Senior Staff Attorney at Uplift Education

Primary Purpose:
Subject to the discretion of the Chief Legal Officer, the Senior Staff Attorney is responsible for providing day-to-day legal representation and guidance on all legal matters to Uplift Education leadership and ensures compliance with local, state, and federal laws and regulations. Likewise, this role serves as Uplift Education’s Title IX Coordinator, and 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 network initiatives and objectives.
• Provide legal advice and guidance to the Chief Executive Officer, C-Suite, Board of Trustees, and network administrators on issues related to Texas school law, employment and labor, IDEA and section 504, Title IX, scholar discipline, public information requests, open meetings, FERPA, contracts, memoranda of understanding (MOUs), policies, and all other legal issues.
• Serve as the network Title IX Coordinator, the responsibilities of which include, but are not limited to, supervising the network Title IX Investigator, and drafting, and training staff and administrators on, Title IX processes and procedures.
• Manage network responses to state and federal agencies, such as the TEA, EEOC, the Department of Education, and Offices of Civil Rights, including but not limited to, document collection, drafting position statements and responses to complaints, and the like.
• Responsible for responding to all requests for public information pursuant to the Texas Public Information Act.
• Draft, review, and negotiate contracts, memoranda of understanding (MOUs), and other legal documents.
• Assist in the development and review of district policies and administrative regulations to ensure legal compliance and risk mitigation.
• Support the Chief Legal Officer in managing litigation and coordinating with outside counsel as needed.
• Represent or assist in the representation of the district in administrative proceedings, grievance hearings, and due process hearings.
• Conduct legal research and prepare legal opinions, briefs, and memoranda on complex legal issues.
• Provide regular training to staff and administrators on relevant legal topics.
• Monitor changes in legislation, regulations, and case law that may impact the district and assist in policy updates accordingly.
• In partnership with the relevant network departments, investigate legal claims and complaints, such as allegations of employee misconduct, discrimination, and the like.
• Attend all regular and special meetings of the Board of Trustees.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Chief Legal Officer.

Qualifications:
Education, Experience, and/or Certification(s)

Education Requirements:

• Doctor of Jurisprudence Degree from an accredited law school. License to practice law in the State of Texas and in "good standing.”

Experience Requirements:

• Minimum of six (6) years of experience in private practice representing public schools and/or “in-house” employment with a public school district.
• Ability to successfully complete the Essential Duties and Responsibilities.

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.