Description:

Develop your skills with a dynamic team of legal professionals at TDI. With $212.4 billion in premiums in 2021, Texas is the nation's second largest insurance market and the seventh largest in the world. The Office of Policy Development Counsel in the General Counsel Division is hiring an attorney to support TDI in areas such as health market regulation, homeowners and auto policies, and insurance rates. You will be at the forefront of insurance regulation and have the chance to shape policies and regulations that impact the daily lives of Texans.

This position performs entry-level to routine (journey-level) legal work with a supportive and diverse team of professionals. The position collaborates with other departments within the agency to develop and review policies, regulations, and procedures, ensuring they align with legal requirements.

Work includes interpreting laws and regulations, preparing legal documents, collaborating with subject matter experts, and providing legal advice to agency staff on matters involving insurance regulation and administrative law. Work also includes staying up to date on legislative changes that may impact the agency's operations, providing guidance on necessary adjustments. Works under moderate supervision with limited latitude for the use of initiative and independent judgment.

The General Counsel Division provides training and a positive, collaborative work culture. An ideal candidate will have excellent legal research and writing skills, the ability to interpret state and federal laws and apply them to novel legal problems, and the ability to draft thorough and plain language legal documents. The ideal candidate will show a willingness and ability to take on new challenges and subject matter. The candidate will be detail-oriented and an excellent communicator, with good collaboration skills and judgment in the analysis of legal risks.

This position:

Researches, interprets, and applies agency regulations and state and federal laws to complex legal issues.
Drafts legal opinions and memoranda on regulatory matters.
Researches, analyzes, and drafts administrative rules and orders.
Leads cross-functional teams to complete administrative rules and other projects.
Coordinates and participates in administrative and regulatory hearings.
Researches, drafts, and collaborates on drafting bills and amendments as requested by the legislature.
Assists the Office of the Attorney General in preparing cases for litigation.
Responds to inquiries from agency staff, legislators, and the public.
Performs other duties as assigned.

Qualifications:
This position requires:

Graduation from an accredited law school with a Juris Doctor (J.D.) or Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree.
Licensure as an attorney to practice law in Texas.
Member in good standing with the State Bar of Texas.

Additional job details:
This position requires regular work attendance. The position may be eligible for a hybrid work schedule. If eligible, the employee must have a secure, dedicated workspace with reliable broadband internet service. The ideal candidate must be available for weekly meetings and group collaboration via Microsoft Teams and other applications during regular business hours.

Preferences for this position include:
These are a plus, but are not required:

Previous experience as an attorney with a focus on government, administrative, or public law.
Previous experience advising in-house on legal issues or similar environment.
Previous experience drafting rules and legislation.
A resume submitted with the application.
A cover letter submitted with the application.
A writing sample or excerpt of no more than 10 pages, double-spaced, in 12-point font, submitted with the application. The writing sample should not have been authored by anyone other than the applicant.

This position requires demonstrated knowledge of:

Legal principles, practices, and proceedings.
Caseload management techniques, including prioritization, decision-making, and collaboration with internal clients and management.
State and federal laws, regulations, legislative processes, and legal precedents.
Legal research, analysis, and drafting techniques.

This position requires demonstrated skill in:

Problem solving and critical thinking.
Using Microsoft Office software applications, including Word, Excel, Outlook, and SharePoint.
Using personal computers sufficient to enter and extract data from related systems and programs such as Centralized Accounting Payroll and Personnel (CAPPS) and other systems required to perform the job.
Planning, decision-making, and problem-solving.
Effective oral and verbal communication.
Legal research, writing, and analysis, including plain English legal writing.
Reasoning and logic to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Identifying and solving complex problems.
Planning and organizing a moderate workload.
Using good judgment to analyze legal problems and identify courses of action.

This position requires the demonstrated ability to:

Communicate and work effectively with a wide range of people with varied skills, knowledge, and backgrounds.
Maintain the confidentiality of sensitive information.
Analyze and solve work-related problems and work independently on a variety of administrative work and technical assignments.
Manage and coordinate multiple tasks and priorities to meet necessary deadlines.
Work both independently and as a team player.
Apply critical thinking skills to novel and complex legal questions to identify solutions and evaluate risk.
Establish and maintain effective working relationships with both internal and external customers.
Identify and analyze legal problems, and prepare sound, clear opinions, and briefs.
Research legal issues efficiently.
Summarize research findings clearly and effectively.
Interpret laws and regulations affecting the agency.
Express comments and legal opinions clearly and persuasively.
Use electronic and hard-copy legal reference materials.
Explain legal concepts to lay persons.
Organize and manage multiple priorities.
Respond to dynamic situations on an as-needed and case-by-case basis.
Use or learn to use agency technology tools, databases, and tracking systems.