What are the responsibilities and job description for the Senior Staff Counsel position at California Department of Industrial Relations?
Job Description And Duties
Office of the Director—Legal Unit
Under general direction of the Chief Counsel of the Office of the Director Legal Unit (OD—Legal), the Assistant Chief Counsels, Attorney IV (Senior Counsel) represent the Director of the Department of Industrial Relations, the Department, and division chiefs and managers in a variety of subject areas within the responsibility and jurisdiction of the Department. Senior Counsel are expected to perform the more complex, novel, difficult and sensitive legal work of the unit, and to have a high level of experience, strong technical lawyering skills, and subject matter expertise in one or more areas of the Department's responsibility. Duties include but are not limited to: representing the Department, Director, or one of DIR's divisions in civil and writ litigation, including litigation involving constitutional issues; representing the Department in internal personnel matters; representing the Director of DIR in workers’ compensation cases involving special funds administered by the Director; analyzing requests for public works coverage determinations and drafting proposed decisions for the Director's review; serving as a hearing officer in appeals from assessments for prevailing wage violations and drafting proposed decisions for the Director's review; providing counsel on apprenticeship matters; analyzing and drafting recommended decisions in appeals from retaliation complaint investigations; providing analysis and advice concerning Public Records Act requests; analyzing and drafting proposed legislation; providing legal services with respect to contract matters involving the Department; drafting proposed regulations; and providing legal services on a wide variety of other issues that may arise in the operation of the Department.
This posting may be used to fill future vacancies in accordance with 2 CCR
https://calcareers.ca.gov/CalHrPublic/Exams/ExamBulletin.aspx?ExamControlId=1581
Effective July 1, 2025, specific Bargaining Units and associated Excluded State employees are subject to a salary reduction between 2% - 4.62% in exchange for hours in the Personal Leave Program 2025 (PLP 2025) per month. For more details, please click her e to visit the California Department of Human Resources (CalHR) website.
You will find additional information about the job in the Duty Statement .
Working Conditions
This position is located in:
Los Angeles, CA
Department of Industrial Relations, Office of the Director --Legal Unit.
This is a full-time permanent position in an office environment on the 18th floor of a 45-story office building located at 355 S. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, California. Employees in this position work in an office at desks, and are required to work extensively on computers as necessary for the drafting of letters, briefs, and other documents, and for research, email communication, file review, training, and other purposes. Attorneys are expected to handle their own word processing, and secretarial support is generally limited to the finalization and filing process. This position requires in-state travel, either locally within Southern California, or for one or two-night overnight trips within California, based on assignments, and as determined according to the needs of the Department.
The hours are usual business hours Monday through Friday. Attorneys are expected to work all hours necessary to accomplish their assignments, and although they will generally average 40 hours a week, longer work hours may occasionally be required. Partial telework schedules are available, which will be determined after consultation with the Assistant Chief Counsel.
Special Requirements
Must be a member of the California Bar and qualified to practice law in California for at least 6 years.
A resume will NOT substitute for a fully-completed State Application.
Please submit a legal writing sample of no more than 10 pages written preferably within the past three years.
Application Instructions
Completed applications and all required documents must be received or postmarked by the Final Filing Date in order to be considered. Dates printed on Mobile Bar Codes, such as the Quick Response (QR) Codes available at the USPS, are not considered Postmark dates for the purpose of determining timely filing of an application.
Final Filing Date: 1/6/2026
Who May Apply
Individuals who are currently in the classification, eligible for lateral transfer, eligible for reinstatement, have list or LEAP eligibility, are in the process of obtaining list eligibility, or have SROA and/or Surplus eligibility (please attach your letter, if available). SROA and Surplus candidates are given priority; therefore, individuals with other eligibility may be considered in the event no SROA or Surplus candidates apply.
Applications will be screened and only the most qualified applicants will be selected to move forward in the selection process. Applicants must meet the Minimum Qualifications stated in the Classification Specification(s).
How To Apply
Complete Application Packages (including your Examination/Employment Application (STD 678) and applicable or required documents) must be submitted to apply for this Job Posting. Application Packages may be submitted electronically through your CalCareer Account at www.CalCareers.ca.gov. When submitting your application in hard copy, a completed copy of the Application Package listing must be included. If you choose to not apply electronically, a hard copy application package may be submitted through an alternative method listed below:
Address for Mailing Application Packages
You may submit your application and any applicable or required documents to:
Department of Industrial Relations
Cert Mailing Address Sacramento
Attn: Certifications Unit
2180 Harvard Street Suite 160
Sacramento , CA 95815
Address for Drop-Off Application Packages
You may drop off your application and any applicable or required documents at:
Department of Industrial Relations
Cert Drop Off Address Sacramento
2180 Harvard Street Suite 160
Sacramento , CA 95815
08:00 AM - 04:00 PM
Required Application Package Documents
The following items are required to be submitted with your application. Applicants who do not submit the required items timely may not be considered for this job:
Equal Opportunity Employer
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.
