General Counsel

Closing Date: 29th May, 2026

Description:

Job Description:
The Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) is dedicated to strengthening New York City's vibrant cultural life by providing funding and support to New York City's cultural community, including the 39 institutions that comprise the Cultural Institutions Group (CIG) and more than 1,100 non-profit cultural organizations that receive regular annual support. DCLA also manages a significant portfolio of cultural capital projects; provides free donated materials and supplies for arts programs and arts educators through its Materials for the Arts program; provides capacity building and technical assistance support to cultural groups; and commissions works of permanent public art through the City's Public Art Program. This constituency represents a diverse array of organizations - including performing arts groups, museums, theaters, zoos, botanical gardens, visual arts and film centers, community-based organizations, and arts education programs – that are central to the life of communities in every corner of New York City.

The Counsel's Office is involved in all aspects of the agency's operations ranging from the negotiation of funding and operating agreements with major cultural institutions to internal matters such as potential conflicts of interest. The Counsel's Office also monitors legal issues and matters of public policy relevant to the non-profit sector and the cultural community.

The General Counsel performs a broad scope of duties to advise the agency and lead the Counsel's Office in all aspects of its practice. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Provide legal support for agency-wide activities, programs, initiatives, policies, transactions and business operations;
• Draft and negotiate legal agreements related to City-funded projects, agency programs and initiatives, including grants, contracts, funding agreements, licenses, agreements governing occupancy of City owned property, and agreements relating to real property, equipment purchases, construction, and capital projects;
• Under executive direction, with wide latitude for the exercise of independent initiative and decision, serve as legal advisor to the agency head, management, and staff in all business units;
• Provide legal counsel on a wide range of legal issues, including in the areas of contracts, non-profit law and governance, real property, legislation, construction and capital projects, intellectual property, art law, labor and employment, equal employment opportunity, ethics, free speech and censorship;
• Conflicts of Interest Board (COIB), freedom of information law (FOIL), and cultural policy;
• Assist with oversight of City-owned cultural facilities with respect to compliance with City agreements and policies;
• Advise constituent cultural organizations on city rules, policies, and legal terms applicable to DCLA grants and contracts;
• Interface with cultural and community organizations in need of technical assistance and render policy recommendations in response to their issues;
• Oversee the agency's response to requests for records pursuant to city, state and federal regulations and FOIL;
• Serve as the agency's lead liaison to the City's Law Department and other City agencies to solicit guidance, advocate on behalf of the agency, and coordinate on litigation and review of various legal and regulatory matters;
• Advise on, and work with City colleagues to draft and/or negotiate, proposed legislation and research legal issues of interest to the agency and the non-profit cultural field;
• Work with staff to ensure agency compliance with legal and regulatory requirements and requests, such as those involving Department of Investigation, Conflicts of Interest Board or Law Department;
• Represent the Counsel's Office and the agency in meetings internally, with City colleagues, and constituents; Supervise, manage, and direct the staff of the Counsel's Office in a collaborative work environment; Serve as agency labor management liaison with Director of Human Resources;
• Lead all aspects of the Counsel's Office practice, which include project management and responding to inquiries from the agency's constituent organizations and the general public;
• Keep apprised of legal developments and relevant practice areas, and communicate highly technical legal guidance and information with clarity and skill;
• To the extent possible and relevant to skill set, lead the agency's public-facing initiative around diversity, equity, inclusion, and access; and
• Represent the interests of the agency and the City.

Executive Agency Counsel - 95005

Minimum Qualifications:
Admission to the New York State Bar; and four years of recent full-time responsible, relevant, satisfactory legal experience subsequent to admission to any bar, eighteen months of which must have been in the supervision of other attorneys, in an administrative, managerial or executive capacity, or performing highly complex and significant legal work.

Incumbents must remain Members of the New York State Bar in good standing for the duration of this employment.

Preferred Skills:

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