Associate County Counsel

THIS IS A NEW ASSEMBLED EXAMINATION. The eligible list resulting from this examination will cancel any existing list and may last approximately one year, but can be extended.

Applications must be in the possession of the Human Resource Services Department by 5:00:00 p.m. on the Last Day for Filing. Postmarks are not accepted. Applications will only be accepted online.

Supplemental Questionnaire: A properly completed Supplemental Questionnaire must be submitted with each application. Applications and Supplemental Questionnaires must be in the possession of the Human Resource Services Department by 5:00:00 p.m. on the Last Day for Filing. Failure to submit the Application or Supplemental Questionnaire will result in disqualification.

NOTE: Please submit, along with your application and supplemental questionnaire, a sample of your legal writing (e.g. an opinion or legal analysis of an unusual problem, trial brief, points and authorities, etc.). This sample should demonstrate your ability to research and analyze legal issues.

THE AGENCY

The mission statement of the Office of the County Counsel is to provide competent, efficient and cost-effective legal representation and advice, thus advancing and protecting the programs and financial resources of the County, its officers, departments, boards, commissions, districts, and courts.

 

THE POSITION

This classification is designed to permit the hiring of entry level attorneys who are recent law school graduates and who desire to practice governmental law that will afford them an early opportunity to be exposed to and gain training and experience in the multitude of practice areas and disciplines of the Office of the County Counsel. Under the direction of an Assistant County Counsel or Chief Assistant County Counsel, and under the supervision of a Senior Deputy County Counsel, attorneys in this classification will be trained and mentored to provide and will provide legal representation to clients of the Office of the County Counsel; perform research and provide advice in matters of civil law; and perform related work as required. Associate County Counsels are mentored, trained, and supervised on a project by project basis by Senior Deputy County Counsels in the Office of the County Counsel.

Please CLICK HERE for the full Deputy County Counsel job specification/description.

Experience:
No prior experience practicing law is required for this position. It is intended that this position will be filled primarily by attorneys who are recent graduates from law school.

AND
Licenses:
Current active membership in the California State Bar.
Possession of a valid California Motor Vehicle Operator's license.

NOTE: The Civil Service Commission may modify the above Minimum Qualifications in the announcement of an examination.

The most suitably qualified candidates will possess the following competencies:

Knowledge of: (Based upon the successful study of law and less than three years experience in
practicing law.)

• Methods of legal research involving issues arising from California and federal statutory and constitutional law.
• Trial and hearing procedures and rules of evidence.
• Principles and practice of constitutional, civil and administrative law and procedure, California civil and appellate procedures.
• California statutory and constitutional law.
• Law in relation to authority, responsibilities and obligations of public officials, administrative boards and agencies.

Ability to:

• Perform legal research.
• Analyze, appraise, and apply legal principles, facts and precedents to legal problems.
• Analyze situations accurately and adopt an effective course of action.
• Present oral and written statements of fact, law and argument in a clear and logical manner.
• Prepare correspondence and reports.
• Exercise good judgment and make sound decisions on legal casework and in dealing with people.
• Listen for the sensitive and political issues/considerations underlying requests for legal assistance from clients.
• Respond to various interpersonal reactions of clients, judges and attorneys in a sensitive and tactful manner.
• Frame oral and written comments or argument appropriately within a sensitive and political environment.
• Effectively and positively take direction, mentoring and training from more experienced counsel.

The examination will consist of the following steps:

1. A review of the candidates’ applications to verify possession of minimum requirements. Those candidates who possess the minimum requirements for the class will move on to the next step in the examination process.

2. A review of the Supplemental Questionnaire to determine the best qualified; only the most suitably best qualified candidates will be invited to the oral interview process.

3. An oral interview which will be weighted as 100% of the candidates' final examination score. The oral interview may contain situational exercises.

CANDIDATES MUST ATTAIN A QUALIFYING RATING ON EACH PORTION OF THIS EXAMINATION.

WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO MAKE CHANGES TO THE ANNOUNCED EXAMINATION STEPS

Alameda County utilizes a Civil Service Selection System founded on merit. Such a system is competitive and based on broad recruitment efforts and equal opportunity for qualified applicants to test in an examination process designed to determine the qualifications, fitness and ability of competitors to perform duties of the vacant position. Many of our recruitments are targeted and specific to the needs of a current vacant position, in which case, the eligible list may be exclusively used for that current vacant position. Other recruitments many be more broadly used for both current and future vacancies, or for other alternate jobs with comparable scopes of work.