Office of the Director—Legal Unit
Under general direction of the Chief Counsel of the Office of the Director Legal Unit (OD—Legal), the Assistant Chief Counsels, Attorney IV (Senior Counsel) represent the Director of the Department of Industrial Relations, the Department, and division chiefs and managers in a variety of subject areas within the responsibility and jurisdiction of the Department. Senior Counsel are expected to perform the more complex, novel, difficult and sensitive legal work of the unit, and to have a high level of experience, strong technical lawyering skills, and subject matter expertise in one or more areas of the Department's responsibility. Duties include but are not limited to: representing the Department, Director, or one of DIR's divisions in civil and writ litigation, including litigation involving constitutional issues; representing the Department in internal personnel matters; representing the Director of DIR in workers’ compensation cases involving special funds administered by the Director; analyzing requests for public works coverage determinations and drafting proposed decisions for the Director's review; serving as a hearing officer in appeals from assessments for prevailing wage violations and drafting proposed decisions for the Director's review; providing counsel on apprenticeship matters; analyzing and drafting recommended decisions in appeals from retaliation complaint investigations; providing analysis and advice concerning Public Records Act requests; analyzing and drafting proposed legislation; providing legal services with respect to contract matters involving the Department; drafting proposed regulations; and providing legal services on a wide variety of other issues that may arise in the operation of the Department.
This posting may be used to fill future vacancies in accordance with 2 CCR
- 249.3
https://calcareers.ca.gov/CalHrPublic/Exams/ExamBulletin.aspx?ExamControlId=1581
Effective July 1, 2025, specific Bargaining Units and associated Excluded State employees are subject to a salary reduction between 2% - 4.62% in exchange for hours in the Personal Leave Program 2025 (PLP 2025) per month. For more details, please click her e to visit the California Department of Human Resources (CalHR) website.
You will find additional information about the job in the Duty Statement .
Working Conditions
This position is located in:
Los Angeles, CA
Department of Industrial Relations, Office of the Director --Legal Unit.
This is a full-time permanent position in an office environment on the 18th floor of a 45-story office building located at 355 S. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, California. Employees in this position work in an office at desks, and are required to work extensively on computers as necessary for the drafting of letters, briefs, and other documents, and for research, email communication, file review, training, and other purposes. Attorneys are expected to handle their own word processing, and secretarial support is generally limited to the finalization and filing process. This position requires in-state travel, either locally within Southern California, or for one or two-night overnight trips within California, based on assignments, and as determined according to the needs of the Department.
The hours are usual business hours Monday through Friday. Attorneys are expected to work all hours necessary to accomplish their assignments, and although they will generally average 40 hours a week, longer work hours may occasionally be required. Partial telework schedules are available, which will be determined after consultation with the Assistant Chief Counsel.
Special Requirements
Must be a member of the California Bar and qualified to practice law in California for at least 6 years.
A resume will NOT substitute for a fully-completed State Application.
Please submit a legal writing sample of no more than 10 pages written preferably within the past three years.
Application Instructions
Completed applications and all required documents must be received or postmarked by the Final Filing Date in order to be considered. Dates printed on Mobile Bar Codes, such as the Quick Response (QR) Codes available at the USPS, are not considered Postmark dates for the purpose of determining timely filing of an application.
Final Filing Date: 1/6/2026
Who May Apply
Individuals who are currently in the classification, eligible for lateral transfer, eligible for reinstatement, have list or LEAP eligibility, are in the process of obtaining list eligibility, or have SROA and/or Surplus eligibility (please attach your letter, if available). SROA and Surplus candidates are given priority; therefore, individuals with other eligibility may be considered in the event no SROA or Surplus candidates apply.
Applications will be screened and only the most qualified applicants will be selected to move forward in the selection process. Applicants must meet the Minimum Qualifications stated in the Classification Specification(s).
How To Apply
Complete Application Packages (including your Examination/Employment Application (STD 678) and applicable or required documents) must be submitted to apply for this Job Posting. Application Packages may be submitted electronically through your CalCareer Account at www.CalCareers.ca.gov. When submitting your application in hard copy, a completed copy of the Application Package listing must be included. If you choose to not apply electronically, a hard copy application package may be submitted through an alternative method listed below:
Address for Mailing Application Packages
You may submit your application and any applicable or required documents to:
Department of Industrial Relations
Cert Mailing Address Sacramento
Attn: Certifications Unit
2180 Harvard Street Suite 160
Sacramento , CA 95815
Address for Drop-Off Application Packages
You may drop off your application and any applicable or required documents at:
Department of Industrial Relations
Cert Drop Off Address Sacramento
2180 Harvard Street Suite 160
Sacramento , CA 95815
08:00 AM - 04:00 PM
Required Application Package Documents
The following items are required to be submitted with your application. Applicants who do not submit the required items timely may not be considered for this job:
- Current version of the State Examination/Employment Application STD Form 678 (when not applying electronically), or the Electronic State Employment Application through your Applicant Account at www.CalCareers.ca.gov. All Experience and Education relating to the Minimum Qualifications listed on the Classification Specification should be included to demonstrate how you meet the Minimum Qualifications for the position.
- Resume is optional. It may be included, but is not required.
- Other - Legal writing sample is required. Please see Special Requirements section of the posting for instructions on the Legal writing sample.
Equal Opportunity Employer
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.
Salary : $11,993 - $16,096