Statewide Litigation Attorney- 60062089

Requisition No: 835291 

Agency: Children and Families

Working Title: Statewide Litigation Attorney- 60062089

 Pay Plan: SES

Position Number: 60062089 

Salary:  $75,000 

Posting Closing Date: 10/16/2024 

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Children’s Legal Services

Department of Children and Families

 

 Jacksonville, FL

 

Open Competitive

 

This position is eligible for full-time permanent appointment.

 

What you will do:

MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE LIVES OF CHILDREN BY BEING THE LEADER IN THE COURTROOM!

 

Children’s Legal Services attorneys advocate for the safety, well-being, and permanency of Florida’s abused, abandoned, and neglected children.  With a team of more than 300 attorneys, CLS is the leader in the courtroom at each stage of a Chapter 39 proceeding.

 

This position will join the Statewide Attorney Team, which takes the lead on litigating cases in Florida’s dependency courtrooms.  The CLS attorney will be working with multiple circuits throughout the state by assisting with drafting, case review, hearing coverage, and trial litigation.  To be available to perform these duties around the state, the team member will not carry a regular caseload in a circuit or participate in on-call rotation.  As a member of the Statewide Attorney Team, the CLS attorney will collaborate with investigators and case managers to gather the evidence necessary to support the legal action that is appropriate for each child and to prepare those partners to serve as witnesses at trial.  The ideal team member is someone who thrives on litigating in the courtroom by leveraging the best advocacy practices.  While virtual communications will be leveraged as much as possible to perform assignments, travel will be required for this role.

 

Qualifications:

• A minimum of three years of dependency experience.
• CLS experience is preferred.
• A proven track record of driving permanency and successfully working with community partners.
• Exemplary understanding of dependency best practices, the Florida Rules of Evidence, Chapter 39, and the Florida Rules of Juvenile Procedure.
• Excellent legal writing and research skills.
• Superior litigation skills that mirror the statewide best practices taught by the training and appellate teams.
• Self-motivated with the ability to work individually and with a team.
• Ability to travel up to 5 nights/month.

Training Provided:

• Multi-week onboarding program created by trainers certified by the National Institute for Trial Advocacy
• Quarterly intensive multi-day New Attorney Training conducted by certified trainers
• Annual multi-day Advanced Litigation Academy conducted by certified trainers
• Fulfillment of all CLE requirements through webinars and live trainings on topics including case law updates, statutory changes, courtroom skills, evidence, ethics, and legal writing.