Attorney III

Job Description and Duties

THIS POSITION MAY BE ELIGIBLE FOR A HYBRID WORK SCHEDULE. THE AMOUNT OF TELEWORK IS AT THE DISCRETION OF THE DEPARTMENT AND IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE AS BUSINESS NEEDS ARISE.

The Employment Development Department (EDD) Legal Office is seeking candidates to apply for the Attorney III position.

Under the general supervision of the General Counsel and the Assistant Chief Counsels, the Attorney III performs difficult, complex, sensitive, and specialized legal work in all areas of responsibility of the Legal Office, with the focus on supporting the Unemployment Insurance Branch and Disability Insurance Branch with legal opinions and pre-litigation demands, as well as supporting litigation, legislative analysis, and regulation drafting. The Attorney III will also assist with gathering and reviewing records responsive to requests made pursuant to the Public Records Act. The Attorney III may function as a lead attorney when working with lower-level attorneys on large cases and projects.

Please note that this position will require you to work in-office four days a week at the New Labor Agency Building in downtown Sacramento. First-round interviews for this position will be conducted virtually; second-round interviews, if any, may be conducted in-person.

Position located at 1416 9th Street, Sacramento, CA, 95814.

This position is headquartered at the New Labor Agency Building (NLAB), a newly remodeled high-rise building. Located in the heart of Downtown Sacramento and in close proximity of the State Capitol and the Golden1 Center, this beautiful and modern building provides the following amenities: Break areas, wellness/lactation rooms, coffee points, a fitness center with private showers, a Career Center for EDD Employees, a micro market, building-wide WiFi, an outdoor terrace, bike storage, nearby public transit options, and much more.

Apply today for the opportunity to work in this state-of-the-art building!

Effective July 1, 2025, specific Bargaining Units and associated Excluded State employees are subject to a salary reduction between 2% - 4.62% in exchange for hours in the Personal Leave Program 2025 (PLP 2025) per month. For more details, please click here to visit the California Department of Human Resources (CalHR) website.

You will find additional information about the job in the .

Working Conditions

Visa Sponsorship

This position is not eligible for visa sponsorship. Applicants must be authorized to work in the US without the need for visa sponsorship by the start date of employment.

Special Requirements

It is strongly encouraged to apply through your CalCareer Account at .

Please only submit ONE application. Electronic applications submitted through your CalCareer Account are highly recommended and will be received/processed faster than other methods of filing.

If you are unable to apply electronically through your CalCareer account, please mail a completed and signed State Examination/Employment Application STD Form 678 and application package to the mailing address provided in the “Application Instructions’ section below and ensure the following:

• Clearly indicate the Job Code #, Position Number and the Classification Title of this position in the “Examination or Job Title(s) For Which You Are Applying” section located on Page 3 of your State Examination/Employment STD Form 678.

• Clearly indicate the basis of your eligibility (list, transfer, reinstatement, etc.) in the “Explanations” section located on Page 3 of your State Examination/Employment Application STD Form 678.

• Remove and do not submit the “Equal Employment Opportunity” questionnaire (Page 10) with your completed State Examination/Employment Application STD Form 678. This page is for examination use only.

• Do not include your full Social Security Number on your documents and/or do not provide any LEAP information.

Examination/Assessment

If selected for hire , you must obtain list eligibility by taking and passing the examination. If you already have list eligibility for this classification, you do not need to retake the examination unless your list eligibility has expired.

Click the examination link below for more information and to take the exam:

For more information about the State hiring process, click here . To watch tutorials on how to apply for a State job, click here .

Desirable Qualifications

In addition to evaluating each candidate's relative ability, as demonstrated by quality and breadth of experience, the following factors will provide the basis for competitively evaluating each candidate:

• Demonstrated legal experience with California Unemployment Insurance Code (and/or Labor Code) and federal laws on issues impacting EDD program areas, including unemployment insurance, disability insurance, and paid family leave benefits.
• Experience handling difficult, complex and politically sensitive legal issues.
• Experience drafting, reviewing and editing legal documents including legal opinions, legislation, regulations, and legal notices.
• Ability to prioritize and meet time sensitive deadlines.
• Strong oral and written communication skills.
• Strong legal, analytical and inter-personal skills.

Benefits

Benefit information can be found on the CalHR website, , and the CalPERS website, .

Statement of Qualifications Requirements

A Statement of Qualifications (SOQ) is Required . The SOQ serves as documentation of each candidate's ability to present information clearly and concisely in writing. The SOQ is a narrative discussion of how your education, training, experience, and skills meet the minimum and desirable qualifications for this position. Vague and/or incomplete SOQs may not be considered if they do not fully respond to the required information. The SOQ is not a resume or cover letter. Resumes and/or Cover Letters DO NOT take the place of the SOQ. Applications without an SOQ, or with an SOQ that does not follow the required format, will be regarded as incomplete and will not be reviewed for further consideration in the hiring process.

Your SOQ should be no more than three (3) pages in length, Arial 12 pt. font, single-spaced and must include a typed response to the questions below, in numerical order. You must provide specific information in your response(s) which demonstrates how your knowledge, skills, and training meet the needs of this position. 

SOQ Prompt

Please describe how you meet each of the following desired qualifications for this position:

1. Demonstrated legal research and writing experience in complex legal issues. 

2. Demonstrated experience in drafting, reviewing, and negotiating complex and sensitive legal documents.

3. Demonstrated experience in addressing pre-litigation demands and negotiating settlements, both before administrative tribunals and in civil court.

4. Demonstrated experience in addressing high level, sensitive, complex policy discussions related to rule making and legislative processes.

5. Demonstrated experience in working in cross-functional teams, and with executives, managers, and other high-level staff and stakeholders including community organizations, legislative staff, etc.

6. Demonstrated experience in working in politically sensitive situations, and meeting strict deadlines on an expedited basis.

Required Application Package Documents

The following items are required to be submitted with your application. Applicants who do not submit the required items timely may not be considered for this job:

• Current version of the State Examination/Employment Application STD Form 678 (when not applying electronically), or the Electronic State Employment Application through your Applicant Account at All Experience and Education relating to the Minimum Qualifications listed on the Classification Specification should be included to demonstrate how you meet the Minimum Qualifications for the position.
• Resume is required and must be included.
• Statement of Qualifications - A Statement of Qualifications (SOQ) is Required.  Please see “Statement of Qualifications Requirements” section for more information about the SOQ.
• Other - A  Cover Letter is required and must be included.
• Other - References are required and must be included. Minimum of 3 References including current/most recent manager.