Staff Attorney I, II, or III

Job Posting Title

Staff Attorney I, II, or III

Agency

715 TEACHERS RETIREMENT SYSTEM

Supervisory Organization

Teachers' Retirement System

Job Posting End Date

Refer to the date listed at the top of this posting, if available. Continuous if date is blank.

Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the day prior to the posting end date above.

Estimated Appointment End Date (Continuous if Blank)

Full/Part-Time

Full time

Job Type

Regular

Compensation

Up to $98,517 Commensurate with experience and education

Job Description

The Teachers’ Retirement System of Oklahoma (“TRS” or “the System”) is seeking to fill the position of Staff Attorney. This is a full-time position in State Government and is eligible for a generous benefits package. Benefits include an allowance to offset the costs of medical, dental, life and disability insurance products as well as a defined benefit retirement plan (pension), a deferred compensation plan, and pay for performance incentives. Employees earn 3 weeks of paid annual leave and 3 weeks of paid sick leave in the first year as well as enjoy 11 paid holidays. Longevity pay is also received for each year of service with the State of Oklahoma.

TRS was established in 1943 for the purpose of providing retirement allowances and other specified benefits for qualified persons employed by state-supported educational institutions. The System is a part of the State of Oklahoma financial reporting entity, which is combined with other similar funds to comprise the fiduciary-pension trust funds of the State of Oklahoma. The System administers a cost-sharing multiple-employer pension plan which is a defined benefit pension plan (the “DB plan”) and a cost- sharing multiple-employer plan providing post-employment benefits other than pensions (the “OPEB plan”). TRS currently serves over 205,000 members and beneficiaries and approximately 600 participating public education employers in Oklahoma.

APPLICATION PROCEDURES:

Please apply for this position through the Workday Jobs Hub. Applicants must provide a resume, references, and a writing sample. All applicants must agree in writing to complete, and must satisfactorily pass, a background investigation. Only applications submitted in accordance with these procedures will be considered.

PURPOSE:

Reporting to the Deputy General Counsel, a TRS staff attorney will be a member of a collaborative legal team handling a variety of legal and administrative matters in support of the System’s Mission, Vision, and Values. General duties will include providing legal support to the TRS staff while ensuring compliance with laws and regulations and otherwise supporting the Deputy General Counsel and General Counsel in providing strategic legal guidance to management. Applicants must be highly organized, detail-oriented, and capable of working both independently and collectively with the team.

TYPICAL FUNCTIONS:

This list is neither all-inclusive nor restrictive. The Executive Director, General Counsel, and/or Deputy General Counsel reserve the right to amend or further define duties based on operational needs. General duties include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Assists the General Counsel and Deputy General Counsel with ensuring state and federal legal and regulatory compliance of agency operations, including but not limited to:
  • Identifying, researching, and analyzing issues;
  • Drafting applicable legal guidance, procedures, and related documents; and
  • Presenting legal guidance and recommendations to management.
• As a member of the legal department, provide legal support to TRS employees on matters arising in connection with the execution of their duties, including but not limited to:
  • Identifying, researching, analyzing, and providing legal guidance on various issues including but not limited to preparation of correspondence, memoranda, briefs, pleadings, motions, orders, and other relevant or related documents and pleadings
  • Regular review and update of Information Center database
  • Review of various legal documents such as subpoenas duces tecum, power of attorney documents, wills, trust documents, qualified domestic orders, independent consultant/contractor agreements, and employer late fee requests, and
  • Administration of probate waiver, recoupment, and felony forfeiture legal processes.
• In conjunction with or at the request of the General Counsel or Deputy General Counsel, provide legal guidance including researching, analyzing and preparing legal correspondence in response to TRS member, participating TRS employer, and other stakeholder inquiries.
• Assists the General Counsel and Deputy General Counsel in review and drafting of agency rules and regulations and coordinates submission of appropriate rules documentation through the online portal, meeting all relevant deadlines.
• Attends meetings as necessary and as requested by the General Counsel and/or Deputy General Counsel
• Sorts/tracks and monitors legislation throughout legislative sessions, reporting to the General Counsel and Executive Director regarding legislation of interest to TRS.
• For legislation determined to be of interest to TRS, monitors committee and floor schedules and reports scheduling to the General Counsel and Executive Director to enable their attendance at relevant committee/floor meetings.
• Upon request of the General Counsel or Deputy General Counsel, reviews and responds to Open Records Requests.
• Other duties as assigned.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS:

Knowledge of and ability to interpret federal and state laws and regulations relating to public administration, public pension systems, state government, employment law, the Oklahoma and U.S. Constitution, and the Oklahoma Open Records Act; knowledge of the principles, methods and practices of the various benefit programs being administered; knowledge of the organization.

