Attorney III

Job Description and Duties

Will consider Attorney and Attorney IV

The Caltrans San Diego Legal Office is looking for a well-qualified and highly motivated attorneys. Practice areas handled by the San Diego Legal Office that the candidate may handle includes: Tort, Real Property, Environmental, Construction Arbitration, Contracts, Employment, Appellate and Transactional law practices. Caltrans’ Legal Division is a full-service law office - our attorneys represent Caltrans in State and Federal courts in all phases of litigation and trial work and advise and assist Caltrans in all facets of its operations. Litigation experience, including experience with legal research, law and motion, discovery, and trial and appellate work is preferred but not required.

The Caltrans San Diego Legal Office is one of five offices comprising the Caltrans Legal Division (Sacramento/HQ, Oakland, Los Angeles, Fresno and San Diego). All four offices work together as one Caltrans Legal Division. We have statewide committees with members from each office to facilitate information sharing and networking. We also have statewide legal workshops to provide opportunities for all our attorneys to develop statewide relationships and learn about the Legal Division’s areas of practice.

Under general direction of a Deputy Chief Counsel, Assistant Chief Counsel and/or Attorney Supervisor, the Attorney III studies, interprets and applies laws, court decisions, and other authorities in preparing the most difficult and/or complex cases, opinions and briefs; prepares and presents cases for trial; and/or does a variety of transactional work.

PARF# 42-27-0024 / JC-525572 Eligibility for hire may be determined by your score on the Attorney/ Attorney III/ Attorney IV exam. For those who do not have current eligibility (e.g., transfer, permissive reinstatement, or voluntary demotions) and/or who will be new to state civil services employment, you must be on the state examination list to be eligible for these positions.  To apply for the exam, please click  here and search by typing in the classification title.

Please take this 1-minute Caltrans Recruitment survey to tell us how you found out about this job. 

Apply today to join our team!  We especially encourage applicants to check out our tool!  The is a tool to assist and help candidates understand and succeed in applying to Caltrans positions.

You will find additional information about the job in the .

Working Conditions

Position located at 4050 Taylor St San Diego, San Diego County

Multiple positions may be filled from this recruitment.

This position may be eligible for telework. The amount of telework is at the discretion of the Department and based on Caltrans’s evolving telework policy. Caltrans supports telework, recognizing that in-person attendance may be required based on operational needs. Employees are expected to be able to report to their worksites with minimum notification if an urgent need arises. The selected candidate will be required to commute to the headquartered location as needed to meet operational needs. Business travel may be required, and reimbursement considers an employee’s designated headquartered location, primary residence, and may be subject to CalHR regulations or applicable bargaining unit contract provisions. All commute expenses to the headquartered location will be the responsibility of the selected candidate.

Special Requirements

• The positions require a CA BAR membership License. You will be required to provide a copy of your license prior to being hired.

• Possession of a valid driver’s license is required when operating a State owned or leased vehicle.

• The Statement of Qualifications (SOQ) serves as documentation of each applicant's ability to present information clearly and concisely in writing. Please follow the instructions below; failure to include and complete the SOQ as instructed may result in the SOQ not being considered and in disqualification from the interview. Resumes and cover letters will not take the place of the SOQ. The SOQ must be typed, no more than two pages in length, and 12-point Arial font.

Using the Duty Statement clearly demonstrate how your experience meets  the qualifications for Attorney I, III or IV.  

• Applicants are required to take the CalHR examination for the classification and be reachable on the eligibility list.

Possession of Minimum Qualifications will be verified prior to interview and/or appointment.  If you are basing your eligibility on education, you must include your unofficial transcript(s)/diploma for verification.  Unofficial, original, or official sealed transcripts will be accepted and may be required upon appointment.  Applicants with foreign transcripts/degrees must provide a transcript/degree U.S. equivalency report evaluation that indicates the number of units and degree to which the foreign coursework is equivalent.  Please visit either of the following two websites for a list of evaluation agencies: or . Please redact birthdates and social security numbers.

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:

Knowledge of: Legal research methods and performing research; legal principles and their application; scope and character of California statutory law and of the provisions of the California Constitution; federal and state statutes and rules; rules of professional conduct; principles of administrative trial and hearing procedure and rules of evidence; court procedures; legal terms and forms in common use; statutory and case law literature and authorities; professional and ethical rules as they relate to the practice of law; appellate proceedings; rules of evidence and conduct of proceedings in trial and appellate courts of California and the United States and before administrative bodies; and provisions of laws and Government Code sections administered or enforced.

Ability to: Research; analyze, appraise, and apply legal principles, facts, and precedents to legal problems; analyze situations accurately and adopt an effective course of action; prepare and present statements of fact, law, and argument clearly and logically in written and oral form; prepare correspondence and memoranda involving the explanation of legal matters; draft opinions, pleadings, rulings, regulations, and legislation; negotiate effectively and conduct crucial litigation; work cooperatively with a variety of individuals, organizations and maintain the confidence and respect of others; independently present difficult and complex cases before Administrative Law Judges; prepare, present, and handle legal cases; direct the work of clerical and professional assistants; edit written documents written by oneself, as well as those produced by others, for accuracy and effectiveness; analyze situations accurately and adopt an effective course of action; reason logically; exercise good judgment; effectively plan and engage in discovery, including depositions and interrogatories, and to compel production or attendance of/at same; independently prepare and present difficult and complex cases before boards, commissions, trial courts, and appellate courts; independently present difficult and complex cases before administrative bodies.

Benefits

to view the Benefits Summary for Civil Service Employees in the State of California.

“Employees in this classification may be eligible for a Recruitment Hire-Above Minimum Authorization salary rate commensurate to 

Important Application Instructions

The State application (STD. 678) is required, and each section must be filled out completely and thoroughly. For mailed or hand delivered applications to be considered for this position, the Job Control number (JC-525572), PARF# 42-27-0024 and title of the position (Attorney, Attorney III, or Attorney IV) must be included on the STD. 678 form.

Electronic applications through your CalCareers account are highly recommended and encouraged.

Candidates that meet the minimum qualifications based on possession of EDUCATION, LICENSE, OR CERTIFICATE must include a copy of your DEGREE/TRANSCRIPTS, LICENSE, or CERTIFICATE, along with your State application (STD. 678), to be considered for this position.

NOTE: Do not submit the “Equal Employment Opportunity” questionnaire (page 5) with your completed State application (STD. 678). This page is for examination use only. Do not include any confidential information on any documents you submit for this job vacancy, such as your state application, resume, or educational transcripts.  Confidential information that should be  excluded or removed from these documents includes, but is not limited to, your Social Security Number, birth date, driver’s license number, examination results, LEAP status, marital status, and age.  The job application packet checklist is not required to apply for this position.  Failure to follow these instructions may result in your application not being considered for this position.

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 optional. It may be included, but is not required.
• Statement of Qualifications -

  Statement of Qualifications (SOQ) is required. Please see the Special Requirements section for SOQ instructions.