Closing Date: 1st October, 2025
Description:
Qualifications:Admission to the Florida Bar and ten (10) years of professional experience in the practice of law, in the judiciary or in teaching law or any combination thereof; and five (5) of the ten (10) years must be in the specialty area in which the attorney is being hired
The Work You Will Do: The responsibilities of this position include, but are not limited to the following:
This position requires as a prerequisite to employment a degree of Juris Doctor from an accredited law school and membership in The Florida Bar. The position requires a minimum of ten (10) years in the practice of law. The position further requires expertise in civil trial and appellate litigation.
Prosecute and defend civil litigation on behalf of state agencies and officials in all federal and state trial and appellate courts, as requested and as provided by law. Handle settlement negotiations, pleadings, pre-trial, jury and non-jury trials, post-trial and appellate practice. Exercise a thorough working knowledge of federal and state rules of civil procedure, the federal and state rules of appellate procedure, evidence, and substantive law. Requires the ability to research and work independently and involves travel in and out of state. The Special Counsel will have greater responsibility for the more sensitive and complex cases, including class action lawsuits, which deal with the Governor and Cabinet, legislators, agency heads, prosecutors, public defenders, and judges. These cases frequently have statewide impact and influence the policy direction of state government.
These cases frequently involve emergencies regarding matters of great public importance where response time is minimal and demands are great. The Special Counsel is responsible for cases involving constitutional law, civil rights, torts, employment discrimination, elections, environmental law, etc. This office relies on the experience and leadership of senior-level attorneys to provide guidance to the younger attorneys in the office. Since it can be difficult to draw bright lines separating litigation issues from standard operational issues, all attorneys must be prepared to provide counsel and guidance to agency and official clients on case-related issues and other topics that may be only indirectly related to a specific case but that nevertheless can have an impact on the client's litigation goals.
Research and draft motions, answers, replies, interrogatories, memoranda, briefs, opinions, orders, and other miscellaneous pleadings and documents.
Attend trials, hearings, and appellate oral arguments in court and appear before agency boards and legislative committees. Performs investigations and all aspects of discovery.
Perform routine administrative matters, including coordinating assignments with attorneys, legal secretaries, paralegals, and interns; attending staff meetings; preparing time records, and case status reports; filing documents, etc. Assist and advise entry-level attorneys in all of the aforementioned aspects of the office's practice, and recommend hiring, retention, and promotion when asked. Respond to inquiries from the public.
Maintain current expertise in areas of practice, including reading recent judicial decisions and case summaries and attending continuing legal education and other professional seminars, while contributing to the office's bank of legal briefs, memoranda, forms, and overall base of legal knowledge.
Candidate Profile (application) must be completed in its entirety.
- Include supervisor names and phone numbers for all periods of employment.
- Account for and explain any gaps in employment so that the hiring process is not delayed.
- Experience, education, training, knowledge, skills and/or abilities as well as responses to pre-qualifying questions must be verifiable to meet the minimum qualifications.
- It is unacceptable to use the statement “See Resume” in place of entering work history.
- If you experience problems applying online, please call the People First Service Center at (877) 562-7287.