Attorney (CYF) part-time/contracted

Must apply on external site: https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/northamptoncounty

Application deadline is July 10, 2024 at 5:00 PM EST. Applicants will not be contacted until after this date. 

The contracted Attorney position is a 1099 position, working 15 to 20 hours per week in office.

In order to be considered for this position, applicants must successfully submit a completed application prior to the posting deadline. Applications submitted with incomplete or missing education and/or work experience sections will be considered incomplete and disqualified from consideration. The attachment of a resume to the application does not fulfill this requirement and will not prevent incomplete applications from being rejected. 

BE SURE YOUR APPLICATION REFLECTS YOUR ENTIRE WORK HISTORY AS YOUR RESUME IS NOT REVIEWED TO QUALIFY YOU 

 Please answer any supplemental questions truthfully and completely. Use the employment history section of your application to substantiate your answers to supplemental questions.
 
Once the posting closes, all applications will be reviewed. The information provided on the application will be utilized to determine whether or not each applicant meets the minimum requirements for this position. Please read the Minimum Requirements thoroughly and then demonstrate that you meet these requirements on your application. Applicants who do not meet the minimum requirements will not be considered for the position.
 
Qualified, eligible applicants will move on to the next step, an Education and Experience Review, in which points will be assigned to each applicant’s education and relevant work experience provided on their application.
 
We encourage all applicants to share a comprehensive, concise history of their education, certification, licensing, and employment on their employment application so that we are able to accurately assess their experience.  Eligible candidates will be ranked on an Eligibility List based on their total score on the Education and Experience Review.
 
For questions regarding this posting, please contact County of Northampton Human Resources at dhsjobs@norcopa.gov or 610-829-6366.
 
Equal Employment Opportunities – It is the policy of Northampton County to provide equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all persons regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, marital status, sex, gender identity, gender expression, age, genetic information, disability, or any other status protected by the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and any other state, federal, or local law.

Job Description

GENERAL PURPOSE
The CYF Contracted Part Time Attorney position is primarily responsible for handling child abuse status determination reviews at the Agency and appeal hearings before the Bureau of Hearings and Appeals in Reading, PA or Harrisburg, PA, as required under the Child Protective Services Act. This position also assists with other legal matters, including juvenile dependency and Orphans’ Court proceedings, as needed. 

SUPERVISION RECEIVED
This position reports directly to the Agency Managing Attorney.

SUPERVISION EXERCISED
This position does not exercise supervision over other functions. 

ESSENTIAL DUTIES OF THE POSITION
This position works closely with the Child Protective Services Intake Unit whose caseworkers investigate allegations of child abuse. This includes, but is not limited to attending status determination conferences, conferring with Agency staff on preparation for legal proceedings, preparing necessary legal documents and witnesses for appeal hearings, and representing the Agency at the administrative abuse appeals at the Bureau of Hearing and Appeals as needed.  This attorney will Attend bi-monthly multi-disciplinary team meetings and scheduled fatality and near fatality, multi-disciplinary team reviews.  

Provides legal advice, conducts legal research, prepares legal documents, i.e. proposed Court orders, briefs, motions, prepares pleadings, and litigates cases involving moderately complex to complex legal issues which have a significant impact on the Agency’s operations.

Additional assignments may include: 

• Providing opinions upon the legality and propriety of policy, procedure and practices of the Agency based on interpretation of the Juvenile Act, Child Protective Services Law, Adoption Law and related statutes, legislations and regulations.
• Representing the Agency in legal matter, including but not limited to juvenile dependency and termination of parental rights proceedings.

Enhances professional development by relevant training.

Performs related work as required and other duties as assigned. 

While this job description is intended to be an accurate reflection of the job requirements, management reserves the right to modify, add or remove duties from particular jobs and to assign other duties as necessary, preforms other duties as assigned. 

*An employee assigned to this title shall perform a majority, but may not perform all, of the duties listed in this job description. Conversely, minor level duties performed on the job may not be listed. The duties listed above are intended only as illustrations of the various types of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related or a logical assignment to the position.

REQUIRED MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE – Two (2) years of progressively responsible experience in professional legal work and graduation from an approved school of law; OR

Any equivalent combination of experience and training.

Possession of a certificate of admission to the Bar of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania; or eligibility for a certificate of admission to the Bar of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania; or possession of a certification of admission to the Bar of the highest court of another state, with preparatory steps taken to become a member of the Bar of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania.

Employee assigned to this title will be required to possess and maintain a valid and current motor vehicle operator’s license. Must have an acceptable driving record. Personal vehicle required for County business, employee is eligible for mileage reimbursement.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES 
Knowledge of the common law and of the county, state, and federal laws, particularly in regard to general administrative and regulatory functions of county government.

Knowledge of the judicial procedures and of the rules of evidence.

Knowledge of the principles, methods, materials and practices of legal research.

Knowledge of the methods and practices of pleading civil or criminal cases and of effective techniques in the presentation of cases in court.

Ability to analyze and organize facts, evidence, and precedents concerned in moderately complex cases and to present such materials in opinions, orders, or decisions.

Ability to analyze legal documents and instruments.

Ability to deal tactfully and effectively with state administrative officials, local government officials, employees, court officials, and the general public.

Ability to plan, assign, and review the work of other employees.

Ability to draft legal instruments and proposed legislation.

TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT
Telephone, personal computer (including word processing and spreadsheet software), calculator, writing implements, fax machine, copy machine, and paper shredder.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to walk, sit, talk or hear. 

The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to twenty-five (25) pounds. 

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. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

WORK ENVIRONMENT
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job.

The noise level in the office may range from quiet to loud.

SELECTION GUIDELINES
Formal application, rating of education and experience, interview, and reference check as well as job related tests may be required. 

The job description does not constitute an employment agreement between the employer and employee and is subject to change by the employer as the needs of the employer and requirements of the job change.

Created June 2024