Environmental Court Staff Attorney

JOB PURPOSE AND OVERVIEW

The Franklin County Environmental Court is the only environmental court in the State of Ohio.  The jurisdiction of the Environmental Division includes criminal and civil cases, and there is no monetary limit on the civil cases that fall within the Environmental Division’s exclusive jurisdiction.  The Environmental Division has civil injunctive powers, and exclusive jurisdiction to enforce local codes and regulations affecting real property, such as fire and building codes.  Additionally, the Division has exclusive criminal jurisdiction over matters including but not limited to animal cruelty, animal fighting, animal confinement, pollution, property maintenance, wildlife, zoning, graffiti, and overweight trucks.  The Division has concurrent felony jurisdiction with the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas. 

The Environmental Court Staff Attorney provides substantive legal research and analysis, drafting, and writing of opinions, entries, and memoranda for the Judge of the Environmental Court.  The Staff Attorney will also provide substantive legal research and analysis, drafting, and writing of opinions, entries, and memoranda, as needed and assigned by the Legal Director, for the Municipal Court General Division Judges. The Staff Attorney may also provide legal opinions, reports, and other documents for the Court Administrator, Municipal Court General Division Judges, and Department Managers on administrative and procedural matters. The Staff Attorney will work closely with the Environmental Division bailiffs, environmental specialists, and other staff in a team atmosphere and will report directly to the Environmental Magistrate under the ultimate direction of the Environmental Judge.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND FUNCTIONS OF THE POSITION

1. Provide expert legal assistance to the Environmental Division staff and parties before the Court on code enforcement, environmental, building, zoning, housing, and other substantive legal matters.
2. Research statutory law, case law, and procedure germane to civil and criminal matters pending before the court; use online and hard copy research sources; compose/draft decisions and/or entries; proofread and edit the Judge’s decisions/entries.
3. Draft decisions and entries related to motions and other requests pending before the court; categorize, file, and remove from files draft copies of decisions.
4. Attend hearings to take notes and begin research or drafting of opinions and orders.
5. May cover status conferences related to motion practice, discovery, etc.; conduct civil pre-trials; resolve disputes in civil matters with respect to continuances, discovery issues, case management issues, or other topics as assigned.
6. Receive and respond to questions via telephone, email, or live requests regarding civil cases.
7. Identify, maintain, prioritize, and process pending motions.
8. Assist in scheduling hearings, conferences, and meetings.
9. Edit jury instructions in civil and criminal cases.
10. Review legislation that affects the Environmental Court and advise the Court of any policy or procedural changes that are necessary.
11. Advise the Environmental Court Judge, Municipal Court Judges, Court Administrator, and Department Managers regarding new legal developments and application of current law to Court procedures.
12. Perform research and provide legal advice to court staff on policies and procedures that may have effects for other roles within the Court.
13. Assist in docket maintenance and record keeping.
14. Attend professional seminars and conferences.
15. May be asked to attend community meetings and events to present information and literature regarding the Court to community stakeholders.
16. May be assigned to other duties in other departments of the Court if needed.
17. Perform additional legal research and writing tasks, as needed and as assigned by the Legal Director, for the Municipal Court General Division Judges.
18. Perform other related duties as required by the Environmental Judge or Magistrate.

PART TIME MAGISTRATE FUNCTION

From time to time there may be a need for the staff attorney to serve as Environmental Magistrate if called upon by the Court or when the need arises.  In such instances, the staff attorney will have the same duties and responsibilities as the Environmental Magistrate when adjudicating cases on behalf of the Division.  The staff attorney will be required to complete all magistrate training, continuing legal education and registration procedures as required by the State of Ohio.

QUALIFICATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS

1. A bachelor’s degree and a law degree from accredited colleges or universities.
2. Admitted to the practice of law in the State of Ohio and in good standing.
3. Engaged in the practice of law for at least four years and be in good standing with the Supreme Court of Ohio at the time of appointment.
4. Knowledge of environmental civil and criminal law, practice, and procedure.
5. Excellent legal research and writing skills research and experience writing legal documents such as pleadings, opinions, entries, and memoranda.
6. Ability to identify and analyze legal issues, and to identify relevant facts, statutes, rules, and legal precedent.
7. Ability to prioritize work, work independently without daily supervision, perform a variety of duties, and manage a variety of projects simultaneously in a high-pressure atmosphere under severe time constraints.
8. Must have good time-management skills and be highly organized and detail-oriented.
9. Ability to communicate verbally effectively and professionally and in writing in English to diverse audiences.
10. Pleasant personality and ability to develop and maintain effective working relationships with judges, other elected officials, Court employees, law enforcement officers, lawyers, outside agencies, businesses, and the general public.
11. Ability to maintain sensitive and confidential information.
12. Creativity and ability to conceive and implement innovative approaches to solve problems and meet objectives.
13. Proficiency in operating a personal computer and using, or being able to learn, Microsoft Office products such as Word, Outlook, and Excel, and CourtView 2000.
14. Conscious of and sensitive to the diversity within the Court’s jurisdiction and ability to interact professionally with this diverse population of people from many different geographic, socioeconomic, religious, racial, and ethnic backgrounds on a regular basis.
15. Professional appearance and demeanor appropriate for the position and expected of a representative of public officials.
16. Demonstrated dependability, reliability, and excellent attendance record.
17. Good time-management skills, ability to prioritize work, and ability to work under time constraints.
18. Patience, objectivity, maturity, effectiveness under stress, initiative, adaptability, leadership, and sound judgment.

Additional consideration will be given to applicants who have any of the following qualifications: experience in environmental law, as a judicial law clerk, staff attorney, prosecutor, public defender, or in the private practice of law; previous experience in the Franklin County Municipal Court; previous supervisory experience; the ability to speak and write Spanish or a language commonly used by people of Somalia for whom English is a second language; or proficiency in American Sign Language (ASL).

The qualifications and requirements listed above are guidelines for selection purposes.  Alternative qualifications may be substituted if considered by the Court to be sufficient to demonstrate the ability to perform the essential duties of the position.

BENEFITS

The Franklin County Municipal Court offers an excellent benefits package that includes medical, prescription, vision, dental and life insurance; short-term disability; generous vacation, sick and personal leave; 11 paid holidays; longevity service payments; sick-leave reciprocity; employee-assistance and deferred-compensation programs; tuition reimbursement; and credit-union membership.

Court employees are members of the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System, which that provides retirement, disability, and survivor benefits for public employees. The Court pays the required employer’s share of 14 percent of the employee’s salary. Court employees do not have Social Security taxes withheld from their paychecks because they are members of OPERS.

COURT EXPECTATIONS OF EMPLOYEE

In completing the duties and responsibilities of the position, the Court expects the incumbent will adhere to all court policies, guidelines, practices, and procedures; act as a role model both inside and outside the Court; perform duties as workload necessitates in a timely, accurate and thorough manner and be conscientious about meeting department productivity standards; and communicate regularly with supervisor about department issues.

AT-WILL EMPLOYMENT

Employees of the Court are at-will employees and serve at the pleasure of the Court; they are not in the classified civil service system and are not members of bargaining units.  The Court is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, gender, religion, race, color, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, or disability.