Salary : $94,702.40 – $146,952.00 Annually
Location : Salem, OR
Job Type: Full-time Regular
Job Number: 603-2023-1
Department: Legal Counsel
Opening Date: 06/30/2023
Closing Date: 7/14/2023 11:59 PM Pacific
FLSA: Exempt
Bargaining Unit: 13
This recruitment has been reopened for additional applicants. If you have already applied for recruitment #603-2023-1, you do not need to reapply.
Marion County’s office of legal counsel is looking to fill a Senior Assistant Legal Counsel position. Marion County will consider candidates meeting the Assistant Legal Counsel or Senior Assistant Legal Counsel classification requirements. The level at which the successful candidate is hired will be determined by the hiring manager.Salary:
Assistant Legal Counsel: $7,891.87 – $10,582.00 Monthly
Senior Assistant Legal Counsel: $9,143.33 – $12,246.00 Monthly
GENERAL STATEMENT OF DUTIES
Assists Marion County Legal Counsel in providing legal advice and representation to the Board of Commissioners, elected county officials and county departments. Performs other duties as required.
SUPERVISION RECEIVED
Works under the general supervision of the Marion County Legal Counsel, who reviews work for effectiveness and conformance to policy.
SUPERVISION EXERCISED
Supervision of other employees is not a responsibility of positions in this class. Provides lead direction to attorneys, paralegals and other staff assigned to assist with caseload
Typical Duties – Duties include, but are not limited to the following
Assistant Legal Counsel acts as legal counsel to Marion County departments and undertakes civil litigation and counsel to county departments. One hundred percent of this position’s time is devoted to being a lawyer and legal counselor. The job functions may include the following:
- Provides legal advice to department managers, the Board of Commissioners, and county employees. This includes telephone conferences, electronic mail, office visits, meetings, on-site visits, written opinions, seminars and training sessions. Primary areas of responsibility will vary but include response to subpoenas, public records and/or Human Resource advice work.
- Undertakes research and drafts legal documents such as memoranda, legal opinions, complaints, answers, options, interrogatories, orders, pretrial orders, settlement releases, jury instructions, contracts, deeds, Board of Commissioners orders and resolutions, and others.
- Prosecutes and defends various actions in administrative hearings, state courts, and federal district court. The primary areas of litigation responsibility may include administrative hearings and circuit court litigation. Other areas of litigation may include subpoenas relating to confidential or exempt information, contract violations, and arbitration. This requires court appearances, witness preparation, legal research, viewing the scene of the incident, and dealing with opposing counsel and parties by telephone, electronic mail, letter and conference.
- Responds to various inquiries from citizens and other governmental agencies. Responds to the citizen and/or assists the agency in responding to questions or issues raised.
Requirements for the Position
EXPERIENCE AND TRAINING REQUIREMENTS FOR ASSISTANT LEGAL COUNSEL
- Graduation from an accredited school of law; AND
- One (1) year of experience practicing law, with emphasis in civil law preferably with experience in municipal government.
- Must be a member in good standing of the Oregon State Bar prior to the time of appointment.
Additional requirement for Senior Assistant Legal Counsel:
- In addition to the education and training requirements listed above, the Senior Assistant Legal Counsel must have at least four additional years of experience practicing law, with emphasis in civil law, preferably with experience in municipal government.
PREFERENCES
- Preference will be awarded to applicants with litigation experience.
SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS
- Must possess a current driver’s license in the applicant’s state of residence and an acceptable driving history. Marion County will obtain a copy of the driving record for all qualified applicants from Driver and Motor Vehicle Services and review the driving record according to the Marion County policy and procedure for Driving on County Business. The policy can be found at:
- This assignment is not represented by a union.
- This is a full-time position, which is not eligible for overtime.
- Typical Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., with flexibility depending upon the needs of the department and program.
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITY
Thorough knowledge of state and federal civil practice and procedures; municipal law; local government and administrative civil practices; public labor and employment law; public meeting and records laws; public contracting laws; confidentiality laws; and legal terminology.
Ability to analyze facts, evidence and precedents to arrive at logical conclusions; set forth facts, legal argument, opinions and decisions in concise written form; understand a wide range of legal knowledge; effectively communicate in both oral and written form; effectively appear before a trial court or administrative body; and establish and maintain effective working relationships with the public courts, co-workers, and other agencies.
Skill in courtroom presentation; drafting legal documents; interpreting statutes as related to municipal governments; conducting legal research; time management; organization; and operating a computer to input, retrieve, and access information.
PUBLIC SERVICE LOAN FORGIVENESS
Marion County is a qualifying public employer for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. Through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, full-time employees working at the County may qualify for forgiveness of the remaining balance on Direct Loans after 120 qualifying monthly payments under a qualifying repayment plan. Questions about your loan eligibility should be directed to your loan servicer or the US Department of Education.
VETERANS’ PREFERENCE
Applicants are eligible to use Veterans’ Preference when applying with Marion County in accordance with ORS 408.225, 408.230, and 408.235 and OAR 105-040-0010 and 105-040-0015. Preference will be awarded only if the applicant meets the minimum requirements of the position and attaches the required documentation at the time of application.
DOCUMENTS REQUIRED FOR VETERANS’ PREFERENCE
- One of the following:
- MEMBER COPY 4 of the Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty (DD Form 214 or 215); OR
- Letter from the US Department of Veterans Affairs indicating receipt of a non-service connected pension; OR
- Certification that discharge or release from active duty under honorable conditions will take place not later than 120 days after the submission of the certificate.
- In addition to one of the above documents, Disabled Veterans must also submit one of the following:
- A copy of their Veterans disability preference letter from the Department of Veterans Affairs; OR
- Certification that medical separation from active duty under honorable conditions will take place not later than 120 days after the submission of the certificate.
You can request copies of your military service record through the National Archives website at
Marion County is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action, Veteran and Disability employer committed to increasing the diversity of its workforce.
Marion County offers a generous benefits package to regular employees working 50% or more of the regularly scheduled work week and their eligible dependents. Temporary employees and part-time regular employees working less than 50% of the regularly scheduled work week are not eligible for benefits.
For a summary of benefits, For a complete and detailed overview of the benefits package for management and supervisory employees, , and select Unrepresented Benefits from the left menu or Unrepresented Employees from the page links.
Benefits are defined based on position and are approved by the Marion County Board of Commissioners.
01
Are you a member in good standing of the Oregon State Bar?
- Yes
- No
Required Question