Job Title: Assistant General Counsel (AAG VI) Position Type: Regular Full-Time
Salary: $89,727 – $150,415. The salary range is based on a multitude of factors including applicable personnel rules, regulations, and guidelines.
Location: Office of the Attorney General, Executive Division
200 St. Paul Place Baltimore, MD 21202
Telework: A hybrid remote telework and in-office schedule option is available per applicable policies and procedures.
DESCRIPTION: The Attorney General is the chief legal officer of the State of Maryland. The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) has the general charge, supervision, and direction of the State’s legal business, acting as legal advisors and representatives of the major agencies, various boards, commissions, officials, and institutions of State Government. The OAG also protects the public by civil enforcement of antitrust, civil rights, consumer protection, and securities laws and regulations and by the prosecution of organized crime, Medicaid fraud, environmental crimes, insurance fraud, state tax evasion, and other statutorily assigned matters. As Maryland’s 47th Attorney General, Anthony G. Brown leads the Office with a critical focus on equity, justice, and fairness.
OAG is seeking applicants for a full-time Assistant General Counsel within the Executive Division.
In 2023, the Attorney General established a new position for the first-ever General Counsel in the Executive Division of the OAG. The General Counsel serves as senior legal advisor to the OAG, the largest law firm in the State, and is a member of the Executive Leadership Team. We seek an additional attorney to handle the growing portfolio of legal work involved in building and sustaining the OAG as a premier public law firm in Maryland and nationwide.
Responsibilities
The Assistant General Counsel will work closely with the General Counsel in the following areas: (1) Management and Administration, (2) Ethics and Standards of Practice, (3) Assistant Counsel Management, (4) Public Information Access, and (5) General Advice and Counsel.
In these areas, the Assistant General Counsel’s portfolio of work will include a mix of shorter-term, day-to-day activities and mid-term and longer-term projects.
• Develop new and improve existing OAG policies and procedures and support their effective implementation.
• Provide advice and counsel on human resource matters, including disciplinary actions, employee grievances, EEO, bullying, whistleblower, and other workplace complaints.
• Provide advice and counsel on procurement and contracting, including creating and revising RFPs and contracts.
• Conduct reviews of conflicts of interest and other ethics matters, including requests for clearance of secondary employment and other activities by OAG staff, requests for conflict waivers, and applicant/new hire screening.
• Provide guidance on organizational and individual compliance with MD Attorney Rules on Professional Conduct and MD Public Ethics Law.
• Assist in procurement and contracting with outside Assistant Counsel.
• Review and manage response to Public Information Act requests for records of the OAG.
• Provide guidance on OAG organizational compliance with Open Meetings Act.
• Other duties as assigned.
Qualifications
The ideal candidate will have a minimum of 5 years of experience providing advice and counsel to businesses, nonprofits, or government agencies in one or more of the following areas: human resources, procurement and contracting, compliance and risk management, ethics, and public information and access. They will have an outstanding academic record, excellent legal research, writing, and problem-solving skills, and be able to handle a diverse portfolio of work, juggling multiple tasks and responding to urgent situations as needed. They will have an interest in promoting organizational excellence and an inclination toward providing responsive customer service. Current or pending admission to the Maryland Bar, or the present ability to be admitted without examination or by UBE transfer, is required.
Application Process
Interested persons should submit a cover letter, resume, and writing sample in PDF format to Peter Berns, General Counsel, via email to pberns@oag.state.md.us by close of business on Wednesday, April 17, 2024. Please write “Assistant General Counsel Application” in the subject line.
