Staff Counsel

Salary: $87,000.00

Division/Work Unit: General Counsel

Job ID: 807176

Hours/Shift: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Job Description

**This position may be eligible for remote work for up to 2 days per week, pursuant to the Flexible Work Pilot Program. ** 

The NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) protects and enhances the daily economic lives of New Yorkers to create thriving communities. DCWP licenses nearly 45,000 businesses in more than 40 industries and enforces key consumer protection and workplace laws that apply to countless more. By supporting businesses through equitable enforcement and access to resources, DCWP protects the marketplace from predatory practices and strives to create a culture of compliance. DCWP empowers consumers and working families by providing the tools and resources they need 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 Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP), sign up for its newsletter, or follow on its social media sites, X, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

DCWP is seeking a highly motivated individual to serve as a Staff Counsel within the License Operations and Counseling (“LOC”) Unit in the General Counsel Division. Reporting to the Associate General Counsel of the LOC Unit, the Staff Counsel will work on one of DCWP’s core internal counseling teams, which consists of a team of lawyers who provide legal advice to the Licensing Division, ensure compliance with key license requirements as well as internal counseling related to specific business industries. The Staff Counsel will also work on critical implementation projects to ensure new laws and rules are followed and enforced efficiently. The team works across license categories, but pays special focus to categories with multi-stakeholder touchpoints, such as tobacco and electronic cigarette retail dealers, newsstands, pedicabs, stoop line stands, and street vendors. Specifically, the Staff Counsel will:

1. Help ensure that DCWP license applications and its license intake process comply with required laws and rules; review license applications for challenging license categories, which includes conducting investigations and issuing a final determination; review and issue final decisions on license applications that trigger DCWP’s criminal history review; and engage directly with the public to manage questions about laws and rules within DCWP’s jurisdiction.
2. Provide legal counseling to other divisions regarding licensed categories, particularly issues related to the interpretation of licensing laws and rules; provide day-to-day counseling support to the Licensing Division to ensure legal compliance; and assist with the implementation process for new laws and rules.

Minimum Qualification Requirements 

1. Admission to the New York State Bar; and either "2" or "3" below. 
2. One year of satisfactory United States legal experience subsequent to admission to any state bar; or 
3. 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 

• Litigation or counseling experience 
• Demonstrated excellent verbal, written, interpersonal, analytical, problem-solving and time management skills 
• Proficient in conducting legal research and undertaking factual investigations, including reviewing documents and conducting witness interviews and depositions 
• Demonstrated excellent legal research, writing skills and negotiation skills 
• Comfort with data-driven analysis, strategic planning, and long term project management
• Able to effectively interact with multi-functional teams comprised of attorney and non-attorney staff as well as members of the public 
• Able to effectively manage multiple priorities with competing deadlines 
• References that can confirm legal skills 

To Apply 

To apply for this position, please submit your application exclusively through the Jobs NYC website. Only applications submitted via the Jobs NYC platform will be considered for review. The Job ID is located at the top of this page. 

A resume and cover letter are required as part of the application. 

Reasonable Accommodations 

DCWP is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to ensure that individuals with disabilities have equal access to employment opportunities. If you need an accommodation to participate in the interview process, please contact us at ReasonableAccommodationRequests@dcwp.nyc.gov. 

Please note the following important application instructions: 

• Only candidates selected for further consideration will be contacted. If you do not receive communication from us, please consider your application as not being selected for this position. 

Appointments are subject to Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval. 

For any questions or concerns regarding your application, please email the recruitment team at dcwpjobs@dcwp.nyc.gov.

Additional Information

In addition, the NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) offers competitive salaries and the following benefits: 

Paid Time Off and Holidays 

• Paid time off for vacation and personal leave 
• Paid time off for sick leave 
• A generous holiday package of up to 13 days 

Health Benefits 

• Medical insurance plans 
• Dental and vision insurance plans 
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) 

Financial and Savings Benefits 

• 529 College Savings Plan 
• Direct Deposit 
• Flexible Spending Account Programs 
• New York City Municipal Credit Union Savings Program 
• Transit Benefit Programs 

Retirement and Pension Plans 

• New York City Employee Retirement System (NYCERS) pension plan 
• New York City Deferred Compensation Plan (DCP) 401(k) and 457 plan 

Additional Benefits for Union Members 

• Disability Insurance 
• Health Club Reimbursements 
• Life Insurance 
• Supplemental Hospital Coverage 
• Tuition Reimbursement 

*Please note only employees represented by a labor union may qualify for additional benefits provided by the union welfare fund. 

Student Loan Forgiveness 

• DCWP qualifies as a public service employer, which means our employees may be eligible for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. If you have federal student loans, you may be able to have your loans forgiven by working full-time in public service. To learn more about PSLF and its eligibility requirements, visit the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program website. 

Employee Discounts 

• Apple and Dell products 
• Cell phones and plans 
• Gym memberships 
• Special pricing on event tickets through Barclay Center, Plum Benefits and Working Advantage
• And more! 

DCWP and the City of New York is an equal employment opportunity employer.