Director of Legal Services at Ottawa County – West Olive, Michigan

The Director of Legal Services serves as the principal legal services coordinator and advisor for all of Ottawa County government including all boards, commissions, departments, offices of its elected officials, funding and other budgetary centers (collectively, the “County Operations”). The Director is appointed by and serves under the County Administrator’s general direction. For all County Operations, the Director oversees and assists the attorneys hired in civil litigation; monitors performance of outside attorneys hired to provide specialized services; drafts legal documents, including real estate interests, contracts, regulations and ordinances; researches legal questions and provides legal advice; and is available for counsel.

This is a full-time, benefitted position working out of the County Administration building located at 12220 Fillmore, West Olive, MI 49424. Typical work hours are Monday-Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, however some evening meetings are required.
The essential functions of this position include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Day-to-day presence in the County Administrative Offices for consultation and to otherwise discharge all functions of legal advisor for Ottawa County.
2. Serves as civil counsel and parliamentarian to the Board of Commissioners and subcommittees thereof, elected officials, County departments, advisory boards, and all other County government agencies.
3. Interprets and provides advice with respect to the substantive and procedural requirements of state and federal statutes, administrative rules and regulations, judicial precedents, case law, and other rulings and regulations with the force of law.
4. Proactively identifies legal issues seen or unseen by boards, commissions, departments and administrators.
5. Monitors and ensures compliance of County Operations with legal requirements.
6. Serves as legal advisor to all County Operations and County advisory and governing boards.
7. Serves as mediator among legally related county activities, namely the Sheriff, Prosecutor, Public Defender and/or the relationship between county and county funded entities or other governmental entities.
8. Oversees and participates in the researching and rendering of opinions on a wide range of legal issues involving County Operations.
9. Coordinates the work of outside counsel hired to represent the County in specific matters.
10. Drafts additions to, updates and maintains the Ottawa County Code.
11. Advises County departments in matters of employment law, real estate law, regulatory law, and contract law.
12. Prepares and reviews leases, legal documents, and contracts in a variety of areas, including construction, professional services, personal property purchases, granting of easements, licensing agreements, and related matters.
13. Drafts codes, ordinances, regulations and policies for the Board of Commissioners, County departments and designated agencies, and reviews proposed rules, regulations, and policies for legal compliance.
14. Monitors the litigation of risk-management activities of the Ottawa County Insurance Authority and the attorneys thereto, advises the Board of Commissioners on the conduct and status of said matters, and ensures proper representation of the interests of the County.
15. Researches major policy issues to identify potential exposure to legal liability from alternative actions with respect thereto and recommends options that best serve the interests of the County.
16. Serves as the County’s Freedom of Information Officer, reviewing requests for copies of records and documents and preparing appropriate, legally sound responses.
17. Serves as statutory Chief Privacy Officer for Ottawa County and all departments of county government under the provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act [HIPAA].
18. Researches, analyzes, and evaluates the potential impact on the County of recently passed and pending state and federal legislation, amendments to existing statutes, new and modified administrative rules and regulations, and judicial precedents.
19. Drafts proposed policies, procedures, and practices to respond to proposed and pending changes in statutes, rules and regulations, and new judicial precedents.
20. Provides direct supervision for subordinate staff, including selection, hiring and termination, training, scheduling, provision of work assignments, performance management, and administration of discipline.

Preferred Education, Training and Experience:

• Juris Doctorate from an accredited school of law combined with a minimum four (4) years of relevant experience in municipal law and/or public service.
• A member in good standing of the State Bar of Michigan.
• Bachelor's and/or Master's Degree in Public Administration.
• Three (3) years of experience serving in leadership or management role over professional legal staff.

Required Knowledge and Skills:

1. Thorough working knowledge of civil procedure and legal method.
2. Thorough working knowledge of constitutional law, contract law, property law and tort law.
3. Thorough working knowledge of legal writing and legal research methods and resources.
4. Thorough working knowledge of administrative law and municipal law.
5. Thorough working knowledge of the Constitution of the State of Michigan.
6. Thorough working knowledge of the principles and practices of legal brief preparation.
7. Thorough working knowledge of the Michigan Court Rules and State Court Administrative Office rules and requirements.
8. Thorough working knowledge of the principles and practices of public administration.
9. Working knowledge of budget development and administration practices and principles.
10. Excellent oral argument skills.
11. Well-developed negotiating skills.
12. Thorough working knowledge of the American Bar Association canon of ethics and standards of professional practice.
13. Excellent interpersonal and human relations skills.
14. Ability to interact positively and professionally with County, state and local unit elected officials, executives, and administrators, employees, community and business representatives, and members of the public with widely divergent socio-economic and cultural backgrounds and varying levels of communication skills and analytical knowledge and sophistication.
15. This is a non-political position, and to engender the trust and confidence of all county officials, the Director of Legal Services should maintain his/her independence, avoid involvement in local or county political activities or campaigns, and adhere to the highest ethical standards.

Physical Requirements:
Must be able to perform essential job functions with or without reasonable accommodation, including, but not limited to, visual and/or audiological appliances and devices to increase mobility.

Working Conditions:
Work is generally performed in a normal office environment.


Disclaimer: This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change, or new ones may be assigned at any time with or without notice.