Attorney IV

Agency
Dept of Commerce

Division
Utilities-Public Staff

Job Classification Title
Attorney IV (NS)

Position Number


Grade
LG09

Description of Work
Start your journey towards success and unleash your potential to make an impact!

The NC Public Staff is currently accepting applications for the Attorney IV - Wake County.

This position will be in the Legal Division of the Public Staff. The primary purpose of the Staff Attorney position is to provide legal advice and representation to the Executive Director, members of the Public Staff, and the using and consuming public in matters involving the rates and service of electric utilities, natural gas utilities, water and sewer utilities, communications service providers, ferry operators, and movers of household goods.

Cases range in significance and complexity from rate increases for small water and sewer utilities serving as few as 15 residences to major electric and natural gas utility rate cases and corporate mergers involving millions of customers and hundreds of millions and sometimes billions of dollars.

This job opening is for an attorney to work in the Electric Section of the Legal Division on matters involving the provision of electric utility service. However, the attorney may be assigned to matters involving other types of utility service as needed.

Within the Public Staff, the primary purpose of the Legal Division is:
(1) to provide legal representation of the Public Staff and the using and consuming public in formal proceedings before the Utilities Commission, appellate courts, and federal regulatory agencies,

(2) to provide legal and policy advice on issues related to public utility regulation to the Executive Director and other members of the Public Staff and, upon request, members of the General Assembly, other governmental bodies, the general public, and entities that provide public utility service in North Carolina.

This is a full-time position (40 hours per week) with State Benefits, including health insurance, as well as retirement pursuant to State Policy.

Applicants invited to interview will be required to provide a writing sample. The writing sample must be the applicant's original work and should demonstrate legal analysis, clarity of written communication, and the ability to present complex information in an organized and persuasive manner.

Acceptable samples include judicial decisions, administrative law decisions, legal memoranda, briefs, motions, or other comparable legal documents authored solely by the applicant. Samples should be submitted electronically prior to the interview, should have original formatting and content intact, and should be no more than 15 pages.

Incentives of NC State Employment
We value our employees and offer a wide variety of competitive and family-friendly benefits.

Benefits to include:
• 12 Annual Paid Holidays and monthly accrual of vacation and sick leave.
• North Carolina State Health Plan currently administered by Aetna.
• Supplemental Benefits including Flexible Spending Accounts, Accident Insurance, Cancer & Specified Disease, Critical Illness, Dental, and Vision.
• NC State Retirement (TSERS), 401(k), and 457 savings plans.
• WeSave Employee Discounts.• Eligibility for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program.

Learn more about new hire resources, safety, health, and wellness information, leave options, employee discounts and more by selecting the link below: https://oshr.nc.gov/state-employee-resources/benefits

Note to Current State Employees

The salary grade for this position is LG09. State employees are encouraged to apply for positions of interest even if the salary grade is the same as, or lower than, their current position. If selected for this position, a new salary will be recalculated taking into consideration the quantity of relevant education and experience, funding availability, and internal equity. Based upon those factors, a pay increase MAY result.

Knowledge Skills and Abilities/Management Preferences

This is an anctipated vacancy.

Recruitment Range: $96,513 - $145,885

Important: This posting closes at 11:59:59 PM the night BEFORE the End Date above

Management Preferences - Optional: These skills are not required but managers may choose to interview/select applicants who demonstrate Management Preferences.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

Utility Regulation

• Knowledge or experience that will enable a rapid understanding of case, statutory, regulatory, and common law and policy governing the regulation of public utilities in North Carolina and the role of the Public Staff in the regulatory process.

Research and Analytical Skills

• The ability to gather and synthesize relevant information, recognize legal and policy implications, and recommend appropriate solutions and courses of action.

Litigation Skills

• Knowledge or experience that will enable rapid development of litigation skills, including the ability to identify legal and factual issues, develop legal positions and strategies, deliver oral arguments, conduct discovery, and present and cross-examine expert witnesses in cases before the Utilities Commission.
• Knowledge or experience that will enable rapid development of appellate advocacy skills, including the ability to prepare persuasive briefs and present effective oral argument in novel and complex cases.

Communication Skills

• The ability to express legal concepts and related facts in a clear, concise, and persuasive manner both orally and in writing, to draft statutes and rules dealing with utility regulation and energy related issues, and to make public presentations.

Education and Experience Requirements

APPLICANTS MUST MEET THE EDUCATIONAL AND EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENT IN ORDER TO QUALIFY FOR THIS POSITION.

Some state job postings say you can qualify by an "equivalent combination of education and experience." If that language appears below, then you may qualify through EITHER years of education OR years of directly related experience, OR a combination of both. See the OSHR Guide for details.

Licensed to practice law by the North Carolina State Bar and four years of progressively responsible professional legal experience.

NOTE: GS 114-2 and 114-6 make it the duty of the Attorney General of NC to represent the State of North Carolina in all litigation unless another statute specifically states otherwise.

Supplemental and Contact Information

About the Public Staff
The Public Staff is an independent agency created in 1977 to review, investigate, and make appropriate recommendations to the North Carolina Utilities Commission with respect to the reasonableness of rates charged and adequacy of service provided by any public utility and with respect to the consistency with the public policy of assuring an energy supply adequate to protect the public health and safety. The Public Staff shall intervene on behalf of the using and consuming public in all Commission proceedings affecting rates or service.

The Public Staff will also:

• Petition the Commission to initiate proceedings when in the public interest;
• Participate in all certificate applications and assist the Commission in analysis;
• Make recommendations to the Commission with respect to standards, regulations, or practices;
• Investigate formal and informal complaints affecting the using and consuming public;
• Participate in all proceedings for franchise transfers, mergers, and consolidations of public utilities;
• Review, investigate, and recommend action to the Commission regarding affiliate contracts.

Minimum Education and Experience

Some state job postings say you can qualify by an "equivalent combination of education and experience." If that language appears below, then you may qualify through EITHER years of education OR years of directly related experience, OR a combination of both. See the Education and Experience Equivalency Guide for details.