General Counsel; West Palm

Must be eligible to practice law in Florida and be an active member in good standing with the Florida Bar.

General Counsel Job Description

The General Counsel will provide direct, professional legal counsel and representation to the Supervisor of Elections, the Canvassing Board, and elections staff on legal matters affecting the office and the elections process. The General Counsel will be responsible for the 1-2 person Legal Department (non-lawyers, except for the GC) and oversee litigation and administrative law hearings, outside counsel, and ensure compliance with the election code and all other applicable laws, rules, ordinances, and Directives, Advisory Opinions and Attorney General Opinions applicable to the office’s operations.

The General Counsel will report directly to the Supervisor of Elections and be part of a group of directors and managers that advises the Supervisor and makes critical decisions about the office and about each election. He or she will also play a critical role in shepherding the organization through mindset shifts and structural changes to best serve its voters.

As with other senior management, the General Counsel will primarily work at the Main Office of the Supervisor of Elections in West Palm Beach, traveling to other sites as needed.

• Knowledge of applicable federal, state, and local legislation, statutes, rules, and procedures, specifically including the Florida Election Code, Florida Sunshine Laws, Florida Public Records Law, Address Confidentiality Program, National Voter Registration Act, Uniform and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, and Help America Vote Act, as well as applicable case law, Directives, Advisory Opinions and Attorney General Opinions.
• Legal experience in election law, and in support of public officials including in the areas of the Florida Sunshine Law and the Florida Public Records Law.
• A proven record of effectively planning, organizing, and using resources and systems to provide top-notch legal services to an administration and governing body in a public agency ∙ Success leading effective teams and individuals, managing organizational change, and initiating key innovations.
• Experience with electronic legal research, legal matter management both in-house and utilizing outside counsel/of-counsel, and document management.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to convey complex information to a variety of audiences (e.g., judges, elected officials, voters, candidates, large groups, staff meetings, executive briefings, public board meetings, memos).
• Strong analytic and systems thinking necessary to form strategies and adopt or recommend effective courses of action.
• Ability to maintain an apolitical mindset and outward presentation, and to provide politically neutral legal representation to ensure fair and lawful voting opportunities for all Palm Beach County voters and candidates.

• Proactively advise and provide technical expertise, information, and assistance to the Supervisor and staff with legal implications, and in formulating and developing policies, procedures, and programs to support responsible legal management controls or corrective action.
• Direct the day-to-day operations and work processes of the Legal Department, including the preparation and rendering of legal opinions upon request, reviewing existing and pending legislation related to election administration, interpreting, applying and explaining rules, regulations policies and procedures to a variety of stakeholders, and maintaining accurate reports and documentation related to office legal matters.
• Lead the preparation of litigation and administrative law hearings, including the preparation of pleadings, trial, and appellate briefs, negotiations between parties, the conduct of trials and hearings at the level of original jurisdiction or on appeal, and other court appearances to effectively represent the interests of the office as directed by the Supervisor of Elections.
  
  When utilizing outside counsel/of-counsel, determine which professional(s) to engage, provide documents, identify necessary…