Description:

A Private, Not-For-Profit Membership Corporation is seeking one (1) qualified candidate to fill the full-time position as Assistant General Counsel to be assigned to the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYC DOHMH). With more than 6,000 employees throughout the five boroughs, NYC DOHMH is one of the largest -- and most highly regarded -- public health agencies in the world, serving 8 million New Yorkers from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds. NYC DOHMH tackles a broad range of public health issues with innovative policies and programs and seeing significant results from our efforts.

The Office of General Counsel (OGC) at the NYC DOHMH works to ensure that the innovative programs and initiatives developed and implemented by the agency are supported by a dedicated legal team comprised of health justice-focused attorneys. In addition, attorneys help to develop the appropriate regulatory / legal avenues for NYC DOHMH policy work. Over the course of the pandemic, OGC's docket has included issuing Commissioner Orders to mandate vaccination (and assisting to defend those mandates when subject to challenge); advising on legal issues related to reopening schools and businesses; protecting data systems; and ensuring vaccine distribution compliance with federal and state laws. As the agency moves forward, NYC DOHMH attorneys work to support an array of initiatives addressing health disparities through targeted initiatives.

The Assistant General Counsel would work within OGC on legal needs arising from the mental health division at the NYC DOHMH, including legal questions, legal analysis of policy and legislative issues, researching case law regarding mental health issues, and drafting contracts and data use agreements.

The successful candidate will have excellent research and writing skills and be highly detail-orientated with the ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects. Current working knowledge of NYC DOHMH procedures, policies and practices and experience in or knowledge in Privacy Issues and other public health matters are a plus.

Responsibilities/Duties:

Serve as a liaison between OGC and the Division of Mental Hygiene on legal matters.
Conduct legal research and draft written analyses as needed, often on time-sensitive basis.
Provide recommendations on questions of law and public health and/or administrative policy.
Draft amendments to the NYC Health Code and Commissioner of Health regulations.
Draft legal documents including Orders of the Commissioner, as well as varied types of agreements, contracts, and/or memoranda of understanding.
Address concerns related to (but not limited to) enforcement of NYC Health Code, Freedom of Information Law requests, privacy issues, and environmental health.
Maintain sensitive and confidential information.
Manage and distribute information accurately and appropriately.
Establish positive working relationships with co-workers and programs.
Perform other additional duties, as needed.

Minimum Qualifications:

Admission to the New York State Bar,
Two (2) years of satisfactory United States legal experience after admission to any state bar; and,
Incumbents must be in good standing for the duration of their employment as a member of the New York State Bar.

Preferred Qualifications:

At least two (2) years of experience with litigation and transactional law
Previous experience using online legal databases such as West Law, CLEAR or Lexis Nexis