Assistant County Attorney - Defensive Litigation Division (Hybrid)

Position Description

General Summary:

The Harris County Attorney's Office (HCAO) is hiring an attorney to join our Defensive Litigation Division which represents the nation's third largest county, its elected officials, and 18,000 employees in state and federal litigation. We defend suits ranging from state tort actions to federal civil rights suits, and other unique and imaginative cases.

This attorney will have the opportunity to refine their civil litigation skills from case inception through discovery and motion practice, trial, and appeal. This position has an emphasis on federal civil rights litigation, although state litigation practice may also be required.

In addition to the ability to earn compensatory time for hours worked in excess of 40 hours per workweek, the selected candidate may be eligible to participate in the HCAO telework program, which currently allows employees to work from home a few days per week.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• First and second chair litigation assignments.

• Represents parties in litigation cases from intake through final judgment including trials and/or appeals as needed.

• Advises clients.

• Manages all aspects of assigned litigation such as drafting answers, issuing and responding to discovery, taking and defending depositions, motions practice to include dispositive motions, and other necessary court documents.

• Remains current on applicable caselaw and ethical obligations.

• Conducts research assignments.

• Presents or defends witnesses and evidence at administrative hearings, depositions, court hearings, mediation, and trial.

• Develops exhibits and witnesses for use in dispositive motions.

• Develops and maintains relationships with clients (including elected officials, individual employees and agency representatives), courts and court staff, the public and other work groups related to assigned cases.

• Performs multiple projects simultaneously while maintaining an effective balance of priorities and high productivity.

• Makes use of technology and other legal tools.

• Responds promptly to phone calls, emails, and other correspondence.

• Participates in one-on-one sessions with the supervisor and/or manager to give and receive feedback.

• Participates in Division staff meetings.

• Encourages and mentors attorneys, paralegals, interns, and law clerks.

• Performs other duties as assigned.

Other Duties:

• This Job Description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this position. Management may, at its discretion, assign, or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time.

Harris County is an Equal Opportunity Employer

https://hrrm.harriscountytx.gov/Pages/EqualEmploymentOpportunityPlan.aspx

If you need special services or accommodations, please call (713) 274-5445 or email ADACoordinator@bmd.hctx.net.

This position is subject to a criminal history check. Only relevant convictions will be considered and, even when considered, may not automatically disqualify the candidate.

Requirements

Supporting Job Application Documents:

Applicants should provide a cover letter, resume with three (3) professional references, and at least one (1) writing sample with their application.

Education and Experience Requirements:

• A Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from an American Bar Association accredited college of law.

• Must be an active member in good standing of the Texas State Bar and eligible for admission to Federal court.

• A minimum of five (5) years of experience practicing law, with an emphasis on handling federal cases.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Excellent research, writing, and courtroom skills.

• Excellent interpersonal communication skills and ability to communicate and work in a collaborative group.

• Proficiency with technology and legal tools such as Microsoft Office Suite, Westlaw, and Adobe.

• Motion practice experience.

• Experience conducting discovery.

• Knowledge rules of civil procedure and evidence.

• Analytical skills to include ability to perform thorough legal and factual analyses.

• Ability to exercise good judgment.

• Occasional ability to work extended hours to accommodate case load demands.

• Ability to organize and prioritize assignments to meet deadlines.

• Ability to comply with office policies and training requirements.

NOTE: Qualifying education, experience, knowledge, and skills must be documented on your job application. You may attach a resume to the application as supporting documentation but ONLY information stated on the application will be used for consideration. "See Resume" will not be accepted for qualifications.

Preferences

• Preference will be given to candidates with demonstrated federal litigation experience.

General Information

Located in downtown Houston, the Harris County Attorney's Office represents Harris County government, the Harris County Flood Control District, the Harris County Toll Road Authority, and the Greater Harris County 9-1-1 Emergency Network in all civil matters, including lawsuits. The office also provides legal advice to county officials and employees.

Position Type, Typical Work Schedule, and Work Environment:

• This is a full-time position.

• Days and hours of work are typically Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, with occasional weekends and holidays as necessary.

• Hours may vary based on the business needs of the HCAO.

• This job typically operates in a professional office environment, and the individual in this role uses standard office equipment such as computers, printers, scanners/copiers, and phones.

Physical and Mental Demands:

• This is largely a sedentary role that requires standing or sitting for prolonged periods, exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally, and/or a negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects, including the human body, repetitive motions requiring dexterity such as keyboarding that may include the wrists, hands, and/or fingers, communicating with others to exchange concepts and information, problem-solving, decision-making, organization, the ability to read/write, and the ability to manage workplace stressors such as adversarial interactions.

