DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
CAREER EXECUTIVE ASSIGNMENT
EXAMINATION ANNOUNCEMENT

The State of California is an equal opportunity employer to all, regardless of age, ancestry, color, disability (mental and physical), exercising the right to family care and medical leave, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, military or veteran status, national origin, political affiliation, race, religious creed, sex (includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and related medical conditions), and sexual orientation. It is an objective of the State of California to achieve a drug-free work place. Any applicant for state employment will be expected to behave in accordance with this objective because the use of illegal drugs is inconsistent with the law of the State, the rules governing Civil Service, and the special trust placed in public servants.

DEPARTMENT: DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE RELEASE DATE: Monday, March 30, 2015
POSITION TITLE: Senior Assistant Attorney General, CEA, Opinion Unit FINAL FILING DATE: Tuesday, April 14, 2015
CEA LEVEL: Senior Assistant Attorney General, C.E.A. (5739) EXTENDED FINAL FILING DATE:
SALARY RANGE: $10,481.00 - $12,141.00 / Month BULLETIN ID: 03022015_2

POSITION DESCRIPTION
Reporting directly to the Chief Assistant Attorney General, Civil Law Division, and under the general supervision of the Chief Deputy Attorney General, the Senior Assistant Attorney General plans, organizes and directs the work of the statewide Opinion Unit. The Opinion Unit carries out the Attorney General’s responsibilities under Government Code Section 12519 to provide written opinions to designated public officers on questions of law. The Opinion Unit may also provide other legal analysis for the Office, upon request and as feasible, depending upon the Unit’s capacity to provide such analysis. The Unit performs one of the core functions of the Attorney General’s Office, as opinions generated play a major role in the development of policy and/or law both within the Office, as well as in many other organizations. In addition, the Unit administers quo warranto applications filed by private attorneys pursuant to Code of Civil Procedure sections 803-810. When an application is granted, allowing suit against a public official, the Senior Assistant will direct a member of the Unit who will be assigned to supervise the litigation.

The Senior Assistant serves as the primary legal advisor to the Attorney General and to members of the Legislature, the Governor, the heads of state agencies, District Attorneys, County Counsel, City Attorneys, Sheriffs, and the Judicial Council on questions of law submitted by public officials for the Attorney General’s consideration; develops, establishes, and implements policies and programs related to the interpretation of law in response to inquiries submitted by designated state and local public officials and government agencies; and manages large legal programs which directly impact the public, various State agencies, the Legislature, and the Governor's Office. The Senior Assistant meets and confers with various stakeholder groups throughout California, as well as on a national basis, on behalf of the Attorney General. In addition, the Senior Assistant develops relationships with legislators, legislative staff, and staff counsel; managers and counsel in every kind of state agency; district attorneys; judges, county counsel and county administrators; private counsel; corporate counsel; lobbyists; academics; professional organizations; private-sector experts; and counsel in other states and the federal government, both directly and through the National Association of Attorneys General. The Senior Assistant provides oversight of a team of legal professionals that include Deputy Attorneys General and administrative staff; participates in all phases of the work of the legal professionals; supervises, plans, organizes, directs, reviews and monitors the work of the Opinion Unit; assists subordinate staff in planning for and carrying out the most complex and difficult opinion requests; and has principal responsibility for personnel management and employee utilization within the section. Finally, the Senior Assistant handles a variety of general administrative matters; evaluates performance of Deputy Attorneys General and administrative staff; assists in the recruitment process for new attorneys and support staff; prepares annual budget requests; and performs ongoing programmatic monitoring and reporting functions.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
Membership in The State Bar of California. (Applicants must have active membership in The State Bar before they will be eligible for appointment.) and Ten years of experience performing legal duties, four years of which must been at a level of responsibility equivalent to Deputy Attorney General III. The four years of experience at the Deputy Attorney General III level must be obtained in California state service. Applicants who have completed nine and one-half years of the required total legal experience and three and one-half years of the required experience comparable to the Deputy Attorney General III level may be admitted into the examination but must complete the required 10 years' total legal experience and the four years of experience at the Deputy Attorney General III level before they will be eligible for appointment.)

Experience in the "practice of law" or "performing legal duties" or "legal experience" is defined as only that legal experience acquired after admission to The Bar.

