Legal Counsel
California State Personnel Board Specification
| OA70 | 5798 | Legal Counsel
| 12 Months |
SALARY INFORMATION
Description
Under direction, to do the less difficult legal work involved in interpreting and applying laws, rules, and regulations affecting the State of California, preparing and analyzing opinions, rules and regulations, and legislative measures, and in preparing and presenting cases; to do legal research; and to do other related work. Incumbents in this class are typically either (1) member of The State Bar of California entering State service with little or no previous experience in the practice of law, or (2) attorneys in the California state service with less than two years of
experience in the practice of law*.
Studies, interprets, and applies laws, court decisions, and other legal authorities in the preparation of cases, opinions, and briefs; prepares legal documents, memoranda, digests, summaries, and reports; assists in the presentation of cases before courts and administrative bodies and independently presents the less difficult cases; assembles and evaluates evidence; secures and interviews witnesses; assists in and holds hearings; conducts special investigations involved in the enforcement of State laws and departmental rules and regulations; assists with the drafting of legislative measures and departmental rules and regulations; does a wide variety of legal research; prepares opinions and advises staff members regarding the legal effect of rules and regulations, proposed legislative measures, statutory law, court decisions, and administrative actions; and dictates correspondence and reports.
Minimum Qualifications
Membership in the State Bar of California. (Applicants must have active membership in The State Bar before they will be eligible for appointment.) (Applicants who are not members of The State Bar of California but who are eligible to take the California State Bar examination or are in their final year of law school will be admitted to the examination but will not be considered eligible for appointment until they are admitted to The State Bar.)
* Experience in the "practice of law" or "performing legal duties" or "legal experience" is defined as: (1) only that legal experience acquired after admission to The State Bar, or (2) experience as a judicial clerk for a federal court, California's state courts, or any other state's courts, or (3) legal experience acquired while practicing under a provisional license to practice law issued by the State Bar of California's Provisional Licensure Program, to constitute experience in the practice of law. For an individual's judicial clerkship to qualify as experience in the practice of law or “performing legal duties", the experience must have been gained after receipt of a Juris Doctor or equivalent degree.
Knowledge and Abilities
Knowledge of: Legal research methods and performing research; legal principles and their application; scope and character of California statutory law and of the provisions of the California Constitution; principles of administrative and constitutional law; and trial and hearing procedure and rules of evidence.
Ability to: Perform research; analyze, appraise, and apply legal principles, facts, and precedents
to legal problems; present statements of fact, law, and argument clearly and logically in written
and oral form; draft statutes; dictate correspondence involving the explanation of legal matters;
and analyze situations accurately and adopt an effective course of action.
Preferred or Desirable Qualifications
All employees shall have general qualifications as described by California Code of Regulations, title 2, section 172.
Class History
Legal Counsel (ABOLISHED 06/01/2023 PER PAY LETTER 23-15)
| 10/22/1970 | 06/18/2021 | | |
