Managing Attorney of Litigation

The New York City Department of Correction (DOC) is an integral part of the City’s evolving criminal justice system, participating in reform initiatives and strategies aimed to move the City towards a smaller jail system without compromising public safety. The DOC is responsible for maintaining a safe and secure environment for our employees, visitors, volunteers, and people in our custody. Importantly, safe jails enable DOC to provide people in custody with the tools and opportunities they need to successfully re-enter their communities. The DOC operates facilities and court commands across the five boroughs with more than 7,500 diverse professionals and knowledgeable experts. The DOC seeks a highly qualified candidate to fill an executive-level vacancy for Executive Agency Counsel, M-III. Under the direction of the General Counsel and Deputy General Counsels, with wide latitude for independent judgment and decision-making, the Executive Agency Counsel serves as the primary point of contact for litigation requests from prosecutors, the Law Department, and/or other governmental partners, which includes managing and assigning incoming requests for litigation assistance. This includes fielding training related requests from the Law Department/related to civil litigation. This role is critical to maintaining relationships, and the governance of litigation with, external entities, while providing documentary productions, expert counsel, policy recommendations, and strategic guidance on complex legal issues and procedures. Acting as a supervisor of the unit, the Executive Agency Counsel represents the Department’s litigation interests, serving as the primary point of contact for discovery and informational/records requests, and supervises staff in the review and response to requests, while providing assistance with documents/testimony/records from said agencies. The Executive Agency Counsel may be called upon to represent the Department in various types of legal proceedings. Tasks will include but are not limited to the following: - Serves as primary point of contact for all litigation-related assistance, under supervision of executive staff, including meeting with external parties, as necessary, to resolve specific requests. - Reviews all incoming litigation requests and assigns equitably to staff; assigns, creates case files and inputs all pertinent information into the Legal Division’s case management system. - Supervises unit staff; assigns above external requests; tracks such requests for audit purposes; supervises attorneys and staff assigned to the unit in the production/response to above requests. - Provide guidance, direction, and oversight of unit responses to above requests; reviews/approves vacation and overtime requests of unit staff as necessary; prepares, writes, and submits evaluations for unit staff. - Accurately and promptly identifies and collects documents, information and materials requested relating to litigation/discovery requests. - Performs special projects as assigned and within specified deadlines; testifies in court as necessary related to the above requests. - Manages a caseload of high-exposure or high-liability cases which require enhanced litigation experience; provides support to staff responsible for processing litigation requests. - Assists the General Counsel, Deputy General Counsel, and Monitor-related litigation teams with additional projects or communications with outside entities. - Coordinates orientation for new attorneys; serves as point of contact for technological, human resources, or office needs; provides general Department training for new attorneys. - Serves as primary point of contact for external civil litigation-related training requests, under the guidance of executives. EXECUTIVE AGENCY COUNSEL - 95005 Admission to the New York State Bar; and four years of recent full-time responsible, relevant, satisfactory legal experience subsequent to admission to any bar, eighteen months of which must have been in the supervision of other attorneys, in an administrative, managerial or executive capacity, or performing highly complex and significant legal work. Incumbents must remain Members of the New York State Bar in good standing for the duration of this employment. The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual's sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.