Lead Counsel

Posting Begin Date: 2024/05/14

Posting End Date: 2024/05/31

Work Type: Full Time

Location: Boise, ID, United States

Pay Rate Type: Hourly

Description

The Idaho Department of Lands (IDL) has one (1) opening for a Lead Counsel. This is a classified, full-time, benefited position located at our Director’s Office in Boise, Idaho.

Salary Range is $56.00/hour +DOE and includes a competitive benefits package.

This position is a classified Lead Counsel within the Department of Lands (IDL). IDL seeks talented people committed to delivering our land management, regulatory, and assistance missions and preparing IDL for future natural resource challenges.

The Lead Counsel is a member of IDL’s executive leadership team and assists the Director, Deputy Director, and Division Administrators with legal analysis, advice, and recommendations, litigation, strategic planning, budgeting, and overall program planning, priorities, and direction. This position supervises two attorneys and a legal assistant. The Lead Counsel is responsible for directing, committing, coordinating, and acquiring resources to achieve performance measurements critical to the State Board of Land Commissioners (Land Board).

IDL is the administrative arm of the Land Board and, under Land Board direction, delivers results to achieve a two-part mission:

To professionally and prudently manage Idaho’s endowment assets to maximize long- term financial returns to public schools and other trust beneficiaries and to provide professional assistance to the citizens of Idaho to use, protect and sustain their natural resources.

Attorneys at IDL can expect to work with IDL staff with natural resource expertise, a commitment to results, and passion for their work.

You must possess all the minimum qualifications below. Please make sure your resume and work history support this. Failure to do so may disqualify you from being considered for this position.

Minimum Qualifications:

Experience conducting legal research and drawing legal conclusions; presenting oral argument before a court or hearing officer; negotiating legal settlements; eliciting information from a wide variety of individuals including hostile witnesses.

Current member in good standing of the Idaho State Bar.

Five years of experience as an attorney.

Considerable knowledge of trial procedure and rules of evidence.

Good knowledge of principles and practices of common law.

Experience managing and leading staff.

Special Requirements:

• Travel up to 20%.

• Occasional long shifts and weekend work.

• Valid Driver’s License.

  Examples of Duties:

  Administrative and Advisory

• Provides authoritative legal advice to Department management and staff related to technical and administrative issues.

• Reviews and recommends changes to rule, policy or procedure for conformity with law.

• Recommends rule and statutory changes to Department management.

• Drafts proposed legislation and Department rules.

• May conduct extensive research.

• May draft contracts and leases and review such documents for legality and adequacy.

• Negotiates with state and federal agencies, private individuals and organizations in non-litigation situations.

• May respond to inquiries from media and review statements to be released to the press.

• May provide leadwork supervision to other attorneys.

• May provide training to Department staff or others in legal and procedural issues relating to the Department’s work.

  Case Preparation and Litigation

• Analyzes and determines Department’s legal strategy in cases to ensure effective and successful negotiation and litigation.

• Drafts pleadings.

• Prepares briefs and legal arguments.

• May conduct discovery including taking depositions.

• Conducts sensitive negotiations with other attorneys and their clients.

• Interviews, selects and prepares witnesses including experts for administrative hearing or trial.

• Argues motions and participates in pre-trial or pre-hearing conferences.

• Conducts direct and cross-examination and oral argument in proceedings before appropriate jurisdictional body, which may include jury trials.

• Reviews record and prepares briefs and oral argument in appeals to Supreme Court or other appellate body.

• May prepare memoranda analyzing factual and legal issues and draft decisions in proceedings before the Department.

  Leadership

• Creates a team environment by providing strategic leadership, direction and motivation for employees to accomplish the numerous program goals and targets of the Department.

• Sets expectations for performance standards, provides coaching and feedback, identifies necessary training and evaluates performance to ensure productivity, quality of work and customer service.

• Recognizes and resolves both internal and external personnel issues and mediates and implements appropriate corrective action in coordination with HR staff and agency leadership as needed.

• Participates in recruiting, interviewing and making hiring recommendations.

  Supplemental Information:

  During the 2025 Legislative Session, the Department intends to request legislation to require the Department employees in the classification of Attorney to be non-classified. The change to the appointment type would be effective June 2025. “Non-classified employee” means any person appointed to or holding a position in any department of the state of Idaho, which position is exempted from the merit provisions of section 67-5309(e), (f), (g), (j), (m), (o), (p), (w), and (x), Idaho Code. Idaho statute 59-1603(1) requires to the extent possible, each non-classified position in the executive department will be paid a salary or wage comparable to classified positions with similar duties, responsibilities, training, experience, and other qualifications in consultation with the Division of Human Resources. This position will remain that of Attorney, a full-time position within the Department of Lands at the same hourly rate, work location and benefit eligibility.

