Assistant County Attorney - Hospital District Division

Position Description

The Harris County Attorney's Office (HCAO) is hiring an attorney to join the Hospital District Division which provides legal advice and counsel to Harris County Hospital District d/b/a Harris Health System ("Harris Health" or the "Client") in a variety of legal matters affecting public health care systems and academic medical centers. Harris Health is a public health system in the third most populous county in the United States and a hospital district under Texas Law. It owns and operates two hospitals (Ben Taub Hospital and Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital) and an extensive network of outpatient facilities. Harris Health is a safety net health care system and academic medical center committed to ensuring the patient care it provides is equitable and equal in value to the care provided by non-safety net providers in the community.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Responds to Texas Public Information Act requests, performs research and prepares briefing to the Attorney General of Texas.

• Represents Harris Health in legal matters relevant to the health care industry by reviewing proposed issues and transactions for compliance with applicable laws and regulations; drafts, reviews, revises, and negotiates complex contractual arrangements.

• Advises Harris Health on legal issues involving clinical, regulatory and operational aspects of health care delivery, including but not limited to regulatory and accrediting body compliance; information privacy; patient care issues, such as informed consent and other clinical and operational matters including advance directives, end of life care, EMTALA, and health care providers scope of practice, medical staff bylaws, and credentialing.

• Performs other related duties as assigned, including but not limited to:

• Assists in litigation matters, including employment related matters, health care liability claims, constitutional claims, personal injury claims, breach of contract, and all actions brought in State and Federal Court.

• Serves as legal representative for various Harris Health committees, operational committees and work groups.

• Reviews, revises, and assists in the development of Harris Health institutional policies and departmental procedures.

• Researches, develops, and delivers clear and concise legal advice for a variety of legal matters impacting Harris Health, involving interpretation of federal or state statutes, regulations, and case law.

• Serves as after hours on call counsel for clinical and operational matters for Harris Health facilities.

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.

Education and Experience:

• 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.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Excellent research, writing, and drafting skills.

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

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

• Knowledge of policy development and review for compliance with local, state, and federal law.

• Ability to perform thorough legal and factual analyses and exercise good judgment.

• Occasional ability to work extended hours to accommodate caseload demands.

• Ability to comply with office policies and training requirements.

• Ability to organize and prioritize assignments to meet deadlines.

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

• A minimum of two (2) years of experience practicing law preferred.

• Preference will be given to candidates with demonstrated health law 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 - 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.

Application Deadline:

• This posting will remain open until the position is filled by a suitable candidate.

• We value diverse experiences and perspectives and encourage all qualified individuals to apply.

• Due to the high volume of applications received, we will directly contact candidates selected for interview.

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

Are you an active member in good standing of the Texas State Bar?

• Yes

• No

03

Do you have proficiency with technology and legal tools such as Microsoft Office 365, Westlaw, and PDF software?

• Yes

• No

04

Do you have a minimum of two (2) years of experience practicing law?

• Yes

• No

05

Do you have demonstrated health law experience?

• Yes

• No

06

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

07

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