To learn more about our recruitment and selection process, please visit the “What You Need to Know” section of our website, www.acgov.org/hrs.

Applicants will be informed via email with reasonable notice in advance of any examination process which will require their attendance. The following dates are tentative and subject to change based on the needs of the Agency:

TENTATIVE SELECTION PLAN

Deadline for Filing:	5:00 PM on Friday, April 28, 2017
Review of Minimum Qualifications:	by Friday, May 5, 2017
Review of Supplemental Questionnaire for Best Qualified:	by Friday, May 19, 2017
Oral Interviews*:	June 12, 13, and 14, 2017

*If designated as a combined oral examination/hiring interview, in addition to establishing an eligibility list, the oral interviews may serve as the final selection interview for vacancies in this classification.

WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO MAKE CHANGES TO THE ANNOUNCED RECRUITMENT & SELECTION PLAN

Alameda County and the Human Resource Services Department will make reasonable efforts in the examination and/or selection process to accommodate qualified individuals with disabilities and/or medical conditions in accordance/compliance with the State Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), Federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Alameda County’s Reasonable Accommodation Policy and applicable statues. To request an accommodation due to a disability/medical condition during this or other phases of the examination/selection process, please contact the assigned Human Resources Representative listed on the job announcement before the last date of filing. Alameda County requires applicants to provide supporting documentation to substantiate a request for reasonable accommodation. In order to qualify for a reasonable accommodation, applicants must have a disability/medical condition pursuant to the ADA, FEHA and applicable statues.

For more information regarding our Reasonable Accommodation procedures, please visit our website, www.acgov.org/hrs

Alameda County offers a comprehensive and competitive benefits package that affords wide-ranging health care options to meet the different needs of a diverse workforce and their families. We also sponsor many different employee discount, fitness and health screening programs focused on overall wellbeing.  These benefits include but are not limited to*:

For your Health & Welfare Benefits

• Medical – HMO & PPO Insurance
• Dental – PPO & DHMO Insurance  
• Vision
• Basic Life Insurance 
• Supplemental Life Insurance (with optional dependent coverage) 
• County Allowance (Employer Credit)
• Health Flexible Spending Account
• Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account
• Accident, Critical Illness & Hospital Indemnity
• Employee Assistance Program

For your Financial Future

• Short-term Disability Insurance
• Long-Term Disability Insurance
• Retirement Plan – (Defined Benefit Pension Plan)
• Deferred Compensation Plan

For your Work/Life Balance

• 11 paid holidays
• Vacation and sick leave accrual
• Vacation purchase program
• Management Paid Leave**
• Group Auto/Home Insurance
• Commuter Benefits Program
• Group Legal
• Guaranteed Ride Home
• Employee Wellness Program (e.g. At Work Fitness, Incentive Based Programs, Gym Membership Discounts)
• Employee Discount Program (e.g. theme parks, cell phone, etc.)
• Child Care Resources
• 1^st United Services Credit Union 

*Eligibility is determined by Alameda County and offerings may vary by collective bargaining agreement.  This provides a brief summary of the benefits offered and can be subject to change.

** Non-exempt management employees are entitled to up to three days of management paid leave. Exempt management employees are entitled to up to seven days of management paid leave.

All notices related to County recruitments for which you have applied will be sent/delivered via email. Please add @acgov.org and alamedacountyHR@acgov.org as accepted addresses to any email blocking or spam filtering program you may use. If you do not do this, your email blocking or spam filtering program may block receipt of the notices regarding your application for recruitments. You are also strongly advised to regularly log into your County of Alameda online application account to check for notices that may have been sent to you. All email notices that will be sent to you will also be kept in your personal online application account. You will be able to view all of your notices in your online application account by clicking on the 'My applications' button on the Current Job Openings page.

Please take the steps recommended above to ensure you do not miss any notices about a recruitment for which you have applied. The County of Alameda is not responsible for notices that are not read, received, or accessed by any applicant for a County recruitment.

NOTE: All notices are generated through an automated email notification system. Replies to the email box alamedacountyHR@acgov.org are routed to an unmonitored mailbox. If you have questions please go to our website at www.acgov.org/hrs. You may also contact the Human Resources Analyst listed on the bulletin for the recruitment for which you have applied.

Debra Robinson-Harris, Human Resources Analyst
Human Resource Services, County of Alameda
Debra.Robinson@acgov.org
(510) 272-6437

Alameda County is an Equal Opportunity Employer