Assistant General Counsel

Job Description Summary:
 

Salary: $133,175.24 - $199,762.86 annually

Under the guidance of the General Counsel, the Assistant General Counsel helps ensure that TRWD’s operations, contracts, board meetings, and policies are legally sound, consistent, and aligned with statutory and regulatory requirements. This includes conducting legal research, reviewing contracts and policies, preparing legal analyses, and understanding applicable laws and regulations.

Job Description

 

Essential Functions and Responsibilities:

The duties listed below are intended only as illustrations of the various types of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duty does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment to this position.

• Conduct detailed legal research on issues affecting TRWD, including federal, state, and local laws, public records, open meetings, land use, procurement, contracts, and administrative procedures.
• Track legislative and regulatory changes and analyze their impact on internal operations.
• Prepare clear, concise written analyses, legal memoranda, and legal summaries for General Counsel.
• Assist General Counsel in preparing presentations, talking points, briefing materials, and agenda items as needed.
• Attend city council, county commissioner, planning and zoning, and board meetings upon request.
• Occasional travel to Austin, San Antonio, and other Texas locations.
• Draft RFPs, RFQs, ITBs, contract templates, scopes of work, and evaluation criteria within the procurement process as necessary.
• Review and edit contracts, service agreements, procurement documents, MOUs, ILAs, policies, and internal procedures for legal sufficiency, accuracy, and risk mitigation.
• Identify key legal issues, inconsistencies, or vulnerabilities and recommend revisions.
• Develop standardized templates and contract language when appropriate.
• Draft ordinances, resolutions, and advisory documents as directed.
• Assist in organizational compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements, including procurement, ethics, public records, and internal procedures.
• Maintain organized compliance documentation.
• Support internal audits, risk assessments, and policy updates upon request.
• Coordinate with outside counsel as directed.
• Perform other duties as required

Required Experience:

• Four (4) years of working experience with a governmental entity and/or law firm in areas of law that are relevant to representing a public sector organization.
• Ability to review and analyze complex documents and synthesize information into usable recommendations.
• Elevated level of organization, confidentiality, and ability to manage multiple deadlines.
• Interest in public-sector legal work and the operations of TRWD.
• Excellent written, oral, interpersonal, and presentation skills.

Desired Experience:

• Six (6) years of working experience in the following areas: water law, construction law, contracting and procurement, real estate law, environmental law, and other related areas of law relevant to the operations of a political subdivision in the State of Texas.
• Knowledge of and/or working experience with the Texas state natural resource agencies (e.g., TCEQ, TWDB, GLO), and the state legislative process.
• Meaningful litigation experience.
• Experience in compliance with Texas ethics laws, the Texas Open Meetings Act, the Texas Public Information Act, and other state law applicable to political subdivisions of Texas.

Required Education/Certification/License:

• Juris Doctorate (J.D.) from an accredited law school.
• License from the Supreme Court of Texas to practice law in Texas.
• Valid Texas driver’s license.

Success Factors:

• Excellent legal writing and editing skills
• Sound judgment and political savvy
• Attention to detail and risk awareness
• Ability to work independently and with discretion
• Commitment to confidentiality and ethical practice
• Collaborative support mindset

Physical Demands and Work Environment

 

The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of the job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Physical demands: While performing duties of job, employee is occasionally required to stand, walk, sit, and use hand to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls, reach with hands and arms, balance, stoop, talk or hear.  Employees must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.  Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.
• Work environment: While performing the duties of this job, the employee typically resides within an office or cubicle and may have occasional fieldwork that will expose the employee to weather conditions prevalent at the time.