Job Description
General Counsel (Office of the Chancellor) - District How to
Apply Application Deadline:
Interested candidates must apply by the deadline listed below by 8:00 p.m., Pacific Standard Time.. Position Title:
General Counsel (Office of the Chancellor) - District Job listing number Department:
Chancellor Office (D) Position Type:
Classified Management/Supervisor Student Position Type Student Employment Location/Department College/Campus:
District Physical location of the position:
District If off-site, please specify location. Employment Type:
Full-Time If Part-Time, indicate the number of hours per week Position Length:
12-month Salary Range:
Grade AB Salary Amount:
$198,863 - $242,110 Salary Type:
Annual Is this position categorically (grant) funded?
No If categorically (grant) funded, date funded through: Department Specific Needs:
Job Description BASIC FUNCTION
Under the supervision of the Chancellor, provides counsel, support, and advice on all legal matters related to the operation of the District, including the development and revision of all Board Policies and Administrative Procedures. The General Counsel provides legal advice to the Board of Trustees, Chancellor, and other officers of the District. Serves as the chief legal officer and advisor to the Board of Trustees, Chancellor, and the District's senior and executive administrators on all transactions and issues arising from programs and activities in the areas of governance, academic affairs, financial management, facilities management, business management, District compliance issues, student services, and human resources. PROVIDES WORK OR LEAD DIRECTION TO
Assigned District personnel. Education and Experience:
Possession of a Juris Doctor degree from a regionally accredited college or university and seven years of experience practicing law in the State of California, which includes five years of experience working within an institution of higher education, public school systems, or other public agencies interpreting and applying the California Education Code, Government Code, and labor and personnel law. Experience working with California Community College Districts and experience in working with governing board members is highly desired. Knowledge Of:
1. Education Code and relevant California Code of Regulations. 2. Knowledge of Employment and Labor Law Codes. 3. Understanding of, sensitivity to and respect for the diverse academic, socioeconomic, cultural, disability and ethnic backgrounds of the District's students, faculty, staff and community. 4. Files, records, and report management techniques 5. Litigation management processes and communication requirements; 6. Litigation best practices and processes to best represent the interests of the District; 7. Professional and tactful negotiation and persuasion skills to achieve objectives within the legal and governmental communities; 8. Communication methods to articulate points and information to constituency groups; 9. Problem solving techniques and analytical principles for situational analysis and the ability to offer counsel and advice on legal and policy-related matters; 10. Methods and techniques used to effectively manage and contain legal expenses and costs 11. Modern office equipment, practices, and software. Ability To:
1. Maintain an understanding of current ideas, research and practices pertaining to the areas of responsibility for this position, through continued study and participation in professional organizations. 2. Maintain confidentiality of communications, records, reports, etc.; 3. Perform a variety of duties in support of the District's legal program; 4. Learn and adapt to operations, policies and objectives of the District; 5. Meet schedules, timelines, and deadlines; 6. Communicate highly complex and difficult legal issues and matters effectively, both orally and in writing, and establish and maintain cooperative and effective working relationships with others. 7. Compile, analyze, and interpret highly complex legal information to facilitate decision-making. 8. Investigate and assess litigation and legal issues and offer sound advice; 9. Recommend areas of need for the development of the District's legal program; 10. Administer legal services of the District in a manner that is data and principle driven, manages risk, insures compliance, attains cost management goals, and facilitates organizational effectiveness. 11. Successfully navigate and thrive in a multi-institution context through persuasion, team building, consensus, and effective communication. 12. Prepare and present effective oral and written communications, presentations, and reports. Effectively communicate technical information concisely and in understandable terms. 13. Establish and maintain effective working relationships with industry representatives, officials of public and private organizations, internal stakeholders, and the public. 14. Maintain moral and ethical standards that reflect trust, honesty, integrity, credibility, and reliability. Licenses/Certifications Required:
License to practice law in the State of California; and Membership in good standing with the California Bar Association. COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY
Candidate must demonstrate clear evidence of sensitivity to and understanding of the diverse academic, socioeconomic, cultural, disability and ethnic backgrounds of community college students, staff, and the community. PHYSICAL DEMANDS
Employee must possess the ability to lift, carry, push, and pull materials and objects weighing up to 25 pounds. CONTACTS
Outside counsel, Risk Management, Board of Trustees, bargaining unit leadership, students, faculty, and staff, all of District and College administration, Academic Senates, Human Resources and Employee Relations, Business and Financial Services, legal industry colleagues, and general public WORKING CONDITIONS
Normal office environment. REPRESENTATIVE DUTIES
