STATE OF CONNECTICUT EXECUTIVE BRANCH JOBS

Staff Attorney 1

Recruitment #230918-0087AR-001

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Introduction

The State of Connecticut, Office of Consumer Counsel (OCC), has an exciting opportunity for a Staff Attorney 1 in our New Britain office, who will play a critical role in ensuring affordable, reliable, and sustainable essential services (energy, water, internet) in Connecticut.

BENEFITS AND BALANCE AT THE STATE OF CONNECTICUT

The State of Connecticut Ranked One of the Best Employers of 2023 by 'Forbes'. This national recognition comes from offering job growth, competitive benefits and flexible scheduling for our employees!

What we can offer you:

  • Industry leading health benefits, including medical and dental coverage;
  • Extensive pension plan and supplemental retirement offerings;
  • Paid time off - including 13 paid holidays per calendar year;
  • Professional growth and paid professional development opportunities; and
  • A work culture that promotes a healthy work-life balance to all employees!

State of Connecticut is an eligible Public Service Loan Forgiveness employer, meaning you may be eligible to have qualifying student loans forgiven after 10 years of service. Click here for more information.

POSITION HIGHLIGHTS

  • Work Schedule: Generally 8:00AM - 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday with occasional evening and weekend responsibilities.
  • Work Hours Per Week: 40 hours
  • Location: New Britain, CT 

ABOUT US

The OCC is an independent State agency that acts as the advocate for consumer interest in matters which may affect Connecticut consumers relating to electricity, natural gas, water, and telecommunications. The OCC works on cutting edge policy and regulatory issues as the voice of the consumer. We are a statutory party to all proceedings before the Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) and are authorized to appear and participate in any regulatory or judicial proceedings, federal or state, in which the interests of Connecticut utility consumers may be involved.

In addition to representing consumer interests before PURA and state and federal courts; the OCC promotes the interests of consumers at the Connecticut legislature and in regional and national forums, including the New England Power Pool (NEPOOL) and before federal agencies, including the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

Our work covers a wide range of fascinating topics, including:

  • Energy affordability and equity;
  • Renewable energy, distributed generation, and grid modernization (e.g., building electrification, electric vehicle deployment, and solar and energy storage);
  • Energy infrastructure (e.g., electric transmission lines, non-wires alternatives);
  • Energy efficiency and demand response;
  • Wholesale and retail electric and gas markets and rates
  • Water rates, infrastructure, quality, and resource planning
  • Utility service quality and storm response;
  • Telecommunications service, service quality, and infrastructure, broadband access, and telecommunications policy;
  • Finance, economics, corporate structure, and mergers and acquisitions.

YOUR ROLE

The Staff Attorney 1 will work on OCC's core mission of advocating for fair and equitable electric, water, and gas utility rates and reliable, quality utility service before the state regulatory body, the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority. The selected candidate will also play an important role in ensuring the safety and reliability of our electric grid and strengthen the OCC’s legal and policy expertise in areas of cybersecurity, emergency storm management and resiliency and reliability issues related to climate change and the clean energy transition.

The selected candidate may play an important role on upcoming assignments associated with PURA's development of Performance Based Ratemaking, particularly with respect to Integrated Distribution Planning and implementation of its Equitable Modern Grid Initiative and key portions of Public Act 20-5, known as the "Take Back Our Grid" Act, including but not limited to, investigations into the utilities' preparation for and response to major storm events and inspections and audits into the regulated electric, gas, and water utilities, and telecommunications companies.

The selected candidate may also work on water quality and regulatory issues, as well as on legal, regulatory and policy issues focused on the deployment of broadband infrastructure and equitable access to high-speed broadband.

More details can be found in the class specification.

Learn what it's like to be an employee at the State of Connecticut: 

   

Selection Plan

This is a non-examined recruitment, open to the public.

To apply

  • Complete a Master Application and directly apply to this recruitment.
  • Please ensure that your application and professional experience is thorough and complete. In order to comply with Public Act 21-69, the State of Connecticut is no longer asking for resumes during the initial application process. You will be unable to make revisions once you officially submit your application to the State of Connecticut.

What to expect after you apply

Although applicants will receive correspondence via email, as a backup they are also encouraged to sign on to their Personal Status Board daily to monitor their status, view all emailed notices and complete tasks required in the recruitment process.

This posting may require completion of additional referral questions (RQs). You can access these RQs via an email that will be sent to you after the posting's closing date or by visiting your JobAps Personal Status Board (Certification Questionnaires section). Your responses to these RQs must be submitted by the question's expiration date. Please regularly check your email and JobAps Personal Status Board for notifications. Please check your SPAM and/or Junk folders daily in the event an email provider places auto-notification emails in a user's spam.

