Executive Service
Background Check:
The selected applicant will be required to: Complete a criminal history disclosure form; Agree to release all records involving their criminal history to the appointing authority; Supply a fingerprint sample prescribed by the TBI based criminal history records clerk. If your name appears on the Tennessee Department of Health Abuse Registry, the Substantiated Investigations Records Inquiry (SIRI) database that is maintained by the Department of Disability and Aging, or the Felony Offender Registry maintained by the State of Tennessee, DDA cannot consider you for employment in this position. A Motor Vehicle Records screening will be conducted prior to employment.
Who We Are And What We Do:
The Department of Disability & Aging is the state agency responsible for providing services and support to more than 1.5 million Tennesseans with intellectual and developmental disabilities and to older Tennesseans. For people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, this is done through programs such as, but not limited to, the home and community-based waiver programs, Tennessee Early Intervention System (TEIS), Katie Beckett Program, Medicaid Alternative Pathways (MAPs) Program, and Family Support Program. For older adults, some of those programs include CHOICES, State Health Insurance Assistance program (SHIP), home and community-based programs, nutrition services, caregiver support, transportation assistance, and public guardianship. The department supports people to live the lives they envision for themselves by ensuring people are free to exercise rights, engage with their broader communities and experience optimal health. DDA is the first state service delivery system in the nation to receive Person-Centered Excellence Accreditation from the Council on Quality and Leadership. It has also been recognized as a national leader in its efforts to increase competitive, community-based employment outcomes for people with disabilities and its commitment to enhancing independence through Enabling Technology.
Job Overview:
The Tennessee Department of Disability and Aging (DDA) is seeking an attorney to assist in covering courts in east Tennessee, as well as providing other legal services to DDA. This position serves as a team member of the DDA Office of General Counsel (OGC). The successful candidate may work from either the Knoxville office at 520 W. Summit Hill Dr., Knoxville 37902, or the Greeneville office on the site of the former Greene Valley Developmental Center, at 4850 E. Andrew Johnson Hwy, Greeneville, 37745. Interested applicants in proximity to either Knoxville or Greeneville are encouraged to apply. There is possibility for an alternative work arrangement that could include some work from home, as responsibilities allow, at the discretion of the supervisor and according to TN state government policies. This position is Executive Service and reports to a Senior Associate Counsel located in Knoxville.
Key Responsibilities:
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Legal advice and counsel to DDA personnel, as requested.
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Represent DDA in a variety of contested/uncontested cases such as conservatorships, placement on the Abuse Registry, provider appeals, and employment appeals in courts throughout Tennessee.
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Complex, detailed legal file reviews and analyses pertaining to substantiations for abuse, neglect, and/or exploitation of persons with disabilities and maintain compliance with applicable laws, rules, and regulations.
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File management, oversight, and review of applications for removal from the Abuse Registry, including assisting in the facilitation of the committee hearings.
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File maintenance, including case tracking in SharePoint and responsibility for work assigned to paralegals; Prepare and facilitate presentations at meetings, as requested, for DDA staff, provider agencies, and other third parties (Eg., school systems), on conservatorships and less restrictive alternatives; supported decision-making; strategies for testifying at hearings; and the DDA abuse, neglect, and exploitation due process procedure.
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Provide legal review of State contracts, policies, etc. on behalf of DDA, as assigned; Prepare memoranda, letters, or other documents necessary to effectuate the mission of DDA.
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Provide assistance to the Tennessee Attorney Generals Office, as assigned.
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Interpret and apply federal and state legal requirements affecting DDA programs.
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Assist in the development of DDAs legislative proposals and bill analyses, as assigned; and Some overnight travel may be required, but it will be infrequent.
Minimum Qualifications:
A Juris Doctor degree (J.D.) from an accredited law school; active license to practice law in Tennessee; experience equivalent to three years of increasingly responsible professional full-time experience in the practice of law. The ideal candidate will have strong analytical and writing skills, including the ability to proofread. Preferred experience includes handling contested litigation, conservatorships, and legal representation of an entity(s), especially a government entity. Necessary Special Qualifications: Be in good standing without a disciplinary record with the Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility; possession of a valid Tennessee drivers license.
Pursuant to the State of Tennessee's Workplace Discrimination and Harassment policy, the State is firmly committed to the principle of fair and equal employment opportunities for its citizens and strives to protect the rights and opportunities of all people to seek, obtain, and hold employment without being subjected to illegal discrimination and harassment in the workplace. It is the State's policy to provide an environment free of discrimination and harassment of an individual because of that person's race, color, national origin, age (40 and over), sex, pregnancy, religion, creed, disability, veteran's status or any other category protected by state and/or federal civil rights laws.