The duties listed below are only intended as illustrations of the various types of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related or a logical assignment to this class. 1. Serves as the primary subject matter expert and advisor for all legal activities; assumes responsibility for ensuring that the programs and activities of the District are legally conducted in compliance with applicable law, statutes, codes, and regulations; identifies, analyzes, and responds appropriately to risks which have legal implications that may adversely affect realization of the District's objectives. 2. Serves as the District's chief legal officer and advisor on all transactions and issues arising from programs and activities in the areas of governance, academic affairs, student affairs, financial management, facilities management, business management, and human resources. 3. Analyzes the merits of court cases, regulatory inquiries, and other types of legal actions filed against or on behalf of the District; works with the appropriate executives to define strategic positions and/or defenses; recommends settlements of disputes where warranted 4. Negotiates contracts, agreements, memorandums of understanding, and settlements on behalf of the District which are consistent with District policies, federal and state law, and relevant rules of professional responsibility; receives, reviews, logs, processes and monitors all lawsuits and discovery documents including subpoenas, requests for production of documents, requests for admissions, California Public Records Act (PRA) requests, and deposition notices; maintains a current status report of all outstanding claims and litigation for area of responsibility.. 5. Identifies, analyzes, and responds appropriately to risks which have legal implications that may adversely affect realization of the District's educational and business objectives. 6. Identifies need and develops educational and training programs and activities for the purpose of keeping executives and managers informed of the latest changes in pertinent law and policy. 7. Attends, and provides legal advice, at all meetings of the Board of Trustees and other such meetings as the Board and the Chancellor may direct; serves on state and local committees as directed by the Chancellor; and serves as parliamentarian to the Board. 8. Prepares and conducts litigation and participates in federal, state and local administrative proceedings as directed by the Chancellor and authorized by the Board of Trustees. 9. Assists the administration in coordinating the District's legal affairs, including the handling of civil litigation, administrative hearings, contract review and drafting, business negotiations. 10. Acts as the primary liaison to coordinate and manage the work assigned to external legal firms, including developing and communicating scope of work, ensuring timely feedback, interpreting legal opinions, and reviewing and approving legal billings. 11. Serves as the primary architect for the development, review and revision of legal documents, resolutions, Board Policies (BP) and Administrative Procedures (AP), including presentation to the Board of Trustees; works with all stakeholders to ensure that all policies and procedures are up-to-date, timely, and effectively represent their interests. 12. In coordination with internal departments, manages the investigation, evaluation, and resolution of complex legal disputes including, regulatory, governmental, and highly sensitive matters, both litigated and non-litigated. 13. Provides guidance and assistance in the areas of diversity, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Equal Opportunity Employment, sexual harassment, personnel investigations, gender and sexual orientation sensitivity, discrimination, retaliation, equity and other compliance issues and employee relations matters. 14. Monitors industrial and non-industrial interactive process outcomes with HRER and Risk Management departments. 15. Responsible for managing the budget of assigned area and preparation of monthly legal expense reports. 16. Performs other duties, related to the position, as assigned by the Chancellor. This is a Classified Management position with vacation, 22 days annually; and paid accruable sick leave, 12 days annually. A pro-rata reduction will be made for employees working less than full-time and less than 12 months. The District provides a health and welfare benefit package for employees and legal qualifying dependents. The work location and assignment within a job classification is determined by the District and may be subject to change. All offers of employment will be contingent upon the availability of funds and approval by the Board of Trustees. The Riverside Community College District is an equal opportunity employer and recognizes the need to provide reasonable accommodations to employees with disabilities. For more information, contact (951) 222-8039. The Riverside Community College District complies with all federal and state rules and regulations and does not discriminate on the basis of ethnic group identification, national origin, religion, age, gender, gender identity, gender expression, race, color, ancestry, genetic information, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, or any characteristic listed or defined in Section 11135 of the Government Code or any characteristic that is contained in the prohibition of hate crimes set forth in subdivision (1) of Section 422.6 of the California Penal Code, or any other status protected by law. This holds true for all District employment opportunities. Inquiries regarding compliance and/or grievance procedures may be directed to the District's Title IX Officer/Section 504/ADA Coordinator. Harassment of any employee/student with regard to ethnic group identification, national origin, religion, age, gender, gender identity, gender expression, race, color, ancestry, genetic information, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, or any characteristic listed or defined in Section 11135 of the Government Code or any characteristic that is contained in the prohibition of hate crimes set forth in subdivision (1) of Section 422.6 of the California Penal Code, or any other status protected by law, is strictly prohibited. The Title IX Officer, Section 504/ADA Coordinator for the District is Ms. Lorraine Jones, located at 3801 Market Street, Riverside, CA 92501. Telephone Number is:
(951) 222-8039. Required Materials:
Resume or Curriculum Vitae Cover Letter Letter of Recommendation 1 Letter of Recommendation 2 Letter of Recommendation 3 Other Document Other Transcript Other Document:
Juris Doctor Degree and License to practice law in the State of California Effective Employment Date:
July 2026 Application Deadline:
Open Until Filled IMPORTANT NOTICES
First review of applications will be August 3rd and every 2 weeks thereafter. Only electronic, on-line applications are accepted. All supporting materials, required or optional, must also be in electronic formats and attached to the electronic, on-line application when applying. Supporting materials are only accepted as Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) or Microsoft Word files and must be less than 2 MB in size. Interested candidates must apply by the deadline listed above by 8:00 p.m., Pacific Standard Time. Application Types Accepted:
Classified/Management/Confidential Application To apply, please visit: https://pa379.peopleadmin.com/applicants/jsp/shared/frameset/Frameset.jsp?time=1779837965012 jeid-8733d516dd9c9042ac771256600287df
