Closing Date: 8th May, 2024
Description:
Job Duties:About Us:
A Government Entity advocates and educates to secure for Ohioans affordable, reliable, and equitable residential utility services that are essential to their well-being.
A Government Entity, the State's voice for millions of Ohio residential utility consumers, seeks an employee with a passion for public service to serve as Legal Director. This position is an opportunity to work for an agency with a Mission to help consumers', including at-risk and low-income Ohioans, regarding the affordability, reliability and equitableness of their electric, natural gas, telephone, and water utility services. Since the legislature created the agency in 1976, we have sought lower utility bills and reliable utility services for residential consumers. At OCC, we put Consumers First.
The successful candidate will serve as Director of the Legal Department for the Consumers' Counsel and perform the following duties (among others):
- Provide legal advice and recommendations to the Consumers' Counsel and the Consumers' Counsel Governing Board concerning complex legal and policy issues associated with the utility industry, including recommendations for utility consumers.
- Provide testimony to the legislature and utility regulatory bodies when requested; supervise the agency's litigation and negotiations in utility cases affecting Ohio consumers.
- Manage legal staff consisting of attorneys, case team administrative staff and interns. Assign legal staff to cases, review work product for compliance with the agency's mission, policies, values, and vision.
- Provides general mentoring, including professional development and training for legal staff.
- Provides general mentoring, including professional development and training for legal staff.
- Represent residential utility consumers in highly complex public utility proceedings before a variety of state and federal agencies and courts.
- Develop policies and procedures with respect to regulatory issues.
- Assist in preparation of proposals for, and selection of, consultants.
- Advise the Consumers' Counsel regarding appeals to the Ohio Supreme Court. Responsible for ensuring that the agency's written work in appeals in the Ohio Supreme Court is following the Court's Rules of Practice.
- Interacts with other public agencies and entities including the PUCO, FCC, DOE, FERC, Ohio Attorney General's Office, local governments and state and federal legislatures and other consumer advocacy organizations.
Qualifications:
License to practice law in the State of Ohio. A minimum of five years of experience in managing legal professionals. A minimum of five years or equivalent experience in public utility regulation, with a working knowledge of utility regulation and utility consumer issues is required. Applicants should demonstrate excellence in oral and written communications, including persuasive writing and making technical issues understandable. Familiarity with word processing programs, online research and other technology used in legal advocacy is expected. Applicants should have a willingness to work more than 40 hours per week, as needed for consumer advocacy, and a commitment to public service.