DEPUTY GENERAL COUNSEL

Position Overview

The Illinois Prisoner Review Board is seeking to hire a motivated, self-starting Deputy General Counsel for the Prisoner Review Board. The position will directly report to the General Counsel in preparing, developing and implementing rules and policies on legal issues, FOIA requests, oversee the statewide Preliminary Hearing Program, serve as a hearing officer and provide legal interpretations of statues, regulations and policies for Board Members and agency staff. The ideal candidate will be able to work well with the public, staff and Senior Management. We invite those interested in public safety to apply. 

Essential Function

• Provides technical and strategic assistance to the General Counsel in preparing, developing and implementing rules and policies on legal issues confronting the Board and its statutory functions relating to hearings.  Assists the General Counsel with Freedom of Information (FOIA) requests.
• Principal administrative responsibility for the statewide Preliminary Hearing Program.  Serves as a resource to government officials, attorneys, and the public, by providing legal opinions, interpretation, and advice with respect to the Prisoner Review Board policy, procedures, and applicable state and federal laws.
• Serves as a Hearing Officer traveling to attend and/or conduct preliminary and complex hearings.  When prioritizing and executing hearing protocols, the Deputy General counsel is the principal implementer of Board policy and exercises the Board's statutory authority and for which has principal authority when acting.
• Drafts and reviews contracts and grants.
• Provides legal interpretation of statutes, regulations, and policies for agency staff.
• Performs other duties as assigned or required which are reasonably within the scope of the duties enumerated above.

Minimum Qualifications

1.  Requires having graduated from an accredited law school.

2.  Requires three (3) years of progressively responsible administrative experience in a public or private legal organization, preferably in the areas of criminal justice or administrative law.

3.  Requires to be in, and maintain, good standing with the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission (ARDC).

Preferred Qualifications

• Prefers the ability to successfully apply learned knowledge and techniques to working environment.
• Prefers working knowledge of principles and administration and management, including organization, controls and techniques used in dealing with management and procedural problems.
• Prefers the skills and ability in analyzing, appraising and organizing facts, evidence and precedents and in presenting such material, involving a moderately complex problem; in clear and logical form in written media briefs, memoranda, summarizations, research reports or regulations.
• Prefers the ability to maintain satisfactory public contracts and working relationships with others; to exercise sound judgement in appraising and evaluating problems of a procedural nature; and to use expediently all primary and secondary legal source materials, to analyze all legal documents and instruments to prepare, conduct and report formal and informal hearings.
• Prefers the skill and ability to run computer operating systems, basic knowledge of Office Suites, including Excel, Word, Outlook, PowerPoint and Access; ability to operate and manage WebEx software and internet-based platforms.
• Prefers working knowledge of the agency's program operations and policies.

Conditions of Employment

1.  Possession of a valid current appropriate driver's license.

2.  Ability to successfully pass Department of Corrections, Illinois State Police and county jail background checks as necessary to enter required correctional facilities throughout Illinois.

3.  Ability to travel statewide to conduct screenings and hearings which could include overnight stays.