Summary

This job involves acting as a legal expert for Michigan's state psychiatric hospitals, helping manage the placement of people with serious mental illnesses by working with courts, lawyers, and hospital staff to resolve legal barriers to admissions and discharges.

It also includes guiding others on mental health laws, processing cases to divert individuals from jails to treatment, and presenting on related topics at conferences.

A good fit would be a licensed attorney with experience in mental health or criminal law who enjoys collaborating with diverse stakeholders to support public health initiatives.

Key Requirements

Possession of a Juris Doctorate degree from an ABA-accredited law school
Licensed to practice law in any U.S. jurisdiction, without disbarment or suspension
Experience in legal matters related to mental health, forensic processes, or state hospitals
Ability to assist in prioritizing hospital admissions and addressing discharge issues
Knowledge of probate court processes, involuntary treatment orders, and diversion programs
Skills in liaising with external stakeholders like courts, prosecutors, and defense counsel
Familiarity with regulations including Recipient Rights, Joint Commission accreditation, and MIOSHA

Full Job Description

The MDHHS mission is to provide opportunities, services, and programs that promote a healthy, safe, and stable environment for residents to be self-sufficient. We are committed to ensuring a diverse workforce and a work environment whereby all employees are treated with dignity, respect and fairness. For more information, please visit our MDHHS Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Plan.

This position functions as the legal specialist on the inpatient psychiatric hospital placement crisis for seriously mental ill individuals and serves as legal liaison between Legal Affairs Administration and the State Hospital Administration’s (SHA) state psychiatric hospitals. This position is responsible for assisting the Attorney General’s Office on legal matters related to state hospitals. This position assists hospital administration in prioritization of hospital admissions; attends care flow meetings to address legal issues preventing hospital discharges; and processes cases that the Department refers for diversion. This position works with external stakeholders (courts, prosecutors, defense counsel, jails) to help facilitate diversion of individuals from the criminal process and allow the department to prioritize admissions. This position provides guidance and outreach regarding the forensic and probate mental health process (Incompetent to Stand Trial (IST) or Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity (NGRI); Recipient Rights; Joint Commission accreditation; professional licensure; MIOSHA; probate court involuntary treatment process and orders; show cause/contempt proceedings; collective bargaining; and facility management), the importance of orders aligning with statute, and options outside of the forensic (IST/NGRI) and probate process, and presents at conferences regarding the forensic and probate process.

Position Description
Job Specification

To be considered for this position you must:

apply for this position online via NEOGOV; click on "Apply" in the job posting for instructions on submitting your electronic application. Hard copy applications are not accepted.
meet the Selective Position Requirement (SPR): Possession of Juris Doctorate degree from an ABA-accredited law school. Licensed to practice law in any jurisdiction of the United States, and not disbarred or suspended from practicing law in any jurisdiction of the United States.
relevant experience and/or education referred to in supplemental questions must be documented in resume, transcript and/or application to allow for accurate screening.
attach a resume identifying specific experience and dates of employment. Dates of employment should include month and year and hours per week.
attach a cover letter.

if applicable, attach a copy of an official transcript(s). We accept scanned copies of official transcripts. We do not accept web-based, internet, or copies of unofficial transcripts.

Official transcripts provide the name of the institution, confirmation that a degree was awarded and on what date, and the registrar's signature.

Failure to complete any of the above items may result in your application not being considered. See instructions for attaching files here:

Instructions

Requirements

Education

Experience

Four years of professional experience, including two years equivalent to the experienced (P11) level or one year equivalent to the advanced (12) level.

In addition to the minimum education and experience requirements, all applicants must meet the following Selective Position Requirement (SPR): Possession of Juris Doctorate degree from an ABA-accredited law school. Licensed to practice law in any jurisdiction of the United States, and not disbarred or suspended from practicing law in any jurisdiction of the United States.

Additional Information

The physical location of this position is 235 S. Grand Ave, Lansing, MI. Based on operational needs and within established limits, remote work and alternate or hybrid work schedule requests for this position may be considered.

A map of the State of Michigan with Ingham County highlighted in red.

Your application for any position does not guarantee you will be contacted by the Department/Agency for further consideration. Only those applicants interviewed will be notified of the results.

A secure work location that allows privacy and prevents distractions.
A high-speed internet connection of at least 25 Mbps download and 5 Mbps upload.
Suitable lighting, furniture, and utilities.

As a Condition of Employment:

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) software of any kind is prohibited in all areas of the selection process; including, but not limited to, responses to application questions, and responses to interview questions or exercises.

If you previously held status in this classification and departed within the last three (3) years, please contact Human Resources regarding your interest in a potential reinstatement. Reinstatement is not guaranteed or required.

The Department of Health & Human Services reserves the right to close this posting prior to its original end date once a sufficient number of applications have been received.

MDHHSVacancies@michigan.gov