Attorney I-III

Full Job Description

The Travis County Office of Parental Representation (OPR) is a multidisciplinary civil public defender’s office that provides holistic representation to parents in litigation with Child Protective Services.

At OPR we fight alongside parents to protect their families from CPS. We believe in representing parents with dignity while working to reduce the trauma experienced by families.

Parents deserve help instead of shame. We use a multidisciplinary approach that incorporates social work into legal representation.

This allows us to support our client as a whole person and not merely a case. Our advocacy is focused on providing support and resources so that our clients achieve family reunification.

OPR is seeking an attorney dedicated to public defense and representing parents in CPS cases. A well-qualified candidate has:

• Litigation experience consistent with years of practice.
• Mission-aligned experience (work or lived) advocating on behalf of indigent clients.
• Excellent communication, organizational, and time management skills.

Applicants not already licensed by the State Bar of Texas should include a cover letter explaining their plans to become licensed and the anticipated date of licensure.

* The position may be filled before the closing date. Applications will be reviewed and selected candidates will be contacted on a rolling basis. *

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS:

This is the first in a series of seven attorney-related job classifications within the Attorneys job family. This classification handles cases and matters that are the least complex and may result in the least serious consequences with supervision.

Requirements

• Provides client-centered representation to indigent clients in child welfare law litigation with the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services.
• Litigates cases at statutory and special review hearings, contested hearings, and trials.
• Works collaboratively within a multidisciplinary team to achieve client-centered case goals.
• Attends case meetings with clients, the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, CASA, attorneys, and other case professionals. Attends mediation.
• Performs legal research. Searches resources and studies legal records and documents to obtain information applicable to case or issue under consideration.
• Drafts briefs, motions, orders, subpoenas, contracts and other legal documents, as well as correspondence and reports.
• Responds to discovery requests. Oversees the creation and issuance of legal documents, including subpoenas, motions, orders, and other related documents.
• Prepares cases for trial. Collects, organizes and prepares evidence, information and other legal materials.
• Performs other job-related duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Education and Experience:

Attorney I: J.D./LL.B. from an accredited law school. Salary range starting at $85,500 annually.

Attorney II: J.D./LL.B. from an accredited law school and 18 months’ licensed attorney work experience. Salary range starting at $89,000 annually.

Attorney III: J.D./LL.B. from an accredited law school and 3 years’ licensed attorney work experience. Salary range starting at $92,000 annually.

Licenses, Registrations, Certifications, or Special Requirements:
Licensed to practice law in the State of Texas.

Preferred

• Applications with a cover letter detailing interest in the position, including why applicant wants to work for OPR.
• Effective client management skills and rapport-building techniques.
• Performs well in a high-volume, high-stress area of litigation.
• Effective litigation techniques for presentation of cases in court and the ability to present facts and arguments verbally and in writing.
• Knowledge of policies, practices, procedures, and legal terminology related to child welfare law or other indigent client-related area of advocacy.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

Knowledge of:

• The Texas Family Code, Texas Rules of Evidence, and Texas Rules of Civil Procedure.
• Federal, State, Local and County applicable laws, rules, regulations and guidelines.
• Policies, practices, procedures and legal terminology related to court system.
• Computer equipment to include word processing, spreadsheets, databases and a variety of software packages.
• Business letter writing, grammar and punctuation, and report preparation.
• May be required to develop knowledge of and adhere to federal and state laws requiring the confidential handling of certain health information.

Skill in:

• Problem-solving and decision-making.
• Analyzing and appraising facts, policies, procedures and legal precedents in area of specialty.
• Both verbal and written communication, including presentations.

Ability to:

• Conduct legal research and analysis, both manually and electronically.
• Present facts, precedents and arguments verbally and in writing and apply negotiation skills.
• Communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
• Work independently.
• Manage time well and perform multiple tasks, and organize diverse activities.
• Work well under pressure and exercise tact in trying situations.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with departmental clientele, representatives of outside agencies, other County employees and officials, and the general public.

Additional Information

Physical requirements include the ability to lift/carry up to 25 pounds occasionally, visual acuity, speech and hearing, hand and eye coordination and manual dexterity necessary to operate a computer and office equipment.

Subject to standing, walking, sitting, repetitive motion, reaching, climbing stairs, bending, stooping, kneeling, crouching, crawling, pushing, pulling, balancing, client/customer contact, squatting to perform the essential functions.

Travis County employees play an important role in business continuity. As such, employees can be assigned to business continuity efforts outside of normal job functions.

This job description is intended to be generic in nature. It is not necessarily an exhaustive list of all duties and responsibilities. The essential duties, functions and responsibilities and overtime eligibility may vary based on the specific tasks assigned to the position.

Work Hours: 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday

Department: Community Legal Services/Office of Parental Representation

Location: 1700 Guadalupe, Austin, Texas 78701

Criminal Background Check Required

For questions or updates on this position, contact: Jamie Carrillo at jamie.carrillo@traviscountytx.gov or 512-854-7328