Legal Counsel (Legal Counsel III)

Closing Date: 4th December, 2023

Description:

The work we do matters!
Hiring Agency:
Education - Agency 13

Location:
Lincoln Job Posting

Hiring Rate:
$50.24

Classification Salary Range:
$47.08 - $68.58

Job Posting:
JR2023-00001427 Legal Counsel (Legal Counsel III) (Open)

Applications No Longer Accepted On (If no date is displayed, job is posted as open until closed):
12-04-2023

Job Description:
Are you a lawyer looking to make a difference in schools and communities across Nebraska? We have a Legal Counsel opening at the Nebraska Department of Education! This position will provide legal assistance, opinions, and risk mitigation to support lifelong learning.

The team is looking for candidates with high integrity, analytical skills and attention to detail, critical thinking, and negotiation skills. There's an opportunity to learn new things every day! The team works hard but also takes a step back to have fun, and they have a great sense of humor!

Office Location & Schedule: This position is assigned to our office located at 84th & O St, Lincoln, NE.

Pay Range:

• Step 1: $97,918.97/year
• Step 2: $99,877.34/year
• Step 3: $101,874.89/year
• Step 4: $103,912.39/year
• Step 5: $105,990.64/year

This range is based upon available budget funds. The selected candidate's skills, abilities, education, and experience will determine the salary offer within this posted range.

Teammates Enjoy
In addition to being part of meaningful work and making a difference through public service, our Total Compensation package includes an approximate $34,500 - $36,300 in additional Benefits value! See full benefits information at https://statejobs.nebraska.gov/index.html#benefits

• Competitive benefits, paid time off, and retirement
• 79% employer-paid health insurance, dental, vision, long and short-term disability, flex spending and health savings accounts, employee discount program, and more!
• Generous vacation and sick leave earnings each year (starting at 12 days each!), plus a variety of other leave types
• 156% state-matched retirement (yes, that's $1.56 for every dollar!) with a guaranteed 5% return
• Thirteen paid holidays per year

Essential Functions:

• Prepares, coordinates, and reviews contracts and other agreements.
• Prepares correspondence and legal opinions for NDE programs.
• Receives to public records requests, analyzes documents and reviews protected considerations, and responds with appropriate information within legal guidelines.
• Prepares public comments to proposed changes in federal law or policy, and other Nebraska guidance, policy, and interpretation of existing Nebraska law.
• Coordinates the Nebraska dispute resolution process, and answers inquiries about the process.
• Collaborates to ensure appropriate advice, information, interpretations, and recommendations are provided in regard to implementation of education laws.
• Administers legal responsibilities related to issuance of certificates and permits by the Commissioner of Education, handling investigations, prosecution, and administrative hearings.
• Researches, interprets, and applies court decisions, statutes, regulations, and other sources of information.
• Reviews and assists with continuous improvement of internal legal processes to increase service provided to the agency and stakeholders.
• Demonstrates commitment to valuing diversity and contributing to an inclusive working and learning environment.
• Working Conditions and Travel:
• This position requires approximately 85% of work time spent in an office environment (e.g., state offices, home offices); the remainder is spent traveling or working in alternative sites such as off-site meetings, conferences, and hearings. There are also approximately five days of overnight travel per year.

Qualifications/Requirements:
At least three years of experience specific to administrative law in Nebraska, and experience handling administrative hearings or court trials and familiarity with education law.

This position is federally funded and may be governed by the Federal Hatch Act. Click here (https://osc.gov/services/pages/hatchact-statelocal.aspx) to review the Act.


Equal Opportunity Statement:
The State of Nebraska values our teammates as well as a supportive environment that strives to promote diversity, inclusion, and belonging. We recruit, hire, train, and promote in all job classifications and at all levels without regard to race, color, religion, sex. age, national origin, disability, marital status or genetics.

Current employees of the State of Nebraska should NOT apply on this external career. Instead go to Workday and access the Jobs Hub - Internal Apply app from your home landing page.

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