Job Description

Assistant Counsel – Public Safety

Location: Albany, NY or New York, NY

Salary Range: $170,000-$200,000

The Executive Chamber is seeking a highly motivated and experienced attorney to serve as the Assistant Counsel for Public Safety. The Assistant Counsel serves under the general supervision of the Counsel to the Governor and Deputy Counsels and will act as liaison to state agencies in the public safety portfolio, criminal justice stakeholders, and legislative staff, responsible for crafting and implementing public safety policy.

The public safety portfolio includes all matters related to substantive criminal law and criminal procedure, as well as corrections, cybersecurity, and the military. As part of managing this portfolio, you are expected to be responsible for the following agencies, subject to assignment by the Counsel: Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS), New York State Police, Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS), Board of Parole, State Commission of Correction (SCOC), Division of Military and Naval Affairs (DMNA), and the Commission of Prosecutorial Conduct.

To succeed in this role, you must be a leader, strong writer and communicator, and facilitator of a collaborative environment. You must be able to identify legal issues and risk across various units and operations. You must possess excellent time management and organizational skills and be able to oversee a wide range of priorities and competing tasks. You must be able to exercise impeccable judgment in a high-stress and fast paced environment.

Routine travel between NYC and Albany offices required, frequently overnight, and as often as weekly.

Specific Duties Include:

• Serve as the legal subject matter expert for criminal law, corrections, and the military for the Executive Chamber.
• Serve as liaison to stakeholders in the criminal justice space, including law enforcement, prosecutors, the criminal defense bar, and policy advocates.
• Serve as liaison between the Executive Chamber and each agency counsel in the public safety portfolio.
• Provide strategic legal counseling and subject matter expertise to address the needs of your agency counsels relating to legislation, budget making, rulemaking, litigation, and operations.
• Lead, manage, develop, and collaborate with your agencies on the planning, drafting, reviewing, and negotiation of legislation and creation of policy.
• Advise, guide, and collaborate with agency counsels and the Office of the Attorney General or outside counsel on litigation.
• Collaborate with agency counsels to proactively identify and mitigate risk and ensure integrity.
• Provide programmatic legal support to agency counsels to ensure accuracy and timely implementation of policies, responses to issues, and programs, consistent with the Governor’s priorities.
• Develop and maintain strong working relationships with the State Operations team for the public safety portfolio to ensure seamless operations of the portfolio’s agencies.
• Develop and maintain strong working relationships with outside organizations, experts, advocates, and other stakeholders relevant to public safety issues.
• Process, review, investigate, and make recommendations relating to public safety policy, laws, rules, and regulations on both a State and Federal level.
• Conduct legal research and draft memoranda relating to legislation, litigation, operations, and compliance as assigned.
• Report, summarize, and present information to the Governor, senior staff, executive, cross-functional teams, and outside stakeholders.
• Work closely with the Counsel, senior staff, and cross-functional teams in administering programs and initiatives.
• Ensure accuracy in work-product from agencies and cross-functional teams, maintain strong channels of communications, and develop detailed work plans for the public safety portfolio and regularly present them to the Counsel and Deputy Counsels.
• Perform other related duties as assigned by the Counsel or Deputy Counsels.

Minimum Qualifications:

Must have a Juris Doctorate from an accredited law school and be a member in good standing with the New York State Bar, and a minimum of 5 years of relevant post-bar legal work experience. Firsthand experience working with criminal law and the criminal justice system is mandatory, with a strong preference for experience in the New York State system.

Additionally, candidates should have the following knowledge, skills, and abilities:

• Knowledge of applicable local, state, and federal statutes, rules, regulations, internal controls and processes related to criminal justice.
• Knowledge of New York State legislative and budget making process.
• Ability to make excellent judgments, and exercise critical, analytical, and problem-solving skills under pressure and at times with extreme time sensitivity.
• Ability to compile, evaluate and interpret information and data from a variety of information sources.
• Ability to independently act on priority projects.
• Ability to prioritize and complete work assignments in a timely manner.
• Ability to identify the most effective and efficient method to carry out duties.
• Excellent organizational skills to manage a varied and high-volume workload.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills with an attention to detail are required, including the ability to communicate complex information to a lay audience.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills including the ability to interact with colleagues and senior leadership inside and outside the Executive Chamber.
• Excellent case and record management skills with the ability to follow-up as necessary.
• Excellent familiarity with Google and Microsoft software products including Gmail, Google Docs, Sheets, Word, Excel, OneDrive, SharePoint, Power Point and Outlook/Exchange. Strong proficiency in Excel is desired.

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