General Counsel - Attorney

To be considered further, please apply for this position and attach a resume and cover letter to your online application.

The Human Resource Department will review your application materials and contact you regarding the next steps.

To attach additional documents to your online application, click on the "Additional Attachments" link from the applicant homepage and upload your documents as attachments. Valid file extensions for attaching a document include .doc, .txt, .rtf, and .pdf.

This position will be posted through May 9, 2025

This position plans, organizes, oversees, and provides professional legal counsel and direct management of the Office of General Counsel; and delivers client-focused, and cost-effective legal services to the District and its departments. Serves as a key advisor to the Superintendent, the Board and executive team on legal matters, policy development and strategy. Provides ethical, effective and competent legal advice which enables Saint Paul Public Schools to accomplish its purposes with a minimum of legal risk and exposure. Functions as a racial equity leader by helping to identify and eliminate inequitable policies and practices, Serves as a strategic advisor on administrative and litigation procedures.

Reporting Relationship

• As a direct report to the Superintendent ¿Serves as a member of the Superintendent¿s Leadership Team and is the principal attorney involved in strategic decisions of the organization.

Responsibilities

The essential job functions include, but are not limited to, the following fundamental duties:

General Counsel

• Provides advice for District leaders on legal matters concerning the District; provides legal opinions and strategy, minimizes legal risk and liability, and manages legal issues, disputes and proceedings.
• Serves as advisor to the Board of Education. Oversees, supports and advises the Board on appropriate rules of order, bylaws, resolutions and other documents related to governance and board action.
• Represents the District in legal and administrative proceedings, court appearances, arbitrations, and other disputes and legal actions; manages litigation and establishes case strategy; conducts conferences with opposing parties concerning settlement of cases, and negotiates agreements within scope of authority.
• Provides legal assessment and recommendations; conducts factual and legal analysis to determine how legal issues should be resolved, based on the facts of law and evidence.
• Prepares and renders legal opinions and give advice to the Superintendent, the Board and other District administrators when needed.
• Advises on District wide legal strategy with regard to the resolution of Special Education issues.
• Monitors SPPS¿s compliance with federal and state special education laws and regulations, ensuring adherence to procedural safeguards and best practices.
• Coordinates the identification and selection of outside counsel as appropriate; and manages strategies and activities and reviews the work performed by outside counsel.
• Supports Human Resources efforts through interpretation of employment and human rights laws and the relevance of these to collective bargaining agreements.
• Provides legal advice and guidance to Human Resources staff regarding employee rights and obligations and disciplinary matters.
• Coordinates District administration in-service training on legal matters which pertain to the overall administration of the school district and avoidance of liability.
• Provides advice and counsel on collective bargaining activities, including negotiating collective bargaining agreements; conducts grievance arbitrations and participates in settlement negotiations related to same; represents the District in administrative hearings and/or litigated matters arising from collective bargaining agreements as warranted.
• Anticipates the legal effect of emerging/changing programs, laws and provides legal support for both educational and administrative programs proposed by the Superintendent and leadership team.
• Monitors trends in case law, regulations and legislation, and recommends operational, procedural and policy improvements.
• Drafts legal correspondence, opinions, resolutions and contracts as requested by District leadership, the Board of Education or the Superintendent.
• Reviews, provides feedback and approves as to content and form of all contracts entered into on behalf of the District.
• Identifies and assigns outside counsel to handle litigation matters as necessary; monitors and reviews the worked performed by outside counsel.
• Works in collaboration with key stakeholders to ensure that district policies and procedures are in compliance with state and federal law and regulations.
• Attends and provides legal advice at meetings of the Board of Education, ad hoc committees established by the Superintendent, and other meetings as directed by the Superintendent.
• Responds to community issues and coordinates public issues between SPPS and various organizations and agencies; advises District on compliance with technical legal issues and appropriate responses to complaints and requests for information.
• Demonstrates professional and cooperative behavior when interacting with students, visitors, and SPPS staff; acts in a manner that promotes a harmonious and respectful workplace.

Department Manager

• Sets the vision and direction of the legal department and the services provided by members of the legal staff. Supervises, coordinates and trains legal staff including providing guidance and support on projects, assignment, supervision and critique of legal services and conducts performance appraisals of employed counsel.
• Develops and manages departmental budget.
• Demonstrates responsive, courteous and cooperative behavior when interacting with clients, visitors, and SPPS staff; acts in a manner that promotes a harmonious and effective workplace environment.

