Closing Date: 19th September, 2025
Description:
Description of Work:Are you looking to find meaningful work and positively impact the lives of the residents of North Carolina? If your answer is yes, then we want you to join our team at the Public Staff and make a difference.
The NC Department of Commerce, Public Staff is looking for a staff Attorney. This position is assigned to the Legal Section of the Public Staff.
This is a full-time position (40 hours per week) with State Benefits, including health insurance, as well as retirement.
Salary Grade: LG09*
Recruitment Range: $92,917.00 - $136.000.00
This is an anticipated vacancy
The primary purpose of the Staff Attorney position is to provide legal advice and representation to the Executive Director, members of the Public Staff, and the using and consuming public in matters involving the rates and service of electric utilities, natural gas utilities, water and sewer utilities, communications service providers, ferry operators, and movers of household goods. Cases range in significance and complexity from rate increases for small water and sewer utilities serving as few as 15 residences to major electric and natural gas utility rate cases and corporate mergers involving millions of customers and hundreds of millions and sometimes billions of dollars. The job opening is for an attorney to work on matters involving the provision of natural gas, water, sewer, telecommunications, ferry, and intrastate household moving utility service in the Gas/Water/Sewer/Telecom/Transportation Section of the Legal Division. However, the attorney may be assigned to matters involving other types of utility service.
Within the Public Staff, the primary purpose of the Legal Division is:
Incentives of NC State Employment
We value our employees and offer a wide variety of competitive and family-friendly benefits. Benefits to include:
Learn more about new hire resources, safety, health, and wellness information, leave options, employee discounts and more by selecting the link below:
https://oshr.nc.gov/state-employee-resources/benefits
Note to Current State Employees:
The salary grade for this position is LG09, State employees are encouraged to apply for positions of interest even if the salary grade is the same as, or lower than, their current position. If selected for this position, a new salary will be recalculated taking into consideration the quantity of relevant education and experience, funding availability, and internal equity. Based upon those factors, a pay increase MAY result.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities / Competencies:
NC Department of Commerce uses the Merit-Based Recruitment and Selection Plan to fill positions subject to the State Human Resources Act with the most qualified individuals.
The Minimum Education and Experience (E&E) is REQUIRED to qualify for this position. All work history and education (including accurate dates of employment/attendance) must be documented on the application. Transcripts may be attached to supplement education and work experience may include internships, volunteerism, and full and part-time work. Supplemental Questions are also a required part of the application: answers must reference education or work experience listed on the application.
"Resumes may be attached as a supplement to the application but are not a substitution for a complete application."
Management Preferences - Optional: These skills are not required but managers may choose to interview/select applicants who demonstrate Management Preferences.
Utility Regulation
Recruitment Range: $92,917.00 - $136.000.00
This is an anticipated vacancy
The primary purpose of the Staff Attorney position is to provide legal advice and representation to the Executive Director, members of the Public Staff, and the using and consuming public in matters involving the rates and service of electric utilities, natural gas utilities, water and sewer utilities, communications service providers, ferry operators, and movers of household goods. Cases range in significance and complexity from rate increases for small water and sewer utilities serving as few as 15 residences to major electric and natural gas utility rate cases and corporate mergers involving millions of customers and hundreds of millions and sometimes billions of dollars. The job opening is for an attorney to work on matters involving the provision of natural gas, water, sewer, telecommunications, ferry, and intrastate household moving utility service in the Gas/Water/Sewer/Telecom/Transportation Section of the Legal Division. However, the attorney may be assigned to matters involving other types of utility service.
Within the Public Staff, the primary purpose of the Legal Division is:
- to provide legal representation of the Public Staff and the using and consuming public in formal proceedings before the Utilities Commission, appellate courts, and federal regulatory agencies,
- to provide legal and policy advice on issues related to public utility regulation to the Executive Director and other members of the Public Staff and, upon request, members of the General Assembly, other governmental bodies, the general public, and entities that provide public utility service in North Carolina.
