Definition
Within the Department of Justice, directs and supervises work of attorneys, investigators, paralegals, and secretarial staff; performs responsible administrative and/or professional legal work in counseling and representing state agencies 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
Supervises and evaluates the work of subordinates; recommends personnel actions related to selection, disciplinary procedures, performance, leaves, grievances, work schedules, and assignments; administers personnel policies and procedures.
Delegates work within the Division to staff. Reviews workloads and work products and ensures timely completion of tasks. Exercises sound discretion as to which matters should be handled within the Division and which should be called to the attention of the Attorney General or Deputies. Reports to the Attorney General and Deputy Attorneys General on activities of the Division.
Reviews cases, prepares memoranda of fact and law, initiates the filing of legal papers with appropriate court or administrative tribunals. Prepares and tries cases or may assign cases to another attorney, consulting with respect to the line of argument and precedent.
Renders decisions on the points of law or construction of an act and directs corrective action, payment, or relief as provided under the laws or regulations.
Advises senior government officials on questions of law or administrative policies involved in the operation of an agency in its contracts with industry, private and professional associations, state or local government, and the general public.
Advises senior government officials on questions of law, regulations, opinions of the courts, attorneys general, and recommends interpretation by outlining the facts and the applicable law.
Advises and assists legislative committees and their staffs in the drafting of legislation; gives testimony before legislative or administrative bodies.
Exercises full responsibility for the development, preparation, and presentation of cases before administrative tribunals or before the appellate courts where cases are of such scope they demand the extensive experience not found in lower levels of attorneys or where there would be a question of matching professional skills against those of distinguished paid legal talent.
Reviews or writes opinions of the Attorney General assigned to the Division, subject to approval by the Opinion Deputy.
Drafts legislation or prepares complete reports on changes in basic legislation; evaluates legislation and makes recommendations thereto.
At one of the highest levels of drafting or reviewing proposed agency decisions, analyzes the records, including transcriptions of testimony and pleadings, evaluates the facts, determines questions of law, and either recommends adoption of a decision of another attorney or drafts own decision.
Prepares and/or presents major cases before appellate courts.
Conducts trials of major cases independently.
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.
Administration and Management – Business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
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.
Abilities:
- Selective Attention – Concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
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.
Flexibility of Closure – Identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
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.
Near Vision – See details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
Skills:
Complex Problem Solving – Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Management of Personnel Resources – Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
Time Management – Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Coordination – Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Instructing – Teaching others how to do something.
Negotiation – Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
Persuasion – Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
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.
Learning Strategies – Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
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 five years of full-time work in the practice of law.
Current, continuous experience in the Department of Justice that includes three years 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 KB