Skills:

• Able to establish and maintain diplomatic and effective relationships with TRS employees, TRS members and employers, state officials, and the public;
• Strong oral and written communications of all types;

• Solid ability to efficiently interpret, analyze and resolve difficult administrative and legal issues including the ability to present statements of fact and law and to clearly and logically articulate position both orally and in writing;

• Critical thinking
• Able to independently perform legal research across various research mechanisms, including online and printed resources.

Demonstrates:

• Ability to successfully work independently and collectively with a team
• High degree of ethics and integrity;
• Attention to detail;
• Ability to prioritize workload and meet deadlines;
• Sound judgment and decision-making;
• Professionalism;
• Capability with Microsoft Office, including but not limited to Microsoft Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Excel.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

Level I: This is the basic level of the job family, where employees are responsible for performing routine entry level legal work in a training status to build their skills related to providing legal counsel. Assignments are prescribed, but the methods are not typically reviewed nor controlled while the work is in progress. Works under the direct supervision of General Counsel, Deputy General Counsel, Managing Deputy General Counsel, or other supervisory-level Attorney.

• Juris Doctorate degree from an accredited law school, and
• License to practice law in Oklahoma with associated Oklahoma Bar membership in good standing.

Level II: This is the career level of the job family, where incumbents are largely responsible for performing a full range of professional legal activities or at a full performance level. May provide training or assistance to lower-level employees. Assignments are prescribed, but the methods are not typically reviewed nor controlled while the work is in progress.

• Juris Doctorate degree from an accredited law school, and
• License to practice law in Oklahoma with associated Oklahoma Bar membership in good standing.
• Two (2) years of legal experience or adjudicative experience.

Level III: At this level employees are assigned responsibilities for advanced level legal work and perform tasks with greater independence. Employees at this level may be recognized as experts in the specialty. This position may be asked to handle a wide variety of complex legal assignments, including, but not limited to, researching and providing guidance on unique and challenging areas of law, handling a larger and more complex caseload, assisting contracts and acquisition on more complicated issues, and assisting with the drafting of legislation and rules. Position is free from active technical control in planning and carrying out work responsibilities.

• Juris Doctorate degree from an accredited law school, and
• License to practice law in Oklahoma with associated Oklahoma Bar membership in good standing.
• Five (5) years of legal experience or adjudicative experience.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

Prior legal experience in one or more of the following areas will make an applicant more competitive but is not required: state government, administrative law, public pension, public trust, or similar type areas.

WORK SCHEDULE:

This position works in-office Monday through Friday each week. Typical hours are 8am to 5pm.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.  While performing the duties of this job, the employee is typically sitting for a large percentage of the workday working at a computer and is regularly required to converse with and hear staff.  The employee is frequently required to stoop, twist and bend at the waist; stand; walk; use hands to finger, handle or feel; and reach with hands and arms.  The employee is occasionally required to lift small objects weighing less than 10 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and distance vision.  Valid driver’s license required.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS/OTHER:

Applicants must be willing and able to fulfill all job-related travel normally associated with this classification. Applicants must abide by the Oklahoma Rules of Professional Conduct. This job description is not meant to contain a comprehensive list of all activities, duties, or responsibilities required for this position, and such may change at any time with or without notice.

TRS is an equal employment employer and does not make hiring decisions on the basis of race, sex/gender, color, age, national origin, genetic information, religion, or disability, so long as the disability does not render the person unable to perform the essential functions of the position for which employed with a reasonable accommodation. All employees of TRS are at-will employees.

Equal Opportunity Employment

The State of Oklahoma is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of genetic information, race, religion, color, sex, age, national origin, or disability.

Current active State of Oklahoma employees must apply for open positions internally through the Workday Jobs Hub.

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