Staff Attorney I, II and III

Effective June 28, 2024, the salary schedule will be increased by 4.25%.

Effective June 27, 2025, the salary schedule will be increased by 4.0%

The Office of Independent Review (OIR)
The Office of Independent Review (OIR) acts as an independent resource and counsel for the County of Orange Board of Supervisors to monitor and provide oversight of the Orange County Sheriff's Department, the Office of the District Attorney, Office of the Public Defender, Probation Department, and the Social Services Agency with a focus on identifying systemic issues and addressing specific incidents.

Click here for more information on OIR
Click here for more information on the County of Orange.

THE OPPORTUNITY
The OIR has an opportunity for an Attorney I, II, or III to serve as a Staff Attorney.
Under the supervision of the Executive Director, the position conducts reviews of relevant County departments.

Key duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Analyzing, organizing, and synthesizing a variety of data, including reviews of statistics, facility conditions, policies, and other relevant factors, in order to make recommendations designed to eliminate unnecessary uses of force, misconduct, public harm, and the Countys exposure to lawsuits
• Assessing specific incidents occurring in relevant County agencies which may be the result of systemic issues
• Receiving, assessing, and responding to complaints regarding relevant County agencies
• Analyzing and revising County policies and protocols to ensure adherence to federal, state, and local legal standards and best practices
• Consulting with County officials, employees, community members, and other stakeholders to develop periodic recommendations for policy and procedural changes designed to improve the operations of relevant agencies and eliminate systemic areas of concern
• Interacting with and interviewing members of the public and County employees
• Drafting reports detailing the findings of investigations and related conclusions
• Reporting to on-scene investigations of critical incidents, including uses of force by County employees or in-custody deaths
• Developing and implementing new efforts to carry out the mission of the OIR.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS & CORE COMPETENCIES
In addition to the minimum qualifications for Attorney I, II or III, the ideal candidate will possess, as an attorney, experience or a desire to conduct investigations focused on systems, policies, and/or practices that extend beyond a single incident and a single individual and/or work in social services, public safety, or a prosecutors or public defenders office.

Attorney II - Experience with legal research and writing.
Attorney III - Drafting reports detailing the findings of investigations and related conclusions.

In addition, the ideal candidate's application will demonstrate extensive experience, knowledge, and ability in the following core competencies:

Technical Experience and Knowledge

• Knowledge of Federal, State, and local laws that affect the performance and operations of probation, law enforcement, social service agencies, as well as the work of public defenders and prosecutors
• Ability to write and edit complex investigation reports
• Understand how to use a variety of software programs and electronic technology
• Ability to maintain strict confidentiality
• Demonstrate experience in conducting complex investigations, authoring public reports, and conducting independent fact-gathering and analysis

Interpersonal Skills | Problem Solving

• Understand how to accurately identify relevant issues related to risk and liability, their causes, and relevant solutions
• Demonstrate exceptional judgment and discretion
• Exhibit departmental and County perspective in dealing with various issues

Strategic Thinking | Analytical

• Make sound and timely decisions based on ethical principles and limited, complex, or contradicting information.
• Ability to work well under pressure and in a politically sensitive environment
• Ability to be flexible and successfully juggle competing priorities

Effective Communication

• Demonstrate exceptional interviewing, written, and verbal communication skills
• Ability to gather, understand, interpret, analyze, and effectively communicate complex information to County employees and the public
• Present ideas and complex material clearly, concisely, logically and persuasively, both orally and in writing

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
Click on the links below to learn more about the minimum qualifications for the Attorney I, Attorney II and Attorney III classifications as well as the physical/mental requirements and the environmental conditions.

Attorney I
Attorney II
Attorney III

COMPENSATION:
Attorney I - $7,432.53 up to $8,985.60 monthly
Attorney II - $8,692.67 up to $9,687.60 monthly
Attorney III - $9,947.60 up to $13776.53 monthly

SPECIAL REQUIREMENT
An active membership in the State Bar of California is required. Members in good standing of California State Bar and have been assigned a license number but have inactive membership status are also welcome to apply. An active California State Bar membership must be attained by date of appointment.

As part of the selection process, it is required to pass a background investigation to the satisfaction of the department.

RECRUITMENT PROCESS
Human Resource Services (HRS) will screen all application materials to identify qualified applicants. After screening, qualified applicants will be referred to the next step and notified of all further procedures applicable to their status in the competition.

Application Screening (Refer/Non-Refer)
Applications and supplemental responses will be screened for qualifications that are highly desirable and most needed to successfully perform the duties of this job. Only those applicants that meet the qualifications as listed in the job bulletin will be referred to the next step.

Structured Oral Interview | SOI (Weighted 100%)
Candidates will be interviewed and rated by panel of job knowledge experts. Each candidate's rating will be based on responses to a series of structured questions designed to elicit the candidate's qualifications for the job.

Eligible List
Once the assessment has been completed, HRS will establish an eligible list of candidates. Candidates placed on the eligible list may be referred to a selection interview to be considered for present and future vacancies.

Based on the County's needs, the selection procedures listed above may be modified. All candidates will be notified of any changes in the selection procedure.

Veterans Employment Preference Policy (VEPP)
The County is committed to providing a mechanism to give preferential consideration in the employment process to veterans and their eligible spouses and will provide eligible participants the opportunity to receive interviews in the selection process for employment and paid internship openings. Please click here (Download PDF reader) to review the policy. Please see below for important information regarding COVID-19 related recommendations.

Effective April 3, 2023, it is strongly recommended that County employees working in health care settings and correctional facilities follow vaccination and booster guidelines provided by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Please click here to see the latest guidance for more details.

EMAIL NOTIFICATION
Email is the primary form of notification during the recruitment process. Please ensure your correct email address is included in our application and use only one email account.

NOTE: User accounts are established for one person only and should not be shared with another person. Multiple applications with multiple users may jeopardize your status in the recruitment process for any positions for which you apply.

Candidates will be notified regarding their status as the recruitment proceeds via email through the GovernmentJobs.com site. Please check your email folders, including spam/junk folders, and/or accept emails ending with "governmentjobs.com" and "ocgov.com." If your email address should change, please update your profile at www.governmentjobs.com.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Click here for additional Frequently Asked Questions.

For specific information pertaining to this recruitment, contact Aniko Ruha at [email protected] or (714) 834-7370.