Definition
Under general direction, performs advanced level administrative and professional legal work counseling and representing the Consumer Advocates' Office or Iowa Utilities Commission in matters relating to the utility industry; performs related work as required.
Work Examples
Exercises full responsibility for the development, preparation, and presentation of the most significant and complex utility cases before administrative agencies, courts of original jurisdiction, and appellate courts; prepares all necessary legal documents including briefs.
Selects, supervises, and advises professional consultants and expert witnesses; examines and cross-examines expert witnesses (e.g., professional consultants and investor-owned utility officers/executives) and presents oral arguments.
Investigates complex issues of fact relating to economic, accounting, and engineering operations of investor-owned utilities.
Researches questions of law; recommends and drafts state/federal utility legislation, administrative rules, and regulations.
Develops and implements policy and strategy on utility regulatory issues; advises administrative agency/staff and drafts agency decisions and orders.
Competencies Required
Knowledge:
- Law and Government – Laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
- Customer Service – Principles and processes for providing customer services, including customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluating customer satisfaction.
- English Language – The structure and content of the English language, including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
- Economics and Accounting – Economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
Abilities:
Law and Government – Understand and adhere to applicable laws, legal codes, administrative rules, and regulations.
Deductive Reasoning – Apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
Inductive Reasoning – Combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions.
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.
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).
Oral Expression – Communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Oral Comprehension – Listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Problem Sensitivity – Tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
Skills:
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.
Critical Thinking – Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Reading Comprehension – Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Complex Problem Solving – Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Judgment and Decision Making – Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
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.
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 law school and experience equal to four years of full-time work in the practice of utility regulation law, administrative law, or taxation.
Graduation from an accredited law school with an advanced law degree (M.L. or LL.M.) or certificate in utility, energy, sustainability, or taxation law, and experience equal to three years of full-time work in the practice of law.
Current, continuous experience in the state executive branch that includes eighteen months of full-time work as a Utility Attorney 1.
Note: Experience as a law clerk or paralegal is not considered "practice of law."
Notes
Employees in this job class must be licensed to practice law in the state of Iowa.
Within a period of time after hire, as determined by the hiring authority, employees in this class may be required to be admitted to the Iowa State Bar if required at the time of appointment.
Effective date: 12/24 KC