Job Description

Job Description and Duties

Under general direction of a Deputy Chief Counsel, the Assistant Chief Counsel is responsible for managing a group of attorneys and paralegals involved in a variety of litigation activities, which includes leading a litigation team, and may include actively litigating cases.

The Assistant Chief Counsel works in planning, organizing, directing, practicing, coordinating, and reviewing the work of a major legal section of a small legal office. Trial experience as lead counsel is preferred.

Additional responsibilities of the Assistant Chief Counsel include acting as legal advisor to top management; preparing legislation and representing the Department before the Legislature; formulating legal policy; and participating as a member of top management in the development and implementation of department policy and procedures.

The position is located in our Fresno Legal Office. The Caltrans Legal Division is comprised of five offices statewide including its Sacramento office near the State Capitol, Oakland, Los Angeles, San Diego, and Fresno.

The Caltrans Legal Division Fresno Legal Office is a public entity law office which offers a supportive and challenging work environment where you will be given substantial responsibility at an early stage of your career. The job also offers excellent health, dental, vision and pension plan benefits.

PARF# 42-5-151 / JC-457752

Eligibility for hire may be determined by your score on the Attorney, Assistant Chief Counsel Exam. For those who do not have current eligibility (e.g., transfer, permissive reinstatement, or voluntary demotions) and/or who will be new to state civil services employment, you must be on the state examination list to be eligible for these positions.  To apply for the exam, please click here and search by typing in the classification title.

The Human Resources Contact is available to answer questions regarding the application process. The Hiring Unit Contact is available to answer questions regarding the position.

Please take this 1-minute Caltrans Recruitment survey to tell us how you found out about this job. 

Apply today to join our team!  We especially encourage applicants to check out our Caltrans Career Compass tool!  The Caltrans Career Compass is a tool to assist and help candidates understand and succeed in applying to Caltrans positions.

You will find additional information about the job in the .

Minimum Requirements

You will find the Minimum Requirements in the Class Specification.

Additional Documents

Special Requirements

• A valid California Driver's License is required.

• Statement of Qualifications (SOQ) is required. Failure to submit a Statement of Qualifications will disqualify candidates from the hiring process.

Statement of Qualifications (SOQ) is a discussion of how an applicant's education, training, experience, and skills meet the criteria in the duty statement and qualify the applicant for the position. Please include a 1-2 pages, 12-point font, SOQ that addresses the prompts below. Resumes and cover letters will not take the place of the SOQ. Failure to include and complete the SOQ may result in disqualification for interview.

• Proficient knowledge of civil litigation laws, regulations, trends, practices, and the California Code of Civil Procedure, California Evidence Code, Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, California Government Code, and the California Insurance Code.

• Knowledge of law relating to public transportation issues. Federal Aid statutes relating to transportation; California law relating to acquisition, financing, administration and risk management.

• Sufficient knowledge of the organization, mission and statutory environment of the State Department of Transportation in order to function effectively in a position that works closely with and supports top management of the Department of Transportation.

• Experience at a supervisory and/or management level in the Department of Transportation or comparable agency or organization or law firm practice including knowledge of transportation, civil litigation, current management principles and practices, and demonstrated ability to plan, direct, coordinate and review the work of a program consisting of professional legal staff.

Possession of Minimum Qualifications will be verified prior to interview and/or appointment. If you are basing your eligibility on education, you must include your unofficial transcript(s)/diploma for verification. Unofficial, original, or official sealed transcripts will be accepted and may be required upon appointment. Applicants with foreign transcripts/degrees must provide a transcript/degree U.S. equivalency report evaluation that indicates the number of units and degree to which the foreign coursework is equivalent. Please visit either of the following two websites for a list of evaluation agencies: or . Please redact birthdates and social security numbers.

Application Instructions

Completed applications and all required documents must be received or postmarked by the Final Filing Date in order to be considered. Dates printed on Mobile Bar Codes, such as the Quick Response (QR) Codes available at the USPS, are not considered Postmark dates for the purpose of determining timely filing of an application.

Final Filing Date: 12/6/2024

Who May Apply

Individuals who are currently in the classification, eligible for lateral transfer, eligible for reinstatement, have list or LEAP eligibility, are in the process of obtaining list eligibility, or have SROA and/or Surplus eligibility (please attach your letter, if available). SROA and Surplus candidates are given priority; therefore, individuals with other eligibility may be considered in the event no SROA or Surplus candidates apply. Individuals who are eligible for a Training and Development assignment may also be considered for this position(s).

