GUARDIAN AD LITEM OFFICE, STATE OFFICE - SENIOR ATTORNEY - 21015566

Requisition No: 810597 

Agency: Justice Administrative Commission

Working Title: GUARDIAN AD LITEM OFFICE, STATE OFFICE - SENIOR ATTORNEY - 21015566

Position Number: 21015566 

Salary:  $60,804.36 

Posting Closing Date: 10/31/2023 

THIS POSITION IS REMOTE

STATEWIDE GUARDIAN AD LITEM OFFICE

GUARDIAN AD LITEM APPELLATE ATTORNEY

IMPORTANT! – Please navigate to the following website: www.guardianadlitem.org to apply for this position:

• Click on the “Career Opportunities” icon.
• Scroll down to the link, “Submit Your Guardian ad Litem Employment Application Here.”
• Complete the “mini” job application and attach your current resume.
• Select STATE OFFICE for the job location

OR

• Email your mini application and resume directly to SO.Apps@gal.fl.gov

ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION

The Statewide Guardian ad Litem Office is Florida’s award-winning, state-funded child advocacy organization. With more than 10,000 staff and volunteers, which includes more than 180 attorneys, its primary focus is the powerful and effective representation of Florida’s abused, neglected, and abandoned children. Most of these children are abruptly removed from their homes, and sadly, many end up in foster care.  The Office’s mission is to provide the most vulnerable children in Florida with an adult from their community who will be a consistent, positive presence in the child's life as part of a multi-disciplinary team that always includes an attorney, child welfare professional and hopefully a community volunteer if one is available, providing the highest quality community advocacy and independent legal representation to protect each child's legal interests.

A critical function is to provide dependency judges with thorough and accurate information regarding the children under the court’s jurisdiction. The Office’s core values strongly reinforce and enhance its mission. Those values are:

• Commitment to Children
• Communication Built on Trust
• Collective Empowerment
• Collaboration
• Courtesy

An excellent overview of the Statewide Guardian ad Litem Office can be found at www.guardianadlitem.org.

BENEFITS PACKAGE

As an employee with the State of Florida, your benefits are a significant part of your compensation with 19 percent of your total compensation coming from the benefits that the State offers. As a fulltime employee, your insurance rate will be significantly low due to the contribution of the State of Florida. In fact, single coverage is as low as $8.34 per month with family coverage costing only $30 per month.

While the rates are higher for halftime employees, health insurance options are still available to you as long as you are in a salaried position.

EMPLOYMENT BENEFITS

• State of Florida Retirement package – Pension or investment plan (3% employee contribution required)
• (9) Paid state holidays
• Paid personal holiday
• (13) Paid sick leave days
• (176) Annual leave hours
• Life insurance $25,000 is provided by the state at no cost to you for all FTE positions.  Employee may purchase additional coverage
• Additional supplemental insurances are available such as dental, vision, disability, etc.
• Florida Bar annual dues are paid for by the Agency, contingent upon agency approval
• Public Loan Forgiveness Program
• No State of Florida income tax for residents of Florida
• No mandatory night/weekend/holiday scheduled work
• Tuition Waiver

ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY

This is professional highly responsible legal work providing appellate representation for the Statewide Guardian ad Litem Office.  The daily working environment is dynamic, fast-paced, intellectually and emotionally challenging and satisfying.

ABOUT THE WORK

This position requires legal research and writing on dependency and administrative law issues and analysis and evaluation of circuit court cases for appellate issues. Assigned to handle case appeals for specific regions/circuits; provide legal advice and representation on appellate issues impacting program legal operations at state and circuit level; drafts and files all necessary notices, briefs, motions, and other pleadings and papers in appellate courts; and represents the Guardian ad Litem Program by presenting oral arguments involving dependency matters in appellate courts.  The person holding this position should have at least two years of appellate court experience, and preferably have dependency experience.  The person should be able to work independently, and effectively manage a large caseload.

ABOUT THE EDUCATION AND TRAINING REQUIREMENTS

Graduation from an accredited law school, membership in the Florida Bar and two years of experience in the practice of appellate law.  Dependency experience preferred.

If you are a retiree of the Florida Retirement System (FRS), please check with the FRS at 1-844-377-1888 on how your current benefits may be affected if you are re-employed with the State of Florida.  Your current retirement benefits may be canceled, suspended, or deemed ineligible depending upon the date of your retirement.

The State of Florida is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Affirmative Action Employer, and does not tolerate discrimination or violence in the workplace.

Candidates requiring a reasonable accommodation, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act, must notify the agency hiring authority and/or People First Service Center (1-866-663-4735). Notification to the hiring authority must be made in advance to allow sufficient time to provide the accommodation.

The State of Florida supports a Drug-Free workplace. All employees are subject to reasonable suspicion drug testing in accordance with Section 112.0455, F.S., Drug-Free Workplace Act.