Incentives of NC State Employment
We value our employees and offer a wide variety of competitive and family-friendly benefits. Benefits to include:
- 12 Annual Paid Holidays and monthly accrual of vacation and sick leave
- North Carolina State Health Plan administered by Aetna
- Supplemental Benefits including Flexible Spending Accounts, Accident Insurance, Cancer & Specified Disease, Critical Illness, Dental, and Vision
- NC State Retirement (TSERS), 401(k), and 457 savings plans
- WeSave Employee Discounts
- Eligibility for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (http://www.studentaid.gov/)
Learn more about new hire resources, safety, health, and wellness information, leave options, employee discounts and more by selecting the link below:
https://oshr.nc.gov/state-employee-resources/benefits
Note to Current State Employees:
The salary grade for this position is LG09, State employees are encouraged to apply for positions of interest even if the salary grade is the same as, or lower than, their current position. If selected for this position, a new salary will be recalculated taking into consideration the quantity of relevant education and experience, funding availability, and internal equity. Based upon those factors, a pay increase MAY result.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities / Competencies:
NC Department of Commerce uses the Merit-Based Recruitment and Selection Plan to fill positions subject to the State Human Resources Act with the most qualified individuals.
The Minimum Education and Experience (E&E) is REQUIRED to qualify for this position. All work history and education (including accurate dates of employment/attendance) must be documented on the application. Transcripts may be attached to supplement education and work experience may include internships, volunteerism, and full and part-time work. Supplemental Questions are also a required part of the application: answers must reference education or work experience listed on the application.
"Resumes may be attached as a supplement to the application but are not a substitution for a complete application."
Management Preferences - Optional: These skills are not required but managers may choose to interview/select applicants who demonstrate Management Preferences.
Utility Regulation
Knowledge or experience that will enable a rapid understanding of case, statutory, regulatory, and common law and policy governing the regulation of public utilities in North Carolina and the role of the Public Staff in the regulatory process.
Research and Analytical Skills
The ability to gather and synthesize relevant information, recognize legal and policy implications, and recommend appropriate solutions and courses of action.
The ability to gather and synthesize relevant information, recognize legal and policy implications, and recommend appropriate solutions and courses of action.
Litigation skills
Knowledge or experience that will enable rapid development of litigation skills, including the ability to identify legaland factual issues, develop legal positions and strategies, deliver oral arguments, conduct discovery, and present and cross-examine expert witnesses in cases before the Utilities Commission.
Knowledge or experience that will enable rapid development of appellate advocacy skills, including the ability to prepare persuasive briefs, and present effective oral argument in novel and complex cases.
Communication skills
The ability to express legal concepts and related facts in a clear, concise, and persuasive manner both orally and inwriting to draft statutes and rules dealing with utility regulation and energy related issues, and to make public presentations.
Minimum Education and Experience Requirements:
Applicants Must Meet the Educational and Experience Requirement in Order to Qualify for This Position.
Some State Job Postings Say You Can Qualify by An “equivalent Combination of Education and Experience”. if That Language Appears Below, Then You May Qualify Through Either Years of Education or Years of Directly Related Experience or A Combination of Both. See Oshr.Nc.Gov/experience-Guide for Details.
Licensed to Practice Law by The North Carolina State Bar and Four Years of Progressively Responsible Professional Legal Experience.
Knowledge or experience that will enable rapid development of litigation skills, including the ability to identify legaland factual issues, develop legal positions and strategies, deliver oral arguments, conduct discovery, and present and cross-examine expert witnesses in cases before the Utilities Commission.
Knowledge or experience that will enable rapid development of appellate advocacy skills, including the ability to prepare persuasive briefs, and present effective oral argument in novel and complex cases.
Communication skills
The ability to express legal concepts and related facts in a clear, concise, and persuasive manner both orally and inwriting to draft statutes and rules dealing with utility regulation and energy related issues, and to make public presentations.
Minimum Education and Experience Requirements:
Applicants Must Meet the Educational and Experience Requirement in Order to Qualify for This Position.
Some State Job Postings Say You Can Qualify by An “equivalent Combination of Education and Experience”. if That Language Appears Below, Then You May Qualify Through Either Years of Education or Years of Directly Related Experience or A Combination of Both. See Oshr.Nc.Gov/experience-Guide for Details.
Licensed to Practice Law by The North Carolina State Bar and Four Years of Progressively Responsible Professional Legal Experience.