KNOWLEDGE AND ABILITIES
Knowledge of: Scope and character of California statutory law and provisions of the California Constitution; statues and constitutional provisions governing the organization, duties, powers, and conduct of the work of the Attorney General's Office and the Department of Justice; principles of administrative and constitutional law; rules of evidence and conduct of proceedings in trial and appellate courts in California and the United States and before administrative bodies; organization, functions, and processes of the legislative branch; the State's criminal justice system; legal research methods; methods and problems involved in administering the work of a governmental law office; training principles and techniques in the production of motion pictures, television programs and other training materials; principles of supervision and personnel management; Department's equal employment opportunity Program objectives; a manager's role in the equal employment opportunity Program and the processes available to meet equal employment opportunity objectives.

Ability to: Perform and direct legal and programmatic research; plan and direct the activities of a staff of lawyers and other technical personnel; coordinate with other sections of the Department and with local jurisdictions; address an audience effectively; analyze difficult and complex legal problems; and apply legal principles and precedents to particular sets of facts; present statements of fact,law and argument clearly and logically in written and oral form; give advice and assistance as a consultant in a particular field of law; analyze and draft proposed legislative measures; handle difficult legal correspondence; establish and maintain effective communications between legislators, legislative staff members, legislative committees, the Legislative Analyst, professional law enforcement organizations, and other local, State and Federal agencies, and the Department of Justice; win the confidence and respect of members of the legal profession, local law enforcement and criminal justice personnel, and other persons contacted in the course of work; effectively contribute to the Department's equal employment opportunity objectives.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATION(S)
1. Demonstrated leadership ability and the ability to plan, organize, supervise, and properly delegate work as it relates to the activities of a staff of Deputy Attorneys General and administrative staff, located statewide, performing work related to opinion requests.

2. Ability to formulate, interpret and execute formal opinions received by the Attorney General based on an understanding of the applicable administrative, statutory, case and constitutional laws.

3. Ability to interact positively and effectively with high-level agency officials, including staff in the Governor’s Office, regarding interpretation of laws, with diplomacy, tact, and expertise.

4. Ability to consult with staff, supervisors and managers throughout the Department of Justice, including the Solicitor General, the Chief Assistant Attorney General of the Civil Division, the Chief Deputy Attorney General, and the Attorney General in the development and formulation of legal operations and policies.

5. Ability to effectively manage high-level administrative and policy-related issues.

6. Ability and desire to monitor and critically evaluate existing systems, including eliminating or creating new systems, processes and infrastructures designed to promote operational excellence and efficiency while producing a high quality legal work-product and client service.

EXAMINATION INFORMATION
A minimum rating of 70% must be attained to obtain list eligibility. Hiring interviews may be conducted with the most qualified candidates. All candidates will receive written notification of their examination results. The result of this examination will be used only to fill the position of Senior Assistant Attorney General, CEA, Opinion Unit , with the DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE. Applications will be retained for twelve months.

The Results of this examination will be used only to fill this position.

The Examination process will consist of an application, resume, and Statement of Qualifications evaluation. The Statement of Qualifications will be used to evaluate your education and experience as it relates to the "Desirable Qualifications" and may also serve as documentation of each candidate's ability to present information clearly and concisely in writing since this is a critical factor to successful job performance. The Statement of Qualifications may be the only basis for your final score and rank on the eligible list; however, interviews may be conducted as part of the examination process. The resulting eligible list could be used to fill this position for a period of up to twelve months.

FILING INSTRUCTIONS

Interested applicants must submit:

Applications must be submitted by the final filing date to:
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, Office of Human Resources, Testing & Selection Unit
P.O. Box 944255, Sacramento , CA 94244-2550
Jorge Avalos | (916) 327-4187 | jorge.avalos@doj.ca.gov

SPECIAL TESTING
If you have a disability and need special testing arrangements, mark the appropriate box in Part 2 of the "Examination Application." You will be contacted to make specific arrangements.

GENERAL INFORMATION
If you meet the requirements stated in this bulletin, you may take this examination, which is competitive. Possession of the entrance requirements does not assure a place on the eligible list. Your performance in the examination described on this bulletin will be compared with the performance of others who take this test, and all candidates who pass will be ranked according to their scores.

The DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE reserves the right to revise the examination plan to better meet the needs of the service if the circumstances under which this examination was planned change. Such revision will be in accordance with civil service law and rules and all competitors will be notified.

General Qualifications: Candidates must possess essential personal qualifications including integrity, initiative, dependability, good judgment, and ability to work cooperatively with others.

California Relay (Telephone) Service for the Deaf or Hearing Impaired: From TDD phones: (800) 735-2929, from voice phones: (800) 735-2922

Class specs:  http://www.dpa.ca.gov/textdocs/specs/s5/s5739.txt