Senior Assistant General Counsel - Litigation

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JOB DESCRIPTION

POSITION SUMMARY

Counsel will help the Chicago Housing Authority (“CHA”) achieve its mission and goals, primarily by protecting its legal interests. Counsel will represent the CHA in matters litigated in state and federal courts and administrative hearings and will provide advice to client departments. Based on CHA’s needs, representative cases and assignments may include, but are not limited to, the following: personal injury litigation, eviction matters and litigation, administrative hearings and administrative review proceedings, as well as other substantive areas relevant to our practice, as needed, to advance CHA’s interests and goals. Counsel will bring solid litigation experience, a strong skill set and work ethic, a growth mindset, and the ability to work well with others.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Handling all aspects of litigation and related duties, and serving as lead and trial counsel in state and federal court, and in administrative forums.

• Evaluating disputes in the pre-litigation stage to determine appropriate course of action that fairly balances competing interests and facilitates favorable resolution.

• Providing research, analysis, and recommendations on housing related regulations, CHA policies, federal and state law, and municipal ordinances.

• Advising client departments on how to achieve goals in compliance with applicable policies, rules, and law, and leading such initiatives as needed.

• Assisting the Deputy General Counsel and other members of the Office of General Counsel or client departments as needed, including by preparing required reports.

• Handling a diverse range of matters as needed, and making the good faith effort needed to develop the requisite depth of skills, knowledge, and commitment to CHA.

QUALIFICATIONS

This position requires a Juris Doctor degree, admission to the Illinois bar and good standing. The ideal candidate will have a minimum of eight (8) years of substantial litigation experience in one of more areas of need for CHA, e.g., strong experience with personal injury cases and invoking immunities where appropriate. Experience litigating in federal court is a plus.

The ideal candidate will have strong skills in written advocacy, discovery (including expert discovery), trial advocacy, and be proficient in the use of technology to manage case-related responsibilities (e.g., Excel, Adobe, and other software designed to enhance productivity).

Our team is seeking an attorney who will bring integrity; a strong work ethic; strong communication, analytical, and client service skills; sound judgment; a growth mindset; the ability to work cooperatively with supervisors/colleagues/diverse client departments; and a willingness and perseverance to learn new substantive areas and skills.

This is a full-time position with an anticipated work schedule of Mon-Fri, 8:30a - 5:00p. As a professional, the attorney may need to work additional hours, as needed, depending on applicable deadlines and responsibilities.

*Applicants must complete an application and submit a Cover Letter, Resume, and TWO Writing Samples to be considered. Applicants applying on external job sites must apply on the CHA Careers webpage at: CAREERS.THECHA.ORG

BENEFITS AT-A-GLANCE

• Vacation, Sick and Personal, competitive PTO package

• Medical (HMO, PPO, and No employee cost High-Deductible PPO) Dental, Vision, and Life Insurance

• Short-Term and Long-Term Disability Insurance

• Long-Term Care Insurance

• Pet Insurance

• Parking Transit

• Prepaid Legal Services

• Brightstar 529 College Savings Plan

• Identity Theft Protection

• Hospital Indemnity Insurance

• Voluntary Critical Illness Insurance

• Deferred Compensation Plan: Empower 457/401(a) with a 3% employer match

• Pension Plan: CHA makes contributions on behalf of the employee, along with the employee's 3% contribution; 100% vesting occurs after 6 years of continuous employment or opt-out of CHA's Retirement Plan and continues to participate in the Municipal Employees Annuity and Benefit Fund of Chicago

• Hybrid work schedule (position specific) This position may be eligible for remote work following a successful completion of a 90-day probationary period according to CHA’s established policies and procedures.

“Applications will be accepted for 30 days from the date of posting. However, the position may be closed at any point if a sufficient number of qualified applications are received.”

Salary Range: $140,000 - $145,000

Grade: S10

FLSA: Exempt

Union: None