Compensation:

• The base compensation for this position will be determined on the candidate's qualifications and the pay of other employees in the job function.

• Total compensation includes attractive paid leave programs, health benefits, and retirement plans.

• In addition, the position is eligible for the accrual of compensatory time off for hours worked over 40 in a workweek, consistent with Harris County personnel policies and procedures.

Employment may be contingent on passing a drug screen and meeting other standards.

Due to a high volume of applications positions may close prior to the advertised closing date or at the discretion of the Hiring Department.

BENEFITS

Harris County offers a competitive benefits program, including comprehensive group health and related benefits plan as well as defined benefit retirement plan.

The following list of benefits is offered only to employees in regular (full-time) positions:

• Medical Coverage

• Dental Coverage

• Vision Coverage

• Wellness Plan

• Life Insurance

• Long-term disability

• Employee Assistance Program

• Ten (10) days of vacation each year for the first five (5) years of service

• Accrual rates increase based on years of service

• Eleven (11) County-observed holidays and one (1) floating holiday

• Professional development opportunities

• Dependent Care Reimbursement Plan

• Healthcare Reimbursement Account

• 457 Deferred Compensation Plan

The following benefits are also available to regular (full-time) employment and may be available to part-time employees:

• Retirement Pension (TCDRS)
• Flexible schedule (varies by department)
• Transportation Assistance (Metro RideSponsor Program)

In accordance with the Harris County Personnel Regulations, Group Health and related benefits are subject to amendment or discontinuance at any time. Commissioners Court reserves the right to make benefit modifications on the County's behalf as needed.

For plan details, visit the Harris County benefits website:

https://benefitsathctx.com/

01

Do you have a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from an American Bar Association accredited college of law?

• Yes

• No

02

Please describe your educational background including level of education completed, area of study and completed major and minor programs.

03

Are you currently an active member in good standing of the Texas State Bar and eligible for admission to Federal court?

• Yes

• No

04

Which of the following best describes your verifiable experience practicing law, with an emphasis on handling federal cases? (To be considered, qualifying experience must be documented in your application's employment history)

• Less than five (5) years

• Five (5) years but less than six (6) years

• Six (6) years but less than seven (7) years

• Seven (7) years or more

• I do not have this experience

05

Please provide details about your verifiable experience practicing law, with an emphasis on handling federal cases. Do not use "Please see Resume" or "See Resume" (To be considered, qualifying experience must be documented in your application's employment history) Please include your (a) role(s), (b) types of organizations, (c) scope of duties and responsibilities If you do not have this experience, please type "None" in the space provided.

06

Do you have demonstrated federal litigation experience?

• Yes

• No

07

Which of the following describes your level of proficiency using a personal computer and common office software such as MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook). Please select your level of proficiency based on the following descriptions: Advanced: A person with this level of skills is able to produce very large, complex formal documents that require a table of contents, footnotes, endnotes, bookmarks, and other special elements; a wide range of graphic effects, and use advanced techniques for analyzing and manipulating data. Has full mastery of Macro commands and skills to tie the objects together into a cohesive system by using Macros and Visual Basic for Applications code. Makes interactive presentations by using hyperlinks and action buttons. Intermediate: A person with this level of skills is able to customize toolbars, import and insert graphs, embed Excel data, and elaborate reports. Understands the concepts of databases and is able to work with charts and to use the list management capabilities of Excel. Able to use complex query techniques, create efficient forms and reports, and create Macros to automate these forms. Makes interactive presentations by using hyperlinks and action buttons. Basic: A person with this level of skills is able to use basic formatting, editing, printing functions, and understands the document page setup. Has the ability to enter and correct data, modify a workbook, format a worksheet, and use printing functions. Understands the different database concepts and structures and is familiar with data validation and is able to create a simple presentation in PowerPoint, run it, and print it. Entry Level: A person with this level of skills has the ability to open, create, save and modify documents in Word, send and receive email in Outlook and create spreadsheets in Excel. Format documents for printing, comfortable using the printer menu to preview documents. Has ability to change the font, the margins, insert or delete pages and use the built-in spellchecker and grammar check.

• Advanced

• Intermediate

• Basic

• Entry Level

• Not proficient

08

Applicants should provide a cover letter, resume with three (3) professional references, and at least one writing sample with their application. Did you provide these supporting documents along with your application?

• Yes

Required Question

Agency Harris County

Address 1111 Fannin St

Ste. 600

Houston, Texas, 77002

Phone 713-274-5445

Website https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/harriscountytx