Staff Counsel

Overview

The Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority is recruiting for a Staff Counsel I to provide in-house legal counsel and services to MRCA Governing Board, MRCA Executive Officer, and other MRCA staff as directed, focused primarily on real property, environmental, employment, land use, law enforcement, and government law. This position requires an individual who is self-motivated, organized, and able to work on several projects simultaneously.

Applications for this position are accepted online at https://(Use the "Apply for this Job" box below). Please contact  if you need an accommodation in the recruitment process. Learn more about joining the MRCA team at

This is a full-time, at-will, exempt position.

The Staff Counsel reports to the Chief Staff Counsel. This position does not supervise other staff.

The following duties are typical for this classification. Successful candidates may not perform all of the listed duties and/or may be required to perform additional or different duties from those set forth below to address business or legal needs and changing practices.

• Oversee and complete acquisitions of real property.
• Review and draft property lease agreements.
• Assist with personnel and human resources issues.
• Review and negotiate contracts for goods and services.
• Assist in enforcement of MRCA Ordinance.
• Coordinate responses to requests for public records.
• Analyze and respond to tort claims and litigation.
• Work with outside legal counsel on litigation and other special projects.
• Make court appearances on behalf of MRCA.
• Attend and represent MRCA at community and other public meetings.
• Complete continuing education as necessary to maintain a working knowledge of real property, environmental, land use, law enforcement, and government law, and any other area of law to effectively provide in-house counsel.
• Research and analyze applicable bills, statutes, and other legal issues, with emphasis on real property, environmental, land use, law enforcement, and government law.
• Other duties and projects as directed.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of the job. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to both remain in a stationary position and travel between multiple buildings as well as remote office locations. The employee is frequently required to understand and communicate with others and utilize close vision abilities, spending extended hours in front of a computer screen.

The employee must occasionally transport, move, and position up to 30 pounds.

Required Hours and Location

This is an exempt, salaried position. The expectation is that the successful candidate will primarily work Monday through Friday, 8 hours per day, 40 hours per week with some scheduling flexibility. Occasional work on evenings or weekends will be required as necessary or as directed. The position is based at the Los Angeles River Center and Gardens (570 West Avenue 26, Los Angeles, CA 90065) but may be required to travel to various agency locations and offsite meeting locations.

Remote work may be accommodated, as necessary.

Public Contact

As public parklands, the majority of MRCA properties are open to the general public during operating hours. This position will have contact with members of the public in public areas such as parking lots and shared public/office restrooms, and during public meetings.

The following generally describes the knowledge and ability required to enter the job and/or be learned within a short period of time in order to successfully perform the essential functions. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential job functions.

Education and Experience

• B.A. or B.S. degree
• J.D. from accredited law school.
• Active membership in State Bar of California.
• Prior experience in the practice of law preferred, but not required.
• Experience in real estate/real property transactions preferred, but not required.
• Familiarity with trials, court hearings, and rules of evidence preferred.
• Ability to communicate effectively verbally and in writing.

Knowledge of

• Common Windows-based programs including word processing, spreadsheets, and databases.
• Online legal resources (Westlaw, Lexis Nexis, etc.).
• Local and state governmental structures and institutions.
• News sources and public affairs on a local, state, and national level.

Ability to

• Prioritize varying tasks and projects and manage multiple projects at once.
• Work independently to handle multiple tasks under deadlines.
• Revise work approach to address changed conditions.
• Complete projects and follow oral and written directions.
• Quickly change tasks and focus.
• Comprehend and analyze legal documents.
• Learn and use Word Perfect and other less common programs.
• Research agency archives and other sources to…