State of Maryland

An Unemployment Insurance (UI) Legal Officer IV is the supervisory level of professional legal work involving specialized responsibilities in the enforcement of contributions or benefits areas of the Maryland Unemployment Insurance law. Employees in this classification represent the Unemployment Insurance Administration in court proceedings and administrative hearings to secure monies due to the State with responsibility for the collection of sums from employers who are delinquent in their contributions, or for the recovery of sums from Unemployment Insurance recipients who have received improper payments. Employees in this classification render legal determinations are subject to review by the Office of the Attorney General.  Employees in this classification supervise lower-level UI Legal Officers and support staff.

Employees in this classification receive general supervision from a designated administrator.

Positions in this classification are evaluated by using the classification job evaluation methodology. The use of this method involves comparing assigned duties and responsibilities of a position to the job criteria defined in the Nature of Work and the Examples of Work sections of the class specification.

The UI Legal Officer IV is differentiated from the UI Legal Officer III in that the UI Legal Officer IV has supervisory responsibility for lower-level UI Legal Officers while the UI Legal Officer III performs the full range of duties and responsibilities under general supervision.

Supervises lower-level UI Legal Officers who prepare Unemployment Insurance cases for civil or bankruptcy litigation, criminal prosecution and administrative hearings;

Supervises legal staff engaged in representing the Unemployment Insurance Administration in U.S. Bankruptcy, State District and Circuit Court proceedings and in administrative hearings to collect monies due to the State Unemployment Insurance Fund from employers who are delinquent in their contributions, or for the recovery of sums from Unemployment Insurance recipients who have received improper payments;

Represents the Unemployment Insurance Administration in litigation involving more complicated cases, precedent setting cases or cases presenting substantial potential impact on agency operations;

Confers with Accountants, Attorneys or other representatives to settle pending cases;

Drafts opinions concerning the interpretation or legality of relevant statutes, rules, regulations and procedures;

Provides legal advice and opinions to the Division and program heads of the Unemployment Insurance Administration concerning Unemployment Insurance issues;

Researches common law, case law precedents, statutory changes and legislative history of statutes as applicable to Unemployment Insurance proceedings;

Drafts proposed changes for the Maryland Employment Insurance law; Assists the State’s Attorney in prosecuting Unemployment Insurance fraud cases in District or Circuit Courts;

Renders legal determinations under the Maryland Unemployment Insurance Laws;

May serve as staff legal advisor and provide advice to divisional and program managers concerning legal matters pertaining to the Unemployment Insurance law or related subjects;

Performs other related duties.

Knowledge of legal processes and procedures for the satisfaction of debts and the enforcement of liens, judgments, attachments, executions and other writs;

Knowledge of common law, statutory law and case law precedents relevant to the collection of debts by creditors;

Knowledge of the rules of evidence;

Knowledge of the principles and methods for preparing and trying cases in the Maryland Courts or in administrative hearings;

Knowledge of constitutional and administrative law procedures;

Ability to supervise legal staff engaged in representing the Unemployment Insurance Administration in court proceedings and in administrative hearings;

Ability to interpret and apply the contributions and benefits provisions of the Maryland Unemployment Insurance law, case precedents and judicial opinions;

Ability to perform related legal research and investigations;

Ability to prepare briefs, summaries, appendices, petitions and other related documents;

Ability to present comprehensive and complex facts clearly and concisely;

Ability to prepare and present cases in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, State District and Circuit Courts and Administrative Hearings.

1. Candidates must be a member of the Maryland Bar.

2. Candidates must be admitted to or eligible for admission to the Federal Bar.

3. Candidates must possess a Certificate of Good Standing from the Maryland Court of Appeals.

4. Candidates must have a minimum of five years of experience in the practice of law. This experience must have required the appearance in court on behalf of clients or have involved the interpretation or enforcement of the Maryland     Unemployment Insurance law.

5. Candidates may substitute U.S. Armed Forces military service experience as a commissioned officer in General Attorney classifications or General Attorney specialty codes in the Legal and Kindred field of work on a year-for-year basis for the required education and experience.

Class Descriptions are broad descriptions covering groups of positions used by various State departments and agencies.  Position descriptions maintained by the using department or agency specifically address the essential job functions of each position.

Class Descriptions provide information about the Nature of Work, Examples of Work, General Requirements and Acknowledgements.  The Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities; Minimum Education and Experience Requirements; Special Requirements; and recruitment and testing procedures are set by the using agency.

This is a Management Service classification in the State Personnel Management System.  All positions in this classification are Management Service positions.

This classification is not assigned to a bargaining unit, as indicated by the designation of S (Supervisor), M (Manager), T (Agency Head), U (Board or Commission Member), W (Student), X (Used by Agency or Excluded by Executive Order), or Z (Confidential).  As provided by State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 3-102 Annotated Code of Maryland, special appointment, temporary, contractual, supervisory, managerial and confidential employees are excluded from collective bargaining.  Additionally, certain executive branch agencies are exempt from collective bargaining and all positions in those agencies are excluded from collective bargaining.