Senior Attorney (NY HELPS)

Duties Description The Senior Attorney duties in Office of General Counsel will include but are not limited to the following:

• Providing legal assistance to the Department of State's Office for New Americans (ONA) on a variety of topics involving immigration law and policy and administration of grants.
• Research and writing, document development and review, contract review, review of related legislation, and staying up to date on changes to immigration and state procurement laws.
• Attendance at external and intra-agency meetings, working directly with ONA's management and staff to stay updated on program activities, and providing advice and assistance to the agency's executive staff on immigration-related matters as needed.

Minimum Qualifications NON-COMPETITIVE MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

NY HELPS:

This title is part of the New York Hiring for Emergency Limited Placement Statewide Program (NY HELPS).

For the duration of the NY HELPS Program, this title may be filled via a non-competitive appointment, which means no examination is required but all candidates must meet the minimum qualifications of the title for which they apply.

At a future date, it is expected employees hired under NY HELPS will have their non-competitive employment status converted to competitive status, without having to compete in an examination. Employees will then be afforded with all the same rights and privileges of competitive class employees of New York State. While serving permanently in an NY HELPS title, employees may take part in any promotion examination for which they are qualified.

The minimum qualifications for Non-Competitive appointment are:

Assistant Attorney 1:
Law school graduation (or other eligibility to take the NYS Bar Examination).

Assistant Attorney 2:
Admission to NYS Bar.

Assistant Attorney 3:
One year as Assistant Attorney 2 or admission to the NYS Bar and one year of subsequent professional legal experience.

Senior Attorney:
Admission to the NYS bar and two years of post-licensure professional legal experience.

55 B/C APPOINTMENT: This position is eligible for 55B/C designation and candidates with 55B/C eligibility are encouraged to apply. Candidates must meet any open competitive minimum qualifications and must submit their current 55B/C eligibility letter along with their application.

COMPETITIVE MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

CIVIL SERVICE LIST APPOINTMENT: Candidates must be reachable on the appropriate Civil Service eligible list.

TRANSFER QUALIFICATIONS: Permanent service in this title or one year of permanent competitive or 55-B/C service in a title SG-16 or higher and otherwise eligible for transfer under Civil Service Law.

A list of titles approved for transfer is available through Civil Service GOT-IT at

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
The preferred candidate will have experience with government grant administration along with experience either providing direct services in immigration law or experience reviewing immigration policy and legislation.

It is essential that candidates clearly and concisely indicate exactly how they meet the above minimum qualifications in their resume. Failure to show how you meet the minimum qualifications above may result in disqualification and removal from consideration.

Additional Comments The Department of State is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We encourage women, people of color, LGBTQ individuals, people with disabilities, members of ethnic minorities, foreign-born residents, and veterans to apply. We celebrate diversity and do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, age, veteran status, disability status, arrest record or criminal conviction history, or any other category protected by law.

We are happy to provide reasonable and religious accommodations during the hiring process for those in need. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please send a request to [email protected].

For new State employees appointed to graded positions, the annual salary is the hiring rate (beginning of the Salary Range) of the position. Promotion salaries are calculated by the NYS Office of the State Comptroller in accordance with NYS Civil Service Law, OSC Payroll rules and regulations and negotiated union contracts.

NOTE ON TELECOMMUTING: The Department of State employees may be approved for a maximum of 50% telecommuting, however, they are required to apply and obtain approval through management in accordance with The Department of State Telecommuting Program Guidelines.

Some positions may require additional credentials or a background check to verify your identity.