Staff Attorney bei Uplift Education

Primary Purpose:Subject to the discretion of the Chief Legal Officer, the Staff Attorney is responsible for providing legal representation, counsel, and guidance on all legal matters to Uplift Education (“Uplift”) and ensures compliance with local, state, and federal laws, regulations, and Uplift policy.  This role executes all projects and assignments as directed by the Chief Legal Officer. 

Duties/Responsibilities:

• Assist the Chief Legal Officer in ensuring the operations of the Legal Team are in alignment with Uplift initiatives and objectives.
  • Provide legal advice and counseling to Uplift regarding the full spectrum of labor and employment issues and other assigned matters, including but not limited to:
    • Wage and hour, ADA, FMLA, discrimination/retaliation/harassment laws, discipline, terminations, evaluations, investigations, benefits, and immigration;
    • Advise Uplift during personnel related decision-making processes;
    • Advise on and assist with the development and modification of personnel related templates, regulations, policies, standard operating procedures, protocols, best practices, training, guidance and communications;
    • Identify and assess legal risks, opportunities and relevant changes or emerging trends within the labor and employment area and advise accordingly;
    • Provide training to clients and stakeholders on legal compliance, policies and procedures.
    • Manage all aspects of assigned labor and employment litigation case load and other assigned litigation, agency actions, and grievances;
    • Conduct investigations and draft reports regarding the same;
    • Draft responses to charges of discrimination filed with state and federal agencies; and,
    • Engage with opposing counsel as needed.
  • Provide legal advice and counseling to Uplift on other legal issues and assigned matters, including but not limited to:
    • IDEA and Section 504,
    • Title IX,
    • Scholar discipline,
    • Public Information Act,
    • Open Meetings Act,
    • FERPA,
    • Contracts (drafting, reviewing, negotiating, and the like),
    • Policies, administrative regulations, rules, and the like,
    • Manage Uplift responses to state and federal agencies, including but not limited to document collection, drafting position statements, responding to complaints, and the like.
  • Conduct legal research and prepare legal opinions, briefs, and memoranda on legal issues.
  • Provide on-going, regular training to Uplift staff and administrators on relevant legal topics.
  • Monitor changes in legislation, regulations, and case law that may impact Uplift and assist in policy updates accordingly.
  • Attend regular and special meetings of the Board of Trustees.
  • Perform all other duties as assigned by the Chief Legal Officer.

Qualifications:
Education Requirements:

• Doctor of Jurisprudence Degree from an accredited law school.

Experience Requirements:

• License to practice law in the State of Texas and in good standing.
• At least 2 years of employment and labor law experience in Texas public education required.

Required Skills/Abilities:
Communication Skills: Ability to read, analyze, and apply common sense understanding and to carry out instructions in written or oral form. Ability to set priorities. Ability to communicate with all levels of personnel, students, and parent
Bilingual Skills: N/A
Technology: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be competent in Microsoft Office applications (Outlook, PowerPoint, Word, and Excel) and have the ability to learn and use other computer software as necessary, as well as have the ability to use basic office equipment.

Physical Demands/Environmental Factors:
Physical Demands: The physical demands described below are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job.

While performing the duties of this position, the employee is regularly required to sit and use the wrists, hands, and/or fingers. The employee is occasionally required to stand, walk, climb, or balance. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus. Work at a desk and computer screen for extended periods of time.

Work Environment: The work environment is representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. The environment requires close proximity to other employees, frequent interruptions, extended periods of time viewing a computer screen, and noise levels from moderate to high. There may be activity from other employees of a distracting nature.