Applications will be screened and only the most qualified applicants will be selected to move forward in the selection process. Applicants must meet the Minimum Qualifications stated in the Classification Specification(s).

How To Apply

Complete Application Packages (including your Examination/Employment Application (STD 678) and applicable or required documents) must be submitted to apply for this Job Posting. Application Packages may be submitted electronically through your CalCareer Account at When submitting your application in hard copy, a completed copy of the Application Package listing must be included. If you choose to not apply electronically, a hard copy application package may be submitted through an alternative method listed below:

Address for Mailing Application Packages

You may submit your application and any applicable or required documents to:

Department of Transportation

N/A

Attn: Caltrans DHR Contact

Certification Services MS-90

P O Box 168036

Sacramento , CA 95816-8036

Address for Drop-Off Application Packages

You may drop off your application and any applicable or required documents at:

Department of Transportation

Drop-Off Address

Caltrans DHR Contact

Classification and Hiring Unit - ECOS

1727 30th Street, MS 90

Sacramento , CA 95816

Closed on weekends and State holidays.

08:00 AM - 05:00 PM

Required Application Package Documents

The following items are required to be submitted with your application. Applicants who do not submit the required items timely may not be considered for this job:

• Current version of the State Examination/Employment Application STD Form 678 (when not applying electronically), or the Electronic State Employment Application through your Applicant Account at All Experience and Education relating to the Minimum Qualifications listed on the Classification Specification should be included to demonstrate how you meet the Minimum Qualifications for the position.
• Resume is optional. It may be included, but is not required.
• Statement of Qualifications -

  • Statement of Qualifications (SOQ) is required. Please see the Special Requirements section for SOQ instructions.

Applicants requiring reasonable accommodations for the hiring interview process must request the necessary accommodations if scheduled for a hiring interview. The request should be made at the time of contact to schedule the interview. Questions regarding reasonable accommodations may be directed to the EEO contact listed on this job posting.

Benefits

to view the Benefits Summary for Civil Service Employees in the State of California.

Contact Information

The Human Resources Contact is available to answer questions regarding the application process. The Hiring Unit Contact is available to answer questions regarding the position.

Human Resources Contact:
Ellaine Cupino
(916) 201-8424
ellaine.cupino@dot.ca.gov

Hiring Unit Contact:
Marti Johnson
(916) 654-2630
Marti.Johnson@dot.ca.gov

Please direct requests for Reasonable Accommodations to the interview scheduler at the time the interview is being scheduled. You may direct any additional questions regarding Reasonable Accommodations or Equal Employment Opportunity for this position(s) to the Department's EEO Office.

EEO Contact:
Caltrans EEO Office
(844) 368-3367
Ask.eeo@dot.ca.gov

California Relay Service: 1-800-735-2929 (TTY), 1-800-735-2922 (Voice) TTY is a Telecommunications Device for the Deaf, and is reachable only from phones equipped with a TTY Device.

Important Application Instructions

The State application (STD. 678) is required, and each section must be filled out completely and thoroughly. For mailed or hand delivered applications to be considered for this position, the Job Control number (JC-457752), PARF# 42-5-151 and title of the position (Attorney, Assistant Chief Counsel) must be included on the STD. 678 form.

Electronic applications through your CalCareers account are highly recommended and encouraged.

Candidates that meet the minimum qualifications based on possession of EDUCATION, LICENSE, OR CERTIFICATE must include a copy of your DEGREE/TRANSCRIPTS, LICENSE, or CERTIFICATE, along with your State application (STD. 678), to be considered for this position.

NOTE: Do not submit the “Equal Employment Opportunity” questionnaire (page 5) with your completed State application (STD. 678). This page is for examination use only. Do not include any confidential information on any documents you submit for this job vacancy, such as your state application, resume, or educational transcripts.  Confidential information that should be  excluded or removed from these documents includes, but is not limited to, your Social Security Number, birth date, driver’s license number, examination results, LEAP status, marital status, and age.  The job application packet checklist is not required to apply for this position.  Failure to follow these instructions may result in your application not being considered for this position.

Job Tags

Holiday work, Permanent employment, Full time, Weekend work,

Similar Jobs