Definition
Performs professional legal work in counseling and representing a state agency or the state itself; performs related work as required.
The work examples and competencies listed below are for illustrative purposes only and not intended to be the primary basis for position classification decisions.
Work Examples
Assists supervisor by performing such duties as instructing employees, answering questions, distributing and balancing the workload, and checking work; may make suggestions on selection, promotions, and reassignments.
Conducts research of laws, legal opinions, policies, regulations, and legal texts and precedent cases.
Conducts pre-trial examinations of witnesses and participates in pre-trial and pre-hearing conferences, examining and cross-examining witnesses.
Examines formal filings for legal sufficiency and full disclosure required by statutes, rules and regulations. Conducts or participates in conferences with other legal counsel and reviews the opinions and suggestions of attorneys of lower level. Conducts investigations on administrative proceedings.
Examines petitioners and claimants regarding charges brought under the administrative regulations of an agency and advises the agency.
Prepares reports, exhibits, and legal memoranda from the records and hearings, outlining the factual and legal issues and recommends disposition of a case for consideration of quasi-judicial officers.
Serves as the assigned specialist on a single program or a major phase of several related programs or major activities, to accomplish a specific purpose or for which special technical knowledge is required.
Comments and/or drafts proposed legislation or changes in agency regulations.
Prepares and/or presents the agency’s case in administrative hearings or before a court, as well as charges, show cause orders, complaints, briefs, motions, and other documents preparatory or incidental to the trial of a case.
Recommends settlement of claims and suits.
Writes opinions of the Attorney General, to be approved by the Supervising Attorney and Opinion Deputy.
Conducts trials independently under general supervision.
Briefs and argues cases in the appellate courts, subject to general supervision.
Competencies Required
Knowledge:
Law and Government – Laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
English Language – Structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
Administrative – Administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
Customer and Personal Service – Principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Communications and Media – Media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
Computers and Electronics – Circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
Abilities:
Category Flexibility – Generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
Deductive Reasoning – Apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
Fluency of Ideas – Come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
Inductive Reasoning – Combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
Information Ordering – Arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
Originality – Come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
Problem Sensitivity – Tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
Oral Comprehension – Listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Oral Expression – Communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Written Comprehension – Read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Written Expression – Communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
Speech Clarity – Speak clearly so others can understand you.
Speech Recognition – Identify and understand the speech of another person.
Skills:
Complex Problem Solving – Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Coordination – Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Negotiation – Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
Persuasion – Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
Service Orientation – Actively looking for ways to help people.
Social Perceptiveness – Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Judgment and Decision Making – Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Active Listening – Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Reading Comprehension – Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Speaking – Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Writing – Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Active Learning – Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Critical Thinking – Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Monitoring – Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Minimum Qualification Requirements
Applicants must meet at least one of the following minimum requirements to qualify for positions in this job classification:
Graduation from an accredited school of law, and experience equal to two years of full-time work in practice of law.
Current, continuous experience in the Department of Justice that includes eighteen months of full-time work in the practice of law.
Notes
At the time of appointment, employees in this class are required to have been admitted to the Iowa State Bar and appropriate federal courts.
Effective Date: 11/25 KC