Staff Counsel (Hybrid)

Closing Date: 21st October, 2025

Description:

Department of Industrial Relations, Office of the Director—Legal Unit.

Under the direction of the Chief Counsel of the Office of the Director Legal Unit (OD--Legal), and the Assistant Chief Counsels, Attorneys represent the Director of the Department of Industrial Relations, the Department, and division chiefs and managers in a wide and interesting variety of subject areas that are within the responsibility and jurisdiction of the Department. Attorneys are expected to independently handle a caseload, to have solid lawyering skills, and to have some level of subject matter expertise in one or more areas of the Department's responsibility.

Duties May Include But Are Not Limited To:

• Representing the Director of DIR in workers' compensation cases involving special funds administered by the Director;
• Representing the Department, Director, or one of DIR's divisions in civil and writ litigation, including litigation involving constitutional issues;
• Representing the Department in internal personnel matters;
• Analyzing requests for public works coverage determinations and drafting proposed decisions for the Director's review;
• Providing counsel on apprenticeship matters;
• Analyzing and drafting recommended decisions in appeals from retaliation complaint investigations;
• Providing analysis and advice concerning Public Records Act requests;
• Analyzing and drafting proposed legislation;
• Providing legal services with respect to contract matters involving the Department;
• Drafting proposed regulations; and
• Providing legal services on a wide variety of other issues that may arise in the operation of the Department.

This posting may be used to fill future vacancies in accordance with 2 CCR 249.3

To be considered for this Attorney job opportunity, applicants must be either reachable on an employment list, have transfer eligibility or have reinstatement eligibility. To take the exam and gain employment list eligibility, please click here to access the exam bulletin: https://calcareers.ca.gov/CalHrPublic/Exams/ExamBulletin.aspx?ExamControlId=1579

Effective July 1, 2025, specific Bargaining Units and associated Excluded State employees are subject to a salary reduction between 2% - 4.62% in exchange for hours in the Personal Leave Program 2025 (PLP 2025) per month. For more details, please click here to visit the California Department of Human Resources (CalHR) website.

You will find additional information about the job in the Duty Statement.

Working Conditions:
This is a full-time position in an office environment on the 18th floor of a 45-story private office building located at 355 S. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, California. Employees in this position work in an office at desks, and are required to work extensively on computers as necessary for the drafting of letters, briefs and other documents, and for research, email communication, file review, training and other purposes. Attorneys are expected to handle their own word processing, and secretarial support is generally limited to the finalization and filing process. This position requires in-state travel, either locally within Southern California, or for one to two-day overnight trips within California, based on assignments, and as determined according to the needs of the Department.

Central location with easy access to public transportation, bike parking, cultural institutions, eclectic dining, and fitness centers. Subsidized commuter transportation passes.

Minimum Requirements:
You will find the Minimum Requirements in the Class Specification.
Attorney
Job Application Package Checklist
Duty Statement

Department Information:
The Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) was established in 1927. Its mission is to improve working conditions for California's wage earners and to advance opportunities for profitable employment in California. DIR administers and enforces laws governing wages, workplace safety and health, apprenticeship training programs, and medical care and other benefits for injured workers.

Electronic Submission of Applications preferred. Application Packages maybe submitted electronically through your CalCareer Account at https://jobs.ca.gov/ Applications must be received electronically by 11:59 p.m. on or before the above final filing date.

Please only submit ONE application. Electronic applications submitted through your CalCareer Account are highly recommended and will be received/processed faster than other methods of filing.

If you are unable to apply electronically through your CalCareer account, please mail a completed and signed State Examination/Employment Application STD Form 678 and application package to the mailing address provided in the “Application Instructions” section below and ensure the following:

• Clearly indicate the Job Code #, Position Number and the Title of this position in the “Examination or Job Title(s) For Which You Are Applying” section located on the first page of your State Examination/Employment Application STD Form 678.
• Clearly indicate the basis of your eligibility (cert, transfer, reinstatement, etc.) in the “Explanations” section located on the first page of your State Examination/Employment Application STD Form 678.
• Remove and do not submit the “Equal Employment Opportunity” questionnaire (page 5) with your completed State Examination/Employment Application STD Form 678. This page is for examination use only.
• Do not include your full Social Security Number on your documents and/or do not provide any LEAP information.

Department Website: https://www.dir.ca.gov/

Special Requirements:
Must be a member of the California Bar and qualified to practice law in California.

Application Instructions:
Completed applications and all required documents must be received or postmarked by the Final Filing Date in order to be considered. Dates printed on Mobile Bar Codes, such as the Quick Response (QR) Codes available at the USPS, are not considered Postmark dates for the purpose of determining timely filing of an application.
Individuals who are currently in the classification, eligible for lateral transfer, eligible for reinstatement, have list or LEAP eligibility, are in the process of obtaining list eligibility, or have SROA and/or Surplus eligibility (please attach your letter, if available). SROA and Surplus candidates are given priority; therefore, individuals with other eligibility may be considered in the event no SROA or Surplus candidates apply.

Applications will be screened and only the most qualified applicants will be selected to move forward in the selection process. Applicants must meet the Minimum Qualifications stated in the Classification Specification(s).

How to Apply:
Complete Application Packages (including your Examination/Employment Application (STD 678) and applicable or required documents) must be submitted to apply for this Job Posting. Application Packages may be submitted electronically through your CalCareer Account at www.CalCareers.ca.gov. When submitting your application in hard copy, a completed copy of the Application Package listing must be included. If you choose to not apply electronically, a hard copy application package may be submitted through an alternative method listed below:
You may submit your application and any applicable or required documents to:
Department of Industrial Relations
Cert Mailing Address Sacramento
Attn: Certifications Unit
2180 Harvard Street Suite 160
Sacramento, CA 95815
You may drop off your application and any applicable or required documents at:
Department of Industrial Relations
Cert Drop Off Address Sacramento
2180 Harvard Street Suite 160
Sacramento, CA 95815
08:00 AM - 04:00 PM
The following items are required to be submitted with your application. Applicants who do not submit the required items timely may not be considered for this job:

• Current version of the State Examination/Employment Application STD Form 678 (when not applying electronically), or the Electronic State Employment Application through your Applicant Account at www.CalCareers.ca.gov. All Experience and Education relating to the Minimum Qualifications listed on the Classification Specification should be included to demonstrate how you meet the Minimum Qualifications for the position.
• Resume is optional. It may be included, but is not required.
• Other - Legal Writing Sample: Please submit a legal writing sample of no more than 10 pages written preferably within the past three years. The date the writing sample was written must appear on the document submitted.

Applicants requiring reasonable accommodations for the hiring interview process must request the necessary accommodations if scheduled for a hiring interview. The request should be made at the time of contact to schedule the interview. Questions regarding reasonable accommodations may be directed to the EEO contact listed on this job posting.

Desirable Qualifications:
In addition to evaluating each candidate's relative ability, as demons

---