Staff Attorney

Position Statement

The Staff Attorney assists the General Counsel of the Illinois Department of Labor. The Staff Attorney represents the Department in formal and informal administrative hearings and proceedings related to the Prevailing Wage Act, Public Employee Safety Act, Occupational Safety and Health Act, Nurse Agency Licensing Act, Equal Pay Act of 2003, Illinois Day and Temporary Labor Services Act, and other Illinois labor statutes. If you are interested in helping your fellow citizen’s recoup the wages they are owed, we invite you to apply for this position.

Essential Functions

• Represents the Department in formal and informal administrative hearings and proceedings related to the Prevailing Wage Act, Public Employee Safety Act, Occupational Safety and Health Act, Nurse Agency Licensing Act, Equal Pay Act of 2003, Illinois Day and Temporary Labor Services Act, and other Illinois labor statutes.
• Performs complex and extensive research on state and federal labor laws and on issues specific to litigated cases.
• Assists the Chief Legal Counsel and other legal division staff with litigation management.
• Interprets laws and rules enforced by the Department to assure they are administered according to the substance and intent of the laws and rules.
• Assists the FOIA Officer in addressing and responding to FOIA and PAC inquiries.
• Performs other related duties as required or assigned which are reasonably within the scope of the duties enumerated above.

Minimum Qualifications

• Requires graduation from a recognized law school.
• Requires possession of a valid license to practice law in Illinois.
• Requires two years of professional experience in the practice of law.

Preferred Qualifications

• Three (3) years of practice pertaining to common law and state and federal laws, particularly relating to administrative and regulatory functions.
• Three (3) years of experience in judicial and quasi‐judicial procedure and the rules of evidence, hearings, and trial procedures.
• Three (3) years of litigation experience.
• Three (3) years of experience analyzing, summarizing, and organizing facts, evidence, and precedents and presenting such material to supervisors, managers, and decision-makers.
• Three (3) years of experience analyzing and presenting complex problems and issues in written media such as briefs, memoranda, summarizations, research reports, and regulations.
• Three (3) years of experience working with state and federal labor laws and statutes.

Conditions of Employment

• Requires ability to travel in the performance of duties, with overnight stays as appropriate.
• Overtime is a condition of employment, and you may be requested or required/mandated to work overtime including scheduled, unscheduled, or last-minute overtime. This may require the ability to work evenings and weekends.
• This position is considered light work as defined by the U.S. Department of Labor (20 CFR 404.1567(b)). Light work involves lifting no more than 20 pounds at a time with frequent lifting or carrying of objects weighing up to 10 pounds. This job may require a good deal of walking or standing, or involves sitting most of the time with some pushing and pulling of arm or leg controls.
• Requires ability to attend seminars, conferences, and trainings to stay current on methods, tools, ideologies, or other industry related topics relevant to the job duties.
• Certain provisions of the revolving door restrictions contained in 5 ILCS 430/5-45 apply to this position. As a result, the employee should be aware that if offered non-State employment during state employment or within one year immediately after ending State employment, the employee shall, prior to accepting any such non-State employment offer, notify the Office of the Executive Inspector General for the Agencies of the Illinois Governor (OEIG) or may be subject to a fine.
• This position has been found to meet the requirements in section 4A-101 of the Illinois Governmental Ethics Act requiring the occupant/employee to file a Statement of Economic Interest. The Illinois Governmental Ethics Act (5 ILCS 420/4A et seq.) requires certain state officials and employees to file annual Statements of Economic Interest with the Office of the Secretary of State that will be made available for examination and copying by the public. All employees required to file a Statement of Economic Interest are also required to file the Supplemental Statement of Economic Interest with the Executive Ethics Commission. (See Executive Order 15-09) Fines and penalties apply to untimely filings.
• The conditions of employment listed here are incorporated and related to any of the job duties as listed in the job description.

Agency Statement

The Illinois Department of Labor (IDOL) is one of Illinois' most important and dynamic Agencies. With an annual budget of $26 million, and an authorized staff of more than 100 full-time employees, IDOL has the capacity and capability to provide administration and enforcement of over 25 labor and safety Laws. Here at IDOL, we take pride in our Agency's mission: to promote and protect the rights, wages, welfare, working conditions, safety, and health of Illinois workers through the enforcement of state labor laws, and to safeguard the public through regulation of amusement rides and to ensure compliance with all other labor standards.