your Applicant Account at All Experience and Education relating to the Minimum Qualifications listed on the Classification Specification should be included to demonstrate how you meet the Minimum Qualifications for the position.
• Resume is required and must be included.