Member of Superintendent¿s Leadership Team

• Participates in the development of strategic long-term and annual plans for the District.
• Contributes to the evaluation of district performance, budget management and key measures of all organizational activity.
• Negotiates strategic alliances, partnerships and contracts and assists other senior leaders in these efforts.
• Promotes the superintendent¿s goals and priorities in compliance with the law and all policies and procedures.

Board Counsel

• Oversees, supports and advises the Board on appropriate rules of order, bylaws, resolutions and other documents related to governance and board action.
• Initiates civil litigation on behalf of the District as requested by the Board.
• Attends Board of Education meetings and appropriate committee meetings and responds to requests for advice and informal opinions on Parliamentary and general legal matters.
• Serves as the Parliamentarian at School Board Meetings.

Other Functions

• Perform other related duties as assigned for the purpose of ensuring the efficient and effective operations of the district.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Current knowledge of Minnesota criminal and civil statutes, rules, case law, administrative orders, and applicable Federal regulations governing public education.
• Current knowledge of legal precedents and court decisions impacting public education.
• Current knowledge of federal and state special education laws, regulations, and case law and excellent legal research, writing and advocacy skills.
• Comprehensive knowledge of legal matters related to public employment and public contracting.
• Knowledge of current economic, political and sociological conditions affecting public education.
• Knowledge of current issues and special challenges facing large urban school districts and their communities.
• Knowledge of techniques for case management, and the development and presentation of legal strategies.
• Knowledge of the principles and protocols for the evidentiary gathering of information, documents, financial records and other data that may be used in court and legal hearings.
• Advanced knowledge of and experience working on matters of governance and with a board of directors is required including considerable knowledge of Parliamentary Procedures and of Roberts Rules of Order.
• Thorough knowledge of judicial and administrative procedures and principles.
• Ability to effectively assess, interpret and apply complex criminal and civil laws to information, evidence and data compiled.
• Considerable skill in conducting legal research, analyzing data, determining the proper courses of action and presenting facts and arguments.
• Ability to effectively litigate cases in legal hearings and courtroom settings.
• Ability to work collaboratively with diverse stakeholders.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
• Considerable ability to appraise and organize facts and to present evidence and other material in written or oral form.
• Considerable ability to interact effectively with members of the Board of Education, district staff, court officials and non-district people, companies or agencies having legal business with the District.
• Demonstrated experience in leading effective teams and individuals and managing organizational change
• Demonstrated commitment to equity and inclusion in education.

Minimum Qualifications

• Juris Doctorate Degree from an accredited law school and a member in good standing of the Minnesota Bar; AND
• At least seven (7) years of experience and general practice of law, including work in the following areas: school law, contracts, personal injuries, human rights law, hazardous material law, public corporation law, juvenile law, property law, data privacy and courtroom experience for plaintiff and defendant; OR
• Equivalent combination of education, training and experience as determined by Human Resources.

Preferred Qualifications

• At least 2 years of experience in P-12 public school setting is preferred.

Essential functions are job duties that the individual holding the position must be able to perform unaided or with the assistance of a reasonable accommodation through the Americans with Disability Act (ADA) and the Americans with Disability Amendments Act (ADAAA). The essential functions are typical duties as outlined under Responsibilities.

Regular and reliable attendance.

May be exposed to various cleaning products.

Saint Paul Public Schools is an equal opportunity employer and supports an inclusive workplace environment.

SPPS is committed to an equitable workforce where all employees represent this commitment through equitable practices in their job position.

Transcript - Unofficial transcripts are accepted at the time of hire. You must submit official transcripts within 30 days of your start date. Formal credential evaluation is required for post-secondary education completed outside of the United States.

Veteran's Preference - If you are an eligible veteran applying for a job where veteran's preference applies and wish to claim Veterans Preference you must submit a legible copy of your DD214 to the Human Resource Department with your employment application. If your claim is approved, five or ten additional points will be added to your final passing score.

Criminal Background Investigation and Reference Checks - Reference checks and a criminal background investigation will be completed as a condition of hire for all new employees and for former employees who have not been employed by the District for more than six months.