STATE OF CONNECTICUT EXECUTIVE BRANCH JOBS

Staff Attorney 2

Hybrid

Recruitment #240423-0088AR-001

Introduction


Are you looking to advance your career as an Attorney?
If so, we encourage you to apply for this excellent role with the State of Connecticut!

The State of ConnecticutDepartment of Correction (DOC)is recruiting for the position of Staff Attorney 2 to work with the Parole and Community Services Division, located at DOC’s Central Office, in Wethersfield, CT.

What We Can Offer You
  • The opportunity to work for a Forbes top company: 'Forbes' State of Connecticut Ranked One of the Best Employers of 2023 - State of CT Receives National Recognition for Offering Job Growth, Competitive Benefits, and Flexible Schedule
  • A Platinum Healthcare Plan, the nation’s best for state employees and dependents, according to a report by Georgetown’s Center on Health Insurance Reform and article by Ellen Andrews, Ph.D., along with comprehensive benefit offerings
  • Extensive pension plan and supplemental retirement offerings;
  • Paid time off - including 13 paid holidays per calendar year;
  • Professional growth and paid professional development opportunities; and
  • A healthy work-life balance for all employees!
  • Eligibility to apply for Federal Student Loan Forgiveness Program meaning you may be eligible to have qualifying student loans forgiven after 10 years of service. Click here for more information.
Position Highlights
  • This Staff Attorney 2 will advise the Director of Parole and Community Services, as well as other high-level PCS staff, on a variety of legal topics related to parole and other forms of community supervision. 
  • These topics include but are not limited to constitutional law, criminal law, probate law, the Freedom of Information Act, and litigation strategy.
  • The Staff Attorney 2 would work closely with the Office of the Attorney General, assisting with litigating federal and state court cases, and would also directly represent the Division of PCS before administrative agencies, including in probable cause and revocation hearings before the Board of Pardons and Parole.
  • This position would also entail training PCS staff on legal issues and developing and updating internal policies.
  • This position is full-time, first-shift. Schedule is Monday – Friday, between 8:00 am and 4:30 pm.
  • Hybrid work schedule may begin after completion of working test period.
About Us
The Connecticut Department of Correction is a diverse agency with a wide variety of employees from Correction Officers, to Educators, to Managers and Skilled Professionals. We value differences that make us stronger as a team and support our mission statement.

DOC is the agency responsible for corrections in the State of Connecticut. The agency operates 14 correctional facilities. It has its headquarters in Wethersfield. The DOC protects public safety by ensuring offenders serve their sentences of imprisonments in facilities that are safe, human, and provide re-entry programming.

DOC is a unified system; all sentenced and un-sentenced offenders are supervised by the DOC. The Department also provides supervision for offenders on parole, community release, and other discretionary release programs.
 

For an inside look at what it is like to work as a State of Connecticut employee, check out the video below!

Selection Plan

For Assistance in Applying:

To Apply:

  • For current state employees, salary calculations are not necessarily comparable from one of the three branches of state government (i.e., Executive, Legislative, Judicial) to the other.
  • In order to be considered for this job opening, you must meet the Minimum Qualifications as listed on this job opening. You must specify your qualifications on your application.
  • The minimum experience and training requirements must be met by the close date on the job opening, unless otherwise specified.
  • Ensure that your application is complete and detailed before submitting it. In order to comply with Public Act 21-69, the State of Connecticut is no longer asking for resumes during the initial application process. You will not be able to make revisions once your application is submitted into the JobAps system.
  • All application materials must be received by the recruiting agency by the time specified on the job opening for the position for which you are applying. Late applications may not be submitted and will not be considered. Exceptions are rare and limited to documented events that incapacitate a candidate during the entire duration of the job posting time period. It is the candidate’s obligation and responsibility to request an exception and provide a legally recognized justification to accommodate such exception. Requests should be made to DAS.SHRM@ct.gov.

