PROGRAM COUNSEL II

Who We Are:

Founded in 1907, the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) is a nonpartisan association that serves as the national forum for the 56 state and territory attorneys general and their staff to collaboratively address issues important to their work and provides resources to support the work they do to enforce state law and the United States Constitution. NAAG fosters an environment of “cooperative leadership,” helping attorneys general respond effectively – individually and collectively – to emerging state and federal issues. NAAG emphasizes service to one another and our community, a commitment to professional excellence, and quality of life for our employees.

The Job Brief:

NAAG’s Program Counsel II is responsible for providing high-quality legal training to state and territory attorney general offices with a predominant focus on managerial and leadership development and training. The Program Counsel II also will serve as a generalist and regularly conduct training on traditional legal skills- and advocacy-based trainings and other substantive trainings, as assigned, to the attorney general community or other government attorneys and staff.

Counsel will cultivate a portfolio dedicated to leadership development in member offices and offer cohesive learning experiences in managerial leadership.  This position will create training programs and resources to assist leaders and managers to maximize organizational and individual performance in attorney general offices. Specifically, the position is responsible for initiating, coordinating, and executing NAAG trainings, serving as lead faculty on trainings, developing new in-person and online courses, conducting research, producing research deliverables, faculty selection and development. Counsel will organize other legal programming that benefits the attorney general community.  Counsel will arrange and conduct government office management reviews. Counsel will serve as an in-house expert on management and leadership and other legal topics that match the professional expertise of the Counsel, particularly involving general litigation, criminal and/or civil law, appellate and trial advocacy, and supervisory and managerial work practices. Counsel will serve as liaison to assigned NAAG Committees as needed. Counsel will assist with developing resources to onboard and develop NTR faculty and attorney general staff generally.

NAAG’s Program Counsel II position will be housed in NAAG’s Training and Research Division (NTR). The NTR Division provides high-quality, non-partisan, and innovative training, research, and other developmental resources to support state and territory attorney general offices (AGOs).  Services offered to NAAG members cover a breadth of subject areas and delivery formats and is a premier national organization for training and research throughout the government legal, law enforcement, and prosecutorial arenas.

Success in this position requires creativity, flexibility, initiative, follow-through, attention to detail, strong oral and written presentation skills, a love for teaching and mentoring, teamwork, patience, relationship-building, and collegiality.  One must value and understand the importance of having a dedicated focus that supports state attorney general offices and similar government partners and works well with changing environments and personalities.

Travel Responsibilities and Reporting Structure:

Significant monthly domestic travel is inherent to this position, possibly including international travel occasionally.

The Program Counsel II will report to the Chief of the NTR Division.

Responsibilities

  - Leadership, Specialized Training, and Faculty Development

• Develop, execute, and serve as supporting and lead Faculty for NAAG trainings and related programs as assigned for attorney general offices, domestically, internationally, and online.
• Serve as lead faculty for NAAG leadership and management training and principal staff for attorney general office management reviews.
• Serve as supporting or lead faculty conducting legal skills trainings, which may include but are not limited to, Trial Advocacy, Motion Practice, Deposition Skills, Negotiation Skills, Evidentiary Foundations and Issues, Legal Writing, Trial Practice, Habeas, and/or E-Discovery.
• Administer the leadership and management portfolio, including serving as a primary point of contact for NAAG and attorney general offices on government human resources practices, management of staff and teams, professional development, and leadership building.
• Develop new leadership and legal skills courses and programs and update existing trainings based on the evolving needs of the attorney general community.
• Create content and materials to supplement NAAG leadership, legal, and other substantive skills and general trainings.
• Assist with creating and curating helpful resources for the NAAG faculty community to develop their teaching and presentation skills.
• Identify and recruit appropriate faculty, speakers, and experts for NTR and other NAAG training and programs.

  - Research

• Conduct research and develop content for the benefit of the attorney general community based on identified portfolios and where support is needed.
• Conduct research to draft articles for publications and other resources on specifically assigned legal areas.
• Write and edit articles and publications in support of the attorney general community.
• Serve as resident expert in legal areas as assigned including leadership development and management and traditional, general litigation.
• Identify research projects and areas based on emerging trends for topics assigned to Counsel’s portfolio.
• Supervise and mentor law clerks on identified research projects and areas upon requests from the attorney general community.

  -  Committee and Attorney General Office Support

• Support NAAG Committees as assigned to include facilitating conference calls, organizing panels or trainings or symposia,   preparing agendas and memos, and following up on action items.
• Support programming for NAAG conferences as assigned including developing substantive content, identifying speakers, and building program agendas.
• Work with NAAG staff, speakers, and faculty to ensure that all trainings and related events and content comport with NAAG procedures.
• Develop grant applications and manage grants as opportunities arise.
• Staff attorney general office working groups serving as organizer, intermediary, and content lead on leadership development, management, onboarding, and related topics or as assigned given needs of the Association and its members.
• Build external partnerships and relationships at the association and government local, state, and national levels to the benefit of the attorney general community.

  - Other Skills and Duties as Needed

• Experience serving as a manager and leader of a government team and can implement programs that align with the needs of attorney general office senior management to support varied staff levels in an attorney general office.
• Proficiency in the general practice of law sufficient to serve as a subject matter expert when called by State Offices of the Attorney General to assist in training and other lawyering skills as needed.
• Work throughout NAAG to ensure workplace effectiveness in furtherance of the NAAG and NTR Strategic Plans, including through team meetings, retreats, and related assignments.
• Improve professional expertise by identifying and attending professional development sessions and  courses that benefit NAAG and its members.
• Possess technological savviness and a willingness to learn the unknown.
• Respond well to being flexible and adaptable and handling unexpected situations quickly.
• Ability to work as a generalist legally and substantively.
• Additional duties and responsibilities as determined by the needs of the Association and its members.

Is this you?

• J.D. degree from an accredited law school required.
•  Active Bar license and membership in good standing in a U.S. jurisdiction.
•  At least seven years of managerial, leadership, and litigation and trial (bench and jury) experience as a government attorney in a dynamic legal environment, preferably that of a state attorney general’s office.
• Experience planning and delivering managerial and leadership and general legal courses and trainings for attorneys, legal practitioners, and government staff.

Location:

• This position may be considered for hybrid or remote work.
• If remote, it will require occasional travel to the NAAG headquarters in Washington, D.C. In addition, travel will be required for meetings, conferences, legal skills trainings, and other necessary Association activities.
• Any permissible remote work must adhere to the Association’s remote work policy.

Compensation:

• Salary range for this position is $120,000 to $125,000, commensurate with experience and budget availability.
• Exceptional benefits package which includes health, dental, vision, life/disability, long-term care, and 401k retirement plan (with an employer match and profit sharing).

To Apply:

• We invite you to apply today. Please click “Apply” below and submit a cover letter, resume, writing sample, and salary requirements.
• Applications received prior to June 3, 2024, will be given priority review. Applications will be reviewed on an ongoing basis.

NAAG believes that diversity, equity, and inclusion are critical to success. We seek to recruit, develop, and retain the most talented people from a diverse candidate pool.