Career Center

Associate General Counsel – Labor and Employment

Looking for a: Attorney
Practice Area: Higher Education
Job Type: Full-Time
Job Duration: Permanent
Job Description:

For complete job posting and salary information, applicants must apply by visiting the following link: https://jobs.rutgers.edu/postings/229896

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a leading national land grant research university and the State of New Jersey’s preeminent, comprehensive public institution of higher education. Established in 1766, Rutgers has approximately 65,000 students and more than 24,400 faculty and staff located throughout its main campus in the New Brunswick/Piscataway area, its Newark and Camden campuses, and its extension offices and other facilities throughout New Jersey. The University comprises 33 undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools, including two medical schools, a school of nursing, a school of dental medicine, and a law school, as well as over 130 specialized research institutes, including the Cancer Institute of New Jersey.

The Office of the Senior Vice President and General Counsel (OGC) represents the University in all legal proceedings and provides legal advice to the President, Board of Governors, and administration on a broad array of legal issues. The OGC:

– Manages and supervises all legal affairs for the University; and
– Serves as legal adviser to the Board of Governors, the President, and other administrative officers of the University.

While the OGC provides advice on specific matters and represents the University and the Board of Governors in all legal proceedings, the Senior Vice President and General Counsel also has the responsibility and authority to designate outside counsel to fulfill these functions as needed.

The Associate General Counsel should have significant years of progressively responsible legal experience working in higher education litigating or counseling on labor and employment matters in higher education and shall be primarily responsible for handling more complex matters.

This position reports to the Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Associate Vice President and Deputy General Counsels. This attorney will work in a variety of areas, with a focus on providing advice, counsel, and representation in labor and employment matters.

Among the key duties of this position are the following:

– Preparing and litigating more complex arbitrations of contractual and disciplinary grievances that have the potential for significant financial or precedential impact on the university arising under faculty and staff collective negotiations agreements; providing guidance and assisting with the development of strategy and proposals in collective negotiations in coordination with the Office of University Labor Relations.

– Handling complex unfair practice charges and other proceedings before the New Jersey Public Employment Relations Commission that have the potential for significant financial or precedential impact on the university; conducting research, rendering advice, and representing the University in increasingly complex employment-related administrative proceedings before such agencies as the EEOC and New Jersey Division on Civil Rights.

– Providing advice and counsel on a wide variety of increasingly complex legal issues that affect a public institution of higher education, primarily including labor, employment, and constitutional issues, as well as issues arising under Title IX, FERPA, and other student-related issues; analyzing and evaluating pending legislation and regulations to determine if they apply to the University and, if so, their impact on the University; providing advice and guidance pertaining to drafting and reviewing University-wide policies and procedures; assisting with, participating in and, where appropriate, organizing and leading training and preventative law presentations for University administrators, managers and staff; participating in other legal projects as requested by the General Counsel or other supervising attorneys.

– Advising senior administrators on complex matters that have the potential for significant financial or precedential impact on the university in anticipation of litigation and preparing responses to attorney demand letters; collaborating with University Risk Management on insurance, indemnification and related issues.

Minimum Education and Experience:

– Superior academic credentials and a JD degree from an accredited law school.
– Seven years of relevant experience of increasing responsibility, with significant knowledge and experience in labor and employment law, including employment litigation, general employment advice and counseling, including related union contract interpretation and disciplinary arbitration and administrative proceedings.

Certifications/Licenses:

Admitted to practice law in New Jersey or admitted in another jurisdiction and willing and able to become admitted in New Jersey as soon as practicable (but not more than one year after hire).

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

– Excellent communication skills, excellent writing skills, and the ability to work collaboratively with colleagues both within the OGC and within the University as a whole.
– Comfortable taking responsibility for addressing complex legal issues within the context of a vibrant and ever-evolving institution of higher education.
– Strategic decision-making and independent sound judgment as applied to complex and nuanced factual scenarios.
– Ability to function effectively in a fast-paced environment with multiple and changing priorities and objectives.

Preferred Qualifications:

– Experience representing or working for public institutions of higher education.
– Experience representing public sector clients or working as an attorney in the public sector.
– Experience representing or working for public sector clients in New Jersey.

Equipment Utilized:

– Electronic document management system (NetDocs) – creating, scanning, searching, and retrieving documents
– Microsoft Office (Word, Outlook, Excel, Teams, PowerPoint)
– E-Billing software (CounselLink) – legal invoice review and approval of matters
Westlaw

Location: New Brunswick, New Jersey
Posted On: March 6, 2024 at 9:47 am