LEGISLATIVE ATTORNEY II

POSITION:   Legislative Attorney II, Statutory Review Section

GRADE:        SPC05

SUMMARY OF POSITION:          The Legislative Attorney II works under the direct supervision of the Statutory Review Chief Legal Counsel.  The Legislative Attorney II is responsible for reviewing bills, resolutions and amendments during legislative sessions, as well as acts, and page proofs of documents during the interim for purposes of codification.  The Legislative Attorney II has established legal editing, legal writing, and legal research skills and experience with Arkansas law.

Position grade and salary will be commensurate with experience.  The grade range is SPC03-SPC08, and the salary range is $71,027-$169,298. Both new and experienced attorneys are encouraged to apply.

The Bureau of Legislative Research seeks a Legislative Attorney who will review and provide legal and technical analysis on bills, amendments, and statutory issues, review and prepare acts of the General Assembly for codification, and review and prepare proof pages of the Arkansas Code for publication. This position emphasizes qualifications and interest in legal analysis, codification, editing, and publishing in a public service legislative context. Candidates who demonstrate strong analytical, grammatical, editorial, and communication skills and possess a portfolio of high-quality legal analytical writing are encouraged to apply. Though research experience and expertise in criminal law and civil and criminal procedure are preferred, candidates must be capable of working in a number of different areas of the law and have the intellectual curiosity to seek out and maintain a broad working knowledge of legal issues.

BLR works exclusively for the Arkansas General Assembly, providing various services, including bill drafting and legal analysis, to committees and members of both the House of Representatives and the Senate, regardless of political affiliation.  BLR is known for analysis that is authoritative, confidential, objective, and nonpartisan.  BLR seeks to ensure that the Arkansas General Assembly has immediate access to high-quality research, analysis, and writing on issues of interest to its members and committees.

Application Requirements: Applicants must submit a resume and cover letter in addition to an application.  A background check is required.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:          

• Review bills, resolutions, amendments, and other legislative proposals to make recommendations for changes or corrections in assigned subject matter area, as well as providing back up to other legislative attorneys due to overflow or absence.
• Review acts of the General Assembly and proof pages, supplements, and replacement volumes of the Arkansas Code and Advance Code Service for codification.
• Draft corrective legislation for introduction by the Arkansas Code Revision Commission.
• Be available to members of the General Assembly, state agency staff, and Bureau staff to provide answers to legal issues that may arise and provide legal research and legal memoranda.
• Develop and maintain expertise in assigned subject matter areas, including monitoring case law, trends in other jurisdictions, news items, and emerging developments.

OTHER FUNCTIONS:

• Prepare materials and conduct presentations concerning legislative drafting, codification,  and the legislative process in general.
• Occasional in-state and out-of-state travel to conferences and seminars.
• Perform other duties as requested by the Statutory Review Chief Legal Counsel, the Deputy Director for Legal Services, and the Director of the Bureau.

QUALIFICATIONS/SKILLS:

• Doctor of Jurisprudence degree.
• License to practice law in Arkansas, maintained in good standing.
• At least two (2) years as a Legislative Attorney I or other relevant experience as determined by the Director of the Bureau and the Deputy Director for Legal Services.
• Knowledge of state and federal laws and constitutions.
• Knowledge of the legislative process and the functions of state and federal agencies or has other relevant experience in the public sector.
• Knowledge of or the ability to expeditiously develop knowledge of laws, precedents, and procedures related to the General Assembly.
• Knowledge and proficiency in English grammar, spelling, and punctuation, and the ability to identify and correct related errors.
• Knowledge of or the ability to expeditiously develop knowledge of the codification process in general and the Arkansas Code in particular.
• Proficiency in or writing experience that demonstrates the ability to quickly develop proficiency in applying the Bureau Bill Drafting Manual and the laws and precedents related to statutory construction.
• Ability to proficiently conduct objective legal research and perform legal analysis.
• Ability to independently organize workload and set priorities.
• Ability to communicate appropriately with Bureau Staff, state agency staff, members of the General Assembly, and members of the public.

PRODUCTION STANDARDS:

• Accurately analyzes and provides nonpartisan legislative solutions to complex legal issues.
• Adept in communicating with Bureau staff, members of the General Assembly, state agency staff, and members of the public, both verbally and in writing.
• Demonstrates proficient time management skills, including the ability to complete work under strict time deadlines.
• Exhibits a professional attitude and appearance.
• Functions independently and cooperates as part of a statutory review team, including without limitation assisting with the workload of other section members when necessary.
• Maintains high standard of professional ethics and exercises appropriate discretion with confidential matters.
• Demonstrates ability to diplomatically and effectively edit the work of others, including identifying deficiencies and technical errors in the work of Bureau staff and publishers, while still maintaining good working relationships with other members of the Bureau.