SENIOR ASSOCIATE COUNSEL - 77727

Executive Service

Background Check:

This position requires a criminal background check. Therefore, you may be required to provide information about your criminal history in order to be considered for this position.

Who we are and what we do:

The attorneys for the Office of General Counsel (OGC) handle administrative contested case hearings for department program areas and before boards regulating health care providers, administrative rulemaking, providing legislative bill analyses, writing formal and informal legal opinions, providing timely and accurate legal advice to all department programs, and advising on ethics issues.

How you make a difference in this role:

The attorneys working at OGC for the Department of Health represent the State of Tennessee. The OGC performs a variety of legal functions in support of the department's mission to protect, promote, and improve the health and well-being of all people in Tennessee.

Job Overview:

The Tennessee Department of Health is seeking a litigation attorney to serve as a Senior Associate Counsel in its Office of General Counsel. This attorney will be assigned to the Offices Overprescribing/Improper Prescribing Team. The duties for this position include extensive complex litigation involving the standard of care for multiple healthcare professions, as well as standards for prescribing controlled substances. This position will litigate professional licensure disciplinary cases before the following boards, committees, and programs: Board of Medical Examiners, Board of Osteopathic Examination, Board of Nursing, Board of Physician Assistants, Board of Dentistry, Board of Podiatric Medical Examiners, Board of Respiratory Care, Board of Dietician and Nutritionist Examiners, Polysomnography Professional Standards Committee, Committee for Clinical Perfusionists, Electrolysis Registry, and the Pain Management Clinic Program. The work includes complaint review, legal writing, medical record review, corresponding with investigators, working with expert witnesses, negotiating discipline, holding depositions, conducting discovery, and litigating at hearings before the boards.

Key Responsibilities:

The attorney will represent the Department in administrative law cases before various healthcare professional boards. This will involve preparing complex cases for litigation and will typically include thorough medical record review, drafting pleadings and motions, taking depositions, conducting discovery, and trial advocacy. The attorney will also analyze proposed legislation affecting public health and administrative hearing procedures as needed. Intellectual curiosity, a strong litigation background, strong writing skills, and an interest in the healthcare industry are necessary. We are seeking applicants who will be adept at working in a dynamic, team-focused environment and handling a large and complex case load at different phases of litigation.

Minimum Qualifications:

Applicant must be licensed to practice law in Tennessee and must have graduated from an accredited law school with the equivalent of a J.D. At least seven (7) years of relevant legal experience is required. Applicant must be able to perform legal duties and litigate with minimal supervision. Applicant must be comfortable working with Microsoft Office applications, participating in videoconference meetings, and using cloud-based filesharing programs. Previous experience in administrative and/or healthcare law is preferred.

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.