Senior Attorney (WT: Assistant General Counsel)

Closing Date: 4th March, 2026

Description:

*Open Competitive Advertisement*
To be considered for this position, applicant responses to qualifying questions must be clearly stated within the employment history. Software systems, actual work experience, and years of employment must be clearly defined, or the application may not be considered for the position.

Contact Person: Tammie Gibbs, (850)617-3147, TammieGibbs@flhsmv.gov

The Organization:
The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) provides highway safety and security through excellence in service, education, and enforcement. With a workforce of approximately 4,500 employees throughout the state, the Department is leading the way to A Safer Florida through the efficient and professional execution of its core mission: the issuance of driver licenses, vehicle tags and titles, and operation of the Florida Highway Patrol.

Our Benefits Include:

• Paid Parental Leave
• Annual and Sick Leave Package
• Nine Paid Holidays
• State Health and Life Insurance
• Educational Benefits
• Contributory Retirement Plan

To learn more about FLHSMV and why it's a great place to work, visit our website at: flhsmv.gov/careers.

Duties and Responsibilities:
This position serves as a Troop Legal Advisor to a Troop within the Florida Highway Patrol and Assistant General Counsel to the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. This position provides legal advice and training to FHP members. An ideal candidate will possess criminal litigation experience as a prosecutor, be comfortable in a courtroom setting, and be able to think on their feet. A Troop Legal Advisor (TLA) is required to handle a variety of matters, including prosecution of traffic infraction hearings, civil asset forfeitures, monitor claims litigation, and other administrative hearings as needed. An ideal candidate will have an outgoing personality, should possess excellent interpersonal skills, and will be able to easily relate to other people (especially law enforcement officers). This position includes a training aspect, thus, the ability to communicate effectively with non-lawyers is very important. The ability to self-motivate is important. The ideal candidate will communicate regularly with members of the Office of the General Counsel by video conference and frequent meetings. Overnight travel is required. The candidate will be required to integrate and develop solid working relationships with law enforcement personnel at all levels of the agency, local state attorneys, sheriffs and other local police agencies. This will necessitate conducting ride-alongs, attending sworn personnel training, and some travel within the state. An ideal candidate will also be familiar with and be able to review warrants for probable cause, facilitate the legal aspects of court ordered evidence destruction, and answer questions on a wide range of legal topics. This position touches numerous areas of the law and is rewarding for a person who enjoys working on different matters each day.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Work with a meaningful mission.
• A place to grow your skills and advance your career.
• Competitive medical insurance, life insurance and retirement benefits.
• Generous vacation and sick leave and paid holidays.
• Opportunities for educational assistance.

Preferred Qualifications:

• At least two (2) years of experience as an Assistant State Attorney or Public Defender.
• Supervisory experience of other attorneys.
• Experience creating and delivering legal training.
• Prior law enforcement experience.

Job Related Requirements
The position you are applying is subject to a Level 2 background check, along with Criminal Justice Information System (CJIS) clearance, to include a fingerprint-based check of the criminal records of the FBI, as a condition of employment pursuant to Chapter 110.1127, 435 and 943, Florida Statutes. Please note that, since this position requires CJIS clearance, the Department will have access to all an applicant's criminal and juvenile delinquency records, even those that have been sealed or expunged.

• This position requires the incumbent to have and maintain a valid driver's license in good standing. This means there can be no cancellations, suspensions, or revocations for a minimum of three years prior to employment and for the duration of employment. There can be no more than three chargeable crashes or any violation of Chapter 316, Florida Statutes, during any consecutive three-year period prior to and throughout employment.
• Selected candidate must be an active member of The Florida Bar in good standing.
• Day and overnight travel are required.

General Information:

• The elements of the selection process may include a skill assessment and/or oral interview.
• Applicants being considered for employment will be required to submit to a fingerprint-based background investigation, which will include a check of the criminal history records of the FBI. Fingerprints and associated information/biometrics will be retained in the FBI's Next Generation Identification (NGI) system and fingerprints may continue to be compared against fingerprints submitted to or retained by NGI.
• FLHSMV employees are paid once a month on the last workday of each month. All state employees are required to participate in the direct deposit program pursuant to s. 110.113 Florida Statutes.

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