Description

ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL/SECTION CHIEF NEEDED FOR CIVIL RIGHTS SECTION:

The Office of the Attorney General is seeking qualified candidates for the Civil Rights Section Chief position in the Litigation Division.  The Civil Rights Section defends suits filed in both state and federal court involving the deprivation of a person’s civil rights. Such suits include, claims brought pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983; the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended; the Age Discrimination in Employment Act; the Americans with Disabilities Act; the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993; the Rehabilitation Act of 1973; and parallel state statutes. The Civil Rights Section also provides legal representation to State agencies, its officials, and employees in civil rights actions brought pursuant to the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act.  The ideal candidate would have significant experience in defending tort litigation, with a preference of at least five (5) years of increasing responsibility and complexity in civil trial experience and possess considerable substantive knowledge of the subject matter.  Interested candidates should submit a cover letter, resume and references to Amanda Foote at [email protected]. 

Requirements

Minimum Qualifications: 

1.  Admitted to practice law in Louisiana and in good standing with the Louisiana Supreme Court;
2.  Has significant experience in defending tort litigation, with a preference of at least five (5) years of increasing responsibility and complexity in civil trial experience; 
3.  Possesses considerable substantive knowledge of the subject matter of the designated section; 
4.  Exercises tact and good judgment;
5.  Possesses high professional and personal ethics and integrity;
6.  Possesses an effective command of the English language, both spoken and written; 
7.  Possesses excellent time management and critical thinking skills, and able to prioritize tasks and assignments; 
8.  Familiar with and able to use email, calendar, word processing, databases and other standard computer software and possesses the ability to learn new programs or software.

 Examples of Work:

The duties and requirements of an Assistant Attorney General/Section Chief of Civil Rights in the Litigation Division shall include, but are not limited to the following:

1. Primarily responsible for the supervision of all tort suits against the State, state agencies, state officials, and state employees that fall within his/her designated subject matter section, whether assigned to Assistant Attorneys General or contract defense counsel; 
2. Primarily responsible for the supervision of all employees assigned to his/her designated section; 
3. Acts as the subject matter expert for all cases in his/her designated section;
4. Coordinates the defense of suits involving the deprivation of a person’s civil rights, such as claims brought pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983; the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended; the Age Discrimination in Employment Act; the Americans with Disabilities Act; the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993; the Rehabilitation Act of 1973; and parallel state statutes; 
5. Executes directives from the Director or Deputy Director; 
6. Responsible for monitoring caseloads of attorneys assigned to his/her designated section and for reviewing and assigning new cases to such attorneys; 
7. Responsible for the coordination of any cases that fall within his/her designated section with the Office of Risk Management, any exempted institution, and any third party administrator; 
8. Reviews, evaluates, and considers requests to settle litigated or non-litigated claims and requests to seek appellate review; 
9. Serves as mentor and training resource for employees assigned to section and for employees who defend cases that fall within his/her designated subject matter section; 
10. Responsible for conducting regular visits to regional offices;
11. Communicates with other divisions within the office, including the Solicitor General’s office, regarding cases; 
12. Responsible for submitting accurate and contemporaneous billing;
13. Reports to assigned job location timely;
14. Responsible for maintaining regular communication with contract defense counsel; 
15. Responsible for appropriately delegating non-lawyer duties to designated support staff;
16. Remains current on developing and pertinent legislation and jurisprudence; 
17. May be required to serve as assigned defense counsel as necessary to ensure the efficient operation of the section; and
18. Performs such other duties and responsibilities as assigned by the Deputy Director, Director, Chief Deputy, or Attorney General.