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Deputy General Counsel - The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California - Los Angeles, CA - EXPIRED


This is an archive of an expired job.

Job Information:

Company: The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California Logo

The Legal Department of the Metropolitan Water District has openings for a Deputy General Counsel in the General Counsel Office. One is for counsel with expertise in litigation/environmental resource law and California water law; the other for counsel with expertise in public agency law including administrative law, public contracts, environmental and permitting issues and litigation. Both positions require the ability to communicate clearly and succinctly in writing and orally.

For litigation/environmental resources law (1 opening), the ideal candidate will have knowledge and experience in CEQA/NEPA, CWA, ESA litigation, natural resources, and/or California water law and experience with issues including the Law of the Colorado River and the California State Water Project. The ideal candidate will have experience as a first chair litigator of complex matters, experience in negotiation and documentation of complex transactions, and/or experience in representing parties in administrative proceedings at the local, state and/or federal level.

For public agency law (1 opening), the ideal candidate will have knowledge and experience representing public clients in negotiating and drafting or review of a wide range of public contracts; resolution of disputes and litigation; analysis of administrative, public law and governance questions. The position requires the ability to resolve matters involving permits and regulations of other public agencies relating to air, water and employee safety with substantial environmental compliance experience, specifically Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, CERCLA, and/or RCRA on the federal level, and California Hazardous Substance Account Act, California Hazardous Waste Control Act, California Air Resources Board, and/or Porter-Cologne Water Quality Control Act (including NPDES permits, waste discharge requirements, and stormwater) on the state level. The job requires collaboration with internal staff, representatives of other agencies, and outside counsel.

Deputy General Counsel
Positions at this level are fully competent and use judgment in interpreting and adapting guidelines such as policies, legislation, regulations, precedents, and work directions for application to specific cases or problems. The decision regarding what needs to be done depends upon the analysis of the subject, phase, or issues involved in each assignment, and the chosen course of action may have to be selected from many alternatives. The work involves managing and resolving a variety of conventional problems, questions, or situations in conformance with established criteria. The position may require the preparation of analysis or opinions and recommendations for action.

These Attorney positions serve as legal experts for and on behalf of Metropolitan, and are responsible for safeguarding and enhancing Metropolitan’s rights, entitlements, interests, and assets. In general, the Deputy General Counsel should feel comfortable handling litigation in a variety of substantive areas and be willing to learn new matters. The Deputy General Counsel needs to work well with others, both internally and externally, and be comfortable working as part of a team. May act as a lead managing, coordinating and reviewing work assignments of employees and outside counsel performing the same general work on a day-to-day basis.

For each of these positions, knowledge of public agency laws such as the Brown Act and the California Public Records Act and experience working for or representing public agencies, providing legal advice, working with boards, committees or legislative bodies, including serving as counsel during public meetings and hearings, is preferred.

These positions will report to the General Counsel and will have the opportunity to work in an invigorating, collaborative and challenging legal environment as a member of a highly professional and effective team of 20 attorneys plus paralegals and support staff, providing a variety of legal services in many different areas.

Work Schedule: 9/80, Monday through Friday with alternating Fridays off

This job announcement has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work being performed by employees in this classification / job.

To view the full job description click here: Deputy General Counsel

EMPLOYMENT STANDARDS
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education and Experience: Juris Doctor Graduate degree from an accredited law school and four (4) years of progressively responsible, directly related experience in the practice of law performing moderately complex and varied legal assignments. Experience representing public agencies is preferred.

Directly related experience is environmental California water law including the Colorado River and State Water Project, general public agency and administrative law practice experience. Candidates should specify their substantive area of expertise.

The ideal candidate will have:
• Experience working in or for public sector providing legal advice and working with boards, committees or legislative bodies including providing serving as counsel during public meetings and hearings.
• Experience in negotiation and drafting of complex transactions.
• Experience in representing parties in administrative proceedings before public agencies at the local, state and/or federal level in a primary and/or assisting capacity.
• Experience in one or more of the following areas: public agency law including the Brown Act, Political Reform Act, Public Records Act and public bidding and procurement law.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Ability to interact collaboratively with all levels of staff, including management, outside and opposing counsel, as well as, state, federal, and other external agencies.

CERTIFICATIONS, LICENSES, AND REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS

California State Bar Member (member in good standing, with either active membership or the ability to activate membership prior to employment).

This classification performs work that requires maintaining confidentiality and is routinely privy to matters that either involves confidential information, sensitive personnel issues, or exposure to confidential and sensitive strategic corporate information.

Benefits:

• Competitive compensation
• Excellent medical, dental, life, vision plans.
• Deferred compensation in the form of a 401(k) plan (with matching contribution) and a 457 plan.
• Retirement benefits under the California Public Employees' Retirement System
• Tuition reimbursement
• Training and advancement opportunities
• On-site fitness center
• Excellent working environment
• Hub of public transportation: rail, subway, buses, and taxis

• Public transportation reimbursements

For more information on MWD benefits, please use the following link: Benefits Regular FT PT Employees (Represented)

About MWD:

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is a consortium of 26 cities and water districts that provides drinking water to nearly 19 million people in Southern California. Metropolitan’s mission is to provide its service area with adequate and reliable supplies of high quality water to meet current and future needs in an environmentally and economically responsible way. Metropolitan’s facilities include the 242-mile Colorado River Aqueduct, five water treatment plants with a combined capacity of 2.3 billion gallons per day, nine surface water reservoirs, 800 miles of pipeline, and 16 hydroelectric power plants.

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities. Qualified individuals with disabilities, who need a reasonable accommodation during the application or selection process, please call (213) 217-7738 or email [email protected].

MWD is a Federal and State EO employer – Veterans/Disabled and other protected categories.

Application Filing Period: Closes at 4:30 pm PT on the date stated in the job announcement. However it may close prior to the filing end date if sufficient applications have been received. If sufficient applications have not been received, then the filing period end date may be extended.

Sponsorship: Applicants for employment with The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California must have work authorization that does not now or in the future require sponsorship of a visa for employment authorization in the United States (i.e., H1-B or other employment-based immigration case).