Senior Enforcement Counsel - Workers Rights

The Department of the Government of New York City protects and enhances the daily economic lives of New Yorkers to create thriving communities. DCWP licenses more than 45,000 businesses in more than 40 industries and enforces key consumer protection, licensing, and workplace laws that apply to countless more. By supporting businesses through equitable enforcement and access to resources and, by helping to resolve complaints, DCWP protects the marketplace from predatory practices and strives to create a culture of compliance. Through its community outreach and the work of its offices of Financial Empowerment and Labor Policy & Standards, DCWP empowers consumers and working families by providing the tools and resources they need to be educated consumers and to achieve financial health and work-life balance. DCWP also conducts research and advocates for public policy that furthers its work to support New York City's communities. For more information about DCWP and its work, call 311 or visit DCWP at nyc.gov/dcwp or on its social media sites, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

The Office of Labor Policy & Standards (“OLPS”) enforces the City's worker protection laws, including the Paid Safe and Sick Leave Law, Fair Workweek scheduling laws that protect fast food and retail workers, and Delivery Worker Laws that protect app-based restaurant delivery workers. In OLPS' large, citywide enforcement actions, teams of attorneys, data scientists, and investigators work together to obtain compensation owed to workers and improve employer compliance. More information about our office is available at nyc.gov/workers.

DCWP is seeking an attorney with experience in litigation and issues affecting low-wage workers to handle a docket of complex cases and supervise litigation. Responsibilities include:

• Handling a docket of complex cases, including high-impact investigations and litigation;
• Supervising attorneys in litigation before the NYC Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings and state courts and in investigations to develop evidence suited to litigation;
• Making determinations regarding all aspects of the enforcement process, including the resolution of cases, remedies and penalties;
• Contributing to enforcement-related policy development and implementation, in coordination with the OLPS senior management team;
• Recommending changes to laws, rules, and procedures as needed to improve effective enforcement and advising and making recommendations on questions of law, fact, and administrative policy; and
• Handling certain timekeeping and other personnel matters for direct reports.

This position is an exciting opportunity to be involved with a growing office working on the next generation of labor laws. The ideal candidate has significant experience in issues affecting low-wage workers and enjoys collaborating with diverse teams, working with both attorneys and non-attorneys, and tackling unique legal and policy questions creatively.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Admission to the New York State Bar; and either "2" or "3" below.
• One year of satisfactory United States legal experience subsequent to admission to any state bar; or
• Six months of satisfactory service as an Agency Attorney Interne (30086).

Incumbents must remain Members of the New York State Bar in good standing for the duration of this employment.

In addition to meeting the minimum Qualification Requirements:
To be assigned to Assignment Level (AL) II, candidates must have one year of experience at Assignment Level I or two years of comparable legal experience subsequent to admission to the bar, in the areas of law related to the assignment. To be assigned to AL III candidates must have two years of experience in Assignment Levels I and/or II or three years of comparable legal experience subsequent to admission to the bar, in the areas of law related to the assignment.

Preferred Skills:
Five or more years of litigation experience, with at least one year of employment law experience. - Experience with supervision and management of attorneys and legal support staff. - Experience with fact investigation, managing discovery, and/or negotiating complex settlements. - Experience with mediation and other alternative dispute resolution frameworks. - Strong leadership and organizational skills, including the ability to contribute to strategic project planning and to support high-performing, diverse work teams. - The ability to effectively manage multiple priorities with competing deadlines. - Strong communication skills, including experience with public speaking. - Strong legal research and writing skills and the ability to translate complex technical issues into plain language. - The capacity to mentor and provide wide-ranging guidance to entry-level attorneys. - The ability to establish rapport and interact effectively and respectfully with multi-functional teams comprised of attorney and non-attorney staff. - Excellent verbal, written, interpersonal, analytical, and problem-solving skills. - Fluency in a language other than English