Assistant Counsel

The Executive Chamber is seeking highly motivated and experienced attorneys to serve as Assistant Counsels in the Office of the Counsel to the Governor with specific responsibility for the Energy portfolio. The Assistant Counsel serves under the general supervision of the Counsel to the Governor and Deputy Counsels, and acts as the liaison to various state departments, agencies, and legislative staff. The Assistant Counsel in the Energy Portfolio will also have to work in close collaboration with the Assistant Counsel in the Environment and Climate Change portfolio.

To succeed in this role you must be a leader, proactive, strong writer and communicator, and facilitator of a collaborative environment. You must be able to identify legal issues and risk across various units and operations. You must possess excellent time management and organizational skills and be able to oversee a wide-range of priorities and competing tasks. You must be able to exercise impeccable judgment in a high-stress and fast paced environment. You also must be creative, inspirational, and have a sense of humor.

Routine travel between NYC and Albany offices required, frequently overnight, and as often as weekly.

Specific Duties Include:

• Serve as the legal subject matter expert for the Executive Chamber for all issues within your portfolio.
• Serve as the primary legal coordinator between the Executive Chamber and each agency counsel in your assigned portfolio, which will include the New York Power Authority, the Long Island Power Authority, and the Department of Public Service.
• Develop and maintain strong working relationships with each of your agency counsels.
• Provide strategic legal counseling, subject matter expertise, and identify the needs of your agency counsels relating to legislation, rulemaking, litigation, and operations.
• Lead, manage, develop, and collaborate with your agencies on the planning, drafting, reviewing, and negotiating of legislation and creation of policy.
• Advise, guide, and collaborate with agency counsels and the Office of the Attorney General or outside counsel on litigation.
• Collaborate with agency counsels to proactively identify and mitigate risk and ensure integrity.
• Provide programmatic legal support to agency counsels to ensure accuracy and timely implementation of policies, responses to issues, and programs.
• Develop and maintain strong working relationships with each of your internal deputy and assistant secretaries in your assigned portfolio and in portfolios of overlapping responsibility to ensure seamless operations of the agencies in your assigned portfolio.
• Develop and maintain strong working relationships with outside organizations, experts, advocates, and other institutions that impact your portfolio.
• Process, review, investigate, and make recommendations relating to your agencies.
• Conduct legal research and draft memoranda relating to legislation, litigation, operations, and compliance as assigned.
• Report, summarize, and present information to the Governor, senior staff, executive, cross-functional teams, and outside stakeholders.
• Work closely with the Counsel, Senior Staff, and cross-functional teams in administering programs and initiatives.
• Ensure accuracy in work-product from agencies and cross-functional teams, maintain strong channels of communications, and develop detailed work plans for your portfolio and regularly present them to Counsel and Deputy Counsels.
• Perform other related duties as assigned by the Counsel or Deputy Counsel.

Minimum Qualifications:

Must have a Juris Doctorate from an accredited law school and be a member in good standing with the New York State Bar, and a minimum of 5 years of relevant post-bar legal work experience.

Additionally, candidates should have the following knowledge, skills, and abilities:

• Knowledge of applicable local, state, and federal statutes, rules, regulations, internal controls and processes.
• Excellent familiarity with Google and Microsoft software products including Gmail, Google Docs, Sheets, Word, Excel, OneDrive, SharePoint, Power Point and Outlook/Exchange. Strong proficiency in Excel is desired.
• Ability to make excellent judgments, and exercise critical, analytical, and problem-solving skills under pressure and at times with extreme time sensitivity.
• Ability to compile, evaluate and interpret information and data from a variety of information sources.
• Ability to independently act on priority projects.
• Ability to prioritize and complete work assignments in a timely manner.
• Ability to identify the most effective and efficient method to carry out duties.
• Excellent organizational skills to manage a varied and high-volume workload.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills with an attention to detail are required, including the ability to communicate complex information to a lay audience.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills including the ability to interact with colleagues and senior leadership inside and outside the Executive Chamber.
• Excellent case and record management skills with the ability to follow-up as necessary.