Senior Counsel

Senior Counsel

The Office of Labor Relations (OLR) represents the Mayor in the conduct of all labor relations between the City of New York and labor unions representing employees of the City. The Commissioner serves on behalf of the Mayor as the City's liaison with both labor and management in the private sector. The office is authorized by Executive Order 38 (February 7, 1967), amended by Executive Order 13 (July 24, 1990). Additionally, OLR administers the Health Benefits Program, Management Benefits Fund, Employee Assistance Program, Work Well NYC, Medicare Part B Reimbursement Program and Pre-Tax Benefits & Citywide Programs, including the Deferred Compensation Plan and NYCE IRA. In addition to negotiating collective bargaining agreements, OLR serves as a resource to agencies with regard to workforce labor issues and works with the Municipal Labor Committee (MLC) to pursue innovations in a variety of areas, particularly regarding City health insurance programs. The staff at OLR assist their fellow agencies in handling personnel and payroll issues, conducting labor-management meetings, representing the City at representation hearings, and handling all employee grievances and arbitration matters, while also negotiating collective bargaining agreements with the City's 149 bargaining units.

About the Office of the General Counsel (OGC): Under the supervision of the General Counsel, OGC serves as the agency's legal counsel, providing legal support and advice on the wide array of issues that arise at the agency given the breadth of its portfolio. In addition to advising on collective bargaining and labor relations, the legal team attorneys represent the city before the Office of Collective Bargaining (OCB) in administrative proceedings, including arbitrations, and serve as neutrals during Step III grievance proceedings. The legal team is also responsible for the contracts administration across the various procurements held by OLR's administered programs. Further, OGC is responsible for ensuring compliance with the various regulatory requirements that set the legal framework for the employee benefits programs that serve the city's approximately 300,000 employees and city retirees and their dependents. Lastly, the legal team liaises with the Law Department on litigation and discovery, and is responsible for FOIL, privacy, and the other day-to-day legal matters that arise for an agency's in-house counsel team.

Job Summary: OGC seeks an Executive Agency Counsel (EAC) to join the litigation team. Reporting into the Managing Counsel and working closely with OGC leadership with opportunity for independent judgment, the EAC will be on a team of approximately 15 legal and procurement professionals. The EAC will represent the city in arbitration and other administrative proceedings, mediations, and provide legal and strategic support during collective bargaining. Further, the EAC will work with the Law Department and other client agencies as needed on any agency litigation matters that arise. Further, as a part of OLR's in-house counsel legal team, the EAC will also help support the day-to-day legal needs of the agency's broad portfolio, including but not limited to: advising the agency's various divisions on policy, risk, and strategy; responding to Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) requests; drafting agreements, both labor and procurement; negotiating on behalf of the agency with a range of vendors, unions, and client agencies; legislative review; and researching legal issues as they arise. The successful candidate must be interested in the agency's portfolio, including arbitrations and litigation, labor relations, compliance, and supporting employee benefits and healthcare. They must be self-starter, highly organized, detail-oriented, flexible, and possess the ability to work well with a variety of personalities and entities. Further, they must be solutions-oriented, eager to learn, and a problem solver who can work both collaboratively and independently without close supervision to ensure they stay on task and deadlines are met. Patience, flexibility, sound judgment, creativity, and a good sense of humor to help ensure a collegial environment are also necessary for successful integration to OGC's small (but mighty) team. Key responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Representing the city in administrative proceedings, including but not limited to arbitrations pursuant to collective bargaining agreements and improper practice claims before the Office of Collective Bargaining (OCB);
• Develop and implement case strategies, and negotiate settlements;
• Maintain communications with client agencies and provide regular updates on case status;
• Conducts legal research and advises both OGC and agency leadership;
• Researching and drafting legal documents, including pleadings, briefs, agreements (e.g., MOUs, contracts, side letters), and Memoranda;
• Reviewing agency communications prior to their release;
• Gaining a command of the collective bargaining law and familiarizing themselves with the unions that the agency engages with during labor negotiations;
• Preparing briefing documents for a variety of audiences, including decisionmakers and non-attorneys;
• Handling FOIL assignments under the supervision of the Agency Privacy Officer (APO);
• Helping to develop contract templates and guidance for the agency's programs;
• Liaising with the Law Department as needed (e.g., discovery requests);
• May aid in the supervision of less experienced attorneys in preparation of their proceedings;
• Assisting in the development of processes and systems for efficient management of the legal team's workstreams, cases, and communications; and
• Other duties as needed.

Minimum Qualifications

Admission to the New York State Bar; and four years of recent full-time responsible, relevant, satisfactory legal experience subsequent to admission to any bar, eighteen months of which must have been in the supervision of other attorneys, in an administrative, managerial or executive capacity, or performing highly complex and significant legal work. Incumbents must remain Members of the New York State Bar in good standing for the duration of this employment.

Preferred Skills

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS: - Admission to the NYS Bar and at least 4+ years of post-law school relevant experience or equivalent - Must remain a Member of the NYS Bar in good standing for the duration of employment - Demonstrated litigation experience with ability to manage multiple cases and assignments - Ability to handle sensitive information with appropriate discretion and professionalism - Ability to think on their feet and deliver under tight deadlines - Team-oriented mindset with the ability to work independently - Strong organizational skills - Strong research, writing, and problem-solving skills and - Strong communication and interpersonal skills. PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS: - Demonstrated interest in labor relations strongly preferred - Municipal government experience strongly preferred - Demonstrated experience in contracts and negotiations preferred - Demonstrated ability to negotiate settlements strongly preferred.

Public Service Loan Forgiveness

As a prospective employee of the City of New York, you may be eligible for federal loan forgiveness programs and state repayment assistance programs. For more information, please visit the U.S. Department of Education's website at

Residency Requirement

New York City Residency is not required for this position

Additional Information

The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual's sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.