Under the direction of the Superintendent of Schools, the incumbent of this position will be responsible for matters relating to employment matters, special education and student services, Maryland Public Information Act, civil rights matters, discrimination, harassment, Title IX, school system transactions and contractual matters, real estate, worker’s compensation and Open Meetings Act Compliance. This position is highly involved in leading and overseeing litigation management, drafting and reviewing of policies and procedures, and interpretation of laws. In addition, the General Counsel will provide opinions and advice to the Superintendent of Schools, executive staff, and when applicable, the Board of Education.  

Handles grievances, negotiations, appeals, EEOC complaints and other employment matters;

Handles special education matters, including due process hearings, responding to inquiries from staff and some litigation;

Provides legal advice to the Office of Appeals;

Responds to daily calls from schools and regional offices on custody issues, subpoenas and requests for student records;

Responds to requests for information in accordance with the Maryland Public Information Act and State Board Appeals;

Drafts and reviews contracts and assists with review and implementation of procurement regulations;

Works on management claims and evaluates claims during the pre-litigation stage;

Provides opinions and advice to the Superintendent of Schools, executive staff and Board of Education;

Responds to Office of Civil Rights Complaints;

Provides advice on Open Meetings Act Compliance;

Provides litigation management, including reviewing cases and legal billing by external attorneys;

Drafts and reviews policies and procedures, provides interpretation of legislation; and

Performs other duties as assigned.

Considerable knowledge of public school administration and General Counsel experience with a school board;

Demonstrated experience in interpreting IDEA, Section 504 and others laws and regulations relating to the provision of education to special needs population;

Demonstrated experience in employment law and Human Resources issue resolution;

Experience in making presentations, negotiating settlements and writing proposed decisions in complaint cases;

Ability to organize, interpret and apply legal principles;

Demonstrated experience in interpreting negotiated agreements and resolving employee and labor relations issues;

Arbitration, mediation and administrative hearing experience;

Ability to effectively handle a high-volume caseload;

Demonstrated leadership and administrative competency;

Demonstrated written and oral communication skills; and

Effective human relations skills.

Doctorate of Jurisprudence from an accredited law school required; admitted to the Maryland Bar. Previous litigation experience and a minimum of ten (10) years of related experience required.  A minimum of five (5) years of previous experience overseeing and supervising a legal team consisting of attorneys and paralegals preferred.

 

 

 

Doctorate of Jurisprudence from an accredited law school.

 

 

 

Oversees and provides guidance to assigned personnel.

 

 

The physical demands 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. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to stand, talk, hear, walk, sit, and use fingers, tools or controls. The employee is occasionally required to reach with hands and arms and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision such as to read handwritten or typed material, the ability to adjust focus, and depth perception. While performing the duties of this job, the employee may occasionally push or lift up to 25 lbs.




The work environment characteristics are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of the job.




None.