At any point during the recruitment process, applicants may be required to submit additional documentation which support their qualification(s) for this position. These documents may include: a cover letter, resume, transcripts, diplomas, performance reviews, attendance records, supervisory references, licensure, etc., at the discretion of the hiring agency.

Other Notes:

  • The immediate vacancy is listed above, however, applications to this recruitment may be used for future vacancies in this job class.
  • Interviews will be limited to candidates whose experience and training most closely meet the requirements of the position.
  • Candidates who are offered and accept a position with the State of Connecticut are bound by the State Code of Ethics for Public Officials and State Employees which is available at www.ct.gov/ethics.

Contact information

Due to the large volume of applications received, we are unable to provide confirmation of receipt or status during the recruitment process. Updates will be available through your JobAps portal account.

Should you have any questions about the position, please contact Samantha Rivera, Human Resources Specialist – Talent Solutions at Samantha.Rivera@CT.Gov

Stay connected with the State of Connecticut on LinkedIn

PURPOSE OF JOB CLASS (NATURE OF WORK)

In a state agency this class is accountable for receiving on the job training in all aspects of agency legal work.

EXAMPLES OF DUTIES

  • Working with experienced attorneys to represent consumer interests in administrative and judicial proceedings related to energy, telecom and water, including the opportunity to serve as lead counsel on a variety of advanced and complex legal issues related to OCC's statutory responsibilities, including rate cases;
  • Representing the OCC in regional and national forums on issues of energy affordability, energy planning, rate regulation, and/or broadband deployment;
  • Serving as a team member of a small, highly-skilled staff dedicated to the mission of consumer advocacy;
  • Working independently and creatively to solve complex problems;
  • Collaborating with the Office of the Attorney General, the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, and other state agencies on legal issues, policy development, deployment of federal and state funding, or resource procurements;
  • Providing input into policy formation and legislation, including drafting legislation and/or drafting written testimony on legislative proposals;
  • Working with colleagues to represent OCC before the legislature and other state and federal agencies or entities on cutting edge policy initiatives;
  • Assists in preparation of comprehensive reports, often in coordination with consultants, for use in administrative and court proceedings;
  • Interprets and applies complex or conflicting laws and regulations, case law and legal principles;
  • Participates in the conduct of various educational and outreach activities for consumers, stakeholders, and policymakers;
  • Performs related duties as required.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILL AND ABILITY

Knowledge of legal principles, practices and procedures in Connecticut; knowledge of legal research techniques; knowledge of the Uniform Administrative Procedures Act and civil procedures; knowledge of and the ability to interpret and apply relevant state and federal laws, statutes, regulations and legislation; knowledge of relevant agency policies and procedures; knowledge of the rules of evidence; some knowledge of criminal and constitutional law and legislative process; considerable interpersonal skills; considerable oral and written communication skills; ability to apply judicial decisions to the interpretation of statues; ability to comprehend, analyze and organize technical data and coordinate elements of legal cases.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - GENERAL EXPERIENCE

A degree from an accredited law school.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

  • Academic or professional experience independently preparing written communications including memoranda of law, legal briefs, decisions or opinions for judicial or administrative proceedings without typographical and grammatical errors;
  • Experience or coursework in one or more of the following: energy, natural gas, water, telecommunications, utility, finance, economics, environmental, or other related technical field;
  • Academic or professional experience with administrative process and the Uniform Administrative Procedure Act, including administrative hearings, or administrative appeals;
  • Academic or professional experience interpreting and applying state and federal laws;
  • Academic or professional experience researching and writing memoranda of law, legal briefs, decisions or opinions;
  • Academic or professional experience providing oral presentations or arguments;
  • Experience conducting discovery and motion practice in judicial or administrative proceedings;
  • Experience with Microsoft Office 365 including Word, Excel, SharePoint and Teams;
  • Experience working in a team setting.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

1. Incumbents in this class must be admitted to practice law in the State of Connecticut within one (1) year of the date of appointment. Pursuant to Section 51-88 of the Connecticut General Statutes, an incumbent who has not been admitted to practice law may not "assume, use or advertise the title of lawyer, attorney and counsel at law, counselor at law, attorney, counselor, attorney and counselor, or an equivalent term, in such a manner as to convey the impression that he is a legal practitioner of law". Until such time that an incumbent is admitted to practice law in the State of Connecticut, the incumbent shall be referred to as a Legal Assistant.
2. May be required to travel.

Conclusion

AN AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

The State of Connecticut is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and strongly encourages the applications of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities.






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