Important Information After You Apply:

  • This posting may require completion of additional referral questions (RQs). You can access these RQs via an email that will be sent to you after the posting's closing date or by visiting your JobAps Personal Status Board (Certification Questionnaires section). Your responses to these RQs must be submitted by the questionnaire's expiration date. Please regularly check your email and JobAps Personal Status Board for notifications. Please check your SPAM and/or Junk folders on a daily basis in the event an email provider places auto-notification emails in a user's spam.
  • Although applicants will receive correspondence via email, as a backup they are also encouraged to sign on to their Personal Status Board on a daily basis to monitor their status, view all emailed notices and complete tasks required in the recruitment process.
  • Note: At any point during the recruitment process, applicants may be required to submit additional documentation which support their qualification(s) for this position. These documents may include: a cover letter, resume, performance reviews, attendance records, supervisory references, licensure, etc., at the discretion of the hiring agency.

Should you have any questions pertaining to this recruitment, please contact Nicholas Naples at Nicholas.Naples@ct.gov.

PURPOSE OF JOB CLASS (NATURE OF WORK)

In a state agency this class is accountable for independently performing a full range of tasks in the legal work of the agency.

EXAMPLES OF DUTIES

  • Provide legal advice to high level PCS officials on a variety of legal topics.
  • Review and draft internal policies.
  • Conduct training sessions for PCS staff on a variety of legal issues.
  • Represent parole officers at probable cause and revocation hearings before the Board of Pardons and Parole.
  • Prepare staff for hearings before the Board of Pardons and Parole.
  • Collaborate with the Office of the Attorney General on litigation, including discovery, settlement conferences, and trial strategy.
  • Appear on behalf of the Department (specifically the Division of PCS) and its employees in probate court and before administrative entities such as the Freedom of Information Commission, the Commission of Human Rights and Opportunities, the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission, and the Board of Pardons and Parole.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILL AND ABILITY

  • Considerable knowledge of
    • legal principles, practices and procedures in Connecticut; 
    • legal research techniques; 
    • the Uniform Administrative Procedures Act; 
    • and the ability to interpret and apply relevant state and federal laws, statutes, regulations and legislation; 
    • relevant agency policies and procedures; 
  • Knowledge of
    • the rules of evidence; 
    • criminal and constitutional law and legislative process; 
  • Considerable
    • interpersonal skills; 
    • oral and written communication skills; 
  • Considerable ability to
    • apply judicial decisions to the interpretation of statutes; 
    • comprehend, analyze and organize technical data and coordinate elements of legal cases.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - GENERAL EXPERIENCE

Two (2) years of experience in the practice of law.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

  • Experience in all aspects of civil litigation, including, but not limited to, discovery.
  • Experience with one or more of the following agencies: Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities (CHRO), Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), Freedom of Information Commission (FOIC), Department of Labor (DOL). 
  • Excellent oral, written, and interpersonal skills. Examples include:
    • Written: Ability to write persuasively and clearly about legal topics for both attorneys/judges and non-attorneys. Ability to produce a polished final written product that requires little editing by others (i.e., written clearly, free from grammar and spelling errors, in a forum appropriate to the forum).  Ability to write legal briefs/legal opinion memos.
    • Oral Communication: Ability to argue/present ideas persuasively before judge, fact finder, hearing officer, arbitrator, etc. Ability to present a case in an administrative forum (examine, cross examine a witness, present evidence, present opening/closing arguments). Ability to assert point of view at a meeting (either internal or external to the agency) and ask appropriate questions. Ability to convey legal concepts to a non-attorney audience.
    • Interpersonal Skills: Ability to maintain good relationships with co-workers, employees of other agencies, judges, advocates, etc. Ability to work well in both a team environment (supporting leaders, co-workers, and subordinates) as well as independently. Ability to interact professionally even when dealing with confrontational individuals.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

  • Incumbents in this class must be admitted to practice law in the State of Connecticut.
  • Incumbents in this class may be required to travel.

Conclusion

AN AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

The State of Connecticut is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and strongly encourages the applications of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

As defined by Sec. 5-196 of the Connecticut General Statutes, a job class is a position or group of positions that share general characteristics and are categorized under a single title for administrative purposes.  As such, a job class is not meant to be all-inclusive of every task and/or responsibility.


Click on a link below to apply for this position:

Fill out the Supplemental Questionnaire and Application NOW using the Internet.