Legal Officer (Employment Law) – Office of Legal Affairs

Legal Officer – Office of Legal Affairs 

Position Summary:

UTHealth Houston is seeking a Legal Officer to provide legal advice and counsel with a primary focus on employment law. Recognized as the most comprehensive academic health center in the UT System and the U.S. Gulf Coast region, UTHealth Houston is Texas’ resource for healthcare education, innovation, and excellence in patient care. Our mission is to educate health science professionals, discover and translate advances in the biomedical and social sciences and model the best practices in clinical care and public health. In addition to our seven schools, our faculty practice plan, UT Physicians, employs over 2,000+ providers that operate our 100+ clinical locations. We are also home to the largest academic behavioral health hospital in the country.

We are seeking candidates that are collaborative and take great pride in building relationships. In addition, the Legal Officer must have excellent research skills and a keen eye for detail. The Legal Officer should be able to interpret and apply complex laws and regulations, draft legal documents, and provide sound advice to key stakeholders across the university. Candidates should also have excellent oral and written communication skills, strong analytical and problem-solving abilities, and the ability to work independently and collaboratively with internal and external teams. This key position will report directly to our Senior Vice President and Chief Legal Officer, Melissa Pifko, J.D.

Candidates should have a minimum of three (3) years of employment law experience and hold a Juris Doctorate (JD) degree from an American Bar Association accredited law school and a license to practice law in Texas. All candidates will be considered with a preference for those with prior experience in healthcare or higher education.

Position Key Accountabilities:

• Provides interpretation and opinions regarding various laws, regulations, and internal and external policies regarding employment law and other litigation-related matters.
• Collaborates with Human Resources on all issues of the law related to the organization’s human capital. 
• Monitors legal issues and implications concerned with discrimination, sexual harassment, health and safety, hiring and firing, other aspects of employee rights and responsibilities, and other areas of higher education law and health law.
• Coordinates litigators and litigation and certain regulatory investigations involving the institution and its employees.
• Drafts and/or reviews various documents and forms as required for institutional business purposes.
• Advises as necessary the various institutional committees and managers. 
• Interacts and/or intervenes with The University of Texas System Office of General Counsel, the Texas Attorney General, and various private attorneys. 
• Responds to subpoenas and requests for information and records.
• Coordinates certain internal hearings and assures that institutional policies are followed and due process is achieved. 
• Negotiates on behalf of the institution in mediation and other situations encountered in pursuit of resolving legal conflicts to which the institution is a party of interest.
• Attends depositions and other legal proceedings to assist/coordinate outside attorneys representing the institution. 
• Conducts or participates in training on various legal issues.
• Performs other duties as assigned. 

Certification/Skills:

• ATT- JD Attorney, Licensed by the State Bar of Texas required. 
• Proficiency in legal research via library or computer.

Minimum Education:

Juris Doctorate degree from an American Bar Association accredited law school required.

Minimum Experience:

Three (3) years of employment law experience required. Experience in health care or higher education preferred.

Physical Requirements:

Exerts up to 10 pounds of force occasionally and/or up to 10 pounds frequently and/or a negligible amount constantly to move objects.

Security Sensitive:

This job class may contain positions that are security sensitive and thereby subject to the provisions of Texas Education Code § 51.215

Residency Requirement:

Employees must permanently reside and work in the State of Texas.

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