  How to Apply :

  Online application must be received by May 27, 2024, at 5:00 pm MST.

  Email: [email protected]

  Please contact Jenny Willis at (801) 921-0897 for further information.

  Thank you for your interest in employment with the Idaho Department of Lands!

  Benefits:

· We have one of the Nation's best state retirement systems (https://www.persi.idaho.gov/members-1/) (PERSI) that offers a lifetime benefit.

· Excellent medical, dental and vision (https://ogi.idaho.gov/benefits-plans/) insurance- (full-time) employee only coverage for PPO $65/month for medical and vision & $11.80/month for dental.

· Generous vacation and sick leave accrual beginning as soon as you start.

· 11 paid holidays a year.

· Paid parental leave.

· Multiple savings plans, optional 401K, and optional 457.

· Basic life insurance for employee and family (employee covered at one time annual salary; spouse covered at $10,000; child covered at $5,000)

· Wellness programs

· Ongoing training opportunities

· An opportunity for student loan forgiveness (https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/public-service)

· And more (https://dhr.idaho.gov/StateEmployees/Benefits.html) !

*Benefits may not be applicable for temporary or seasonal positions.

Overtime/Vacation Accrual FLSA:

The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) code for this position is Professional (P). Vacation accrual is based on the FLSA code and accrual rates can be found at: https://dhr.idaho.gov/wp-content/uploads/Section2Vacation-1.pdf (Exception: Employees engaged in Fire Suppression activities for which overtime hours are earned will be paid at the rate of 1.5 times the hourly rate for each one hour of overtime worked. Payment will be made on the regular pay date corresponding to the pay period in which the overtime work occurred.)

EEO/ADA/Veteran's Preference:

The State of Idaho is committed to providing equal employment opportunities and prohibit discrimination against qualified individuals based on their status as protected veterans or individuals with disabilities and prohibit discrimination against all individuals based on their race, color, religion, political affiliation or belief, sex, national origin, genetics, or any other status protected under applicable federal, state, or local laws.

The State of Idaho is committed to access and reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities, auxiliary aids and services are available upon request. If you require an accommodation at any step in our recruitment process, you are encouraged to contact (208) 334-2263 (TTY/TTD: 711), or email [email protected] .

Preference may be given to veterans who qualify under state and federal laws and regulations.

About IDL:

Become part of an organization where you will work with dedicated people who are committed and skilled in managing and protecting Idaho's natural resources.

The Idaho Department of Lands (IDL) believes in its employees and values stewardship, service, accountability and cohesiveness. Our goals emphasize our people and processes, financial stewardship, and customer focus. We strive for a culture in which leadership equips, entrusts and expects employees to make decisions in fulfillment of our mission. View our Strategic Plan here .

Under the direction of the Idaho State Board of Land Commissioners (https://www.idl.idaho.gov/about-us/land-board/#::text=%20State%20Board%20of%20Land%20Commissioners%20%201,the%20nine-member%20board%20and%20staff%20that...%20More%20) , IDL manages more than 2.5 million acres of state endowment trust land under a constitutional mandate to produce maximum long-term financial returns for public schools and several other State of Idaho institutions. Leases and other contracts are used to authorize revenue generating activities such as timber harvest, grazing, farming, mining, commercial use, residential use, and conservation in a prudent and sustainable manner.

Managing endowment trust lands (https://www.idl.idaho.gov/about-us/understanding-endowment-land/) is only part of our story. We also protect public resources such as water quality, fish, wildlife habitat, and recreation on navigable waterways (http://www.idl.idaho.gov/lakes-rivers/) , and ensure the protection of water quality and other resources by overseeing forestry and mining practices across all ownerships in the state. We also work to reclaim abandoned mines in Idaho. One of our most important resource protection responsibilities is fire prevention and suppression. We also provide assistance to landowners to manage their forest lands, work with communities to plant trees in urban settings, help keep working forests working through the Forest Legacy Program, and work with many partners to promote healthy forests on a landscape level. IDL also is the administrative arm of the Idaho Oil and Gas Conservation Commission.