The Public Utilities Commission is hiring their next General Counsel 2.This position is responsible for overseeing the Commission’s legal unit and staff; maintaining up-to-date knowledge of applicable law; evaluating legal staff training needs to assure relevant staff are knowledgeable; assuring compliance with Minnesota’s Open Meeting Law and the Commission’s Code of Conduct; serving as the agency’s Responsible Authority for Minnesota’s Government Data Practices Act; coordinating with the Attorney General’s Office on pending litigation; and providing information and analysis to the Commissioners and Commission staff related to the agency’s docket-related and non-docketed work.

The position requires extensive and substantial familiarity with current and developing legal issues, the regular use of professional legal principles and practices, statutes, case law, rules, and Commission procedures. The position also requires reviewing and analyzing complex Commission records and the timely drafting of clear, well-reasoned and legally sound memoranda and decision options.

Note: This career opportunity is based at the PUC offices in St. Paul, MN and is not available for full-time remote work. This position will be required to work onsite or in-person for at least 50% of scheduled workdays each month.

Minimum Qualifications

• JD degree from an ABA accredited law school.
• Licensed to practice law in Minnesota.
• Five (5) years' experience as a practicing attorney or providing legal services.
• One (1) years' experience in management, supervision, or direction of a portfolio, project, program, personnel, and/or team.

Minimum Qualifications assessed at interview:

• Demonstrated project management and organizational skills, and ability to identify and prioritize essential projects.
• Demonstrated ability to build and maintain working relationships across units, organizations, agencies, and diverse populations.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Demonstrate experience working with technical experts in the fields of business, economics, finance, accounting, permitting, or similar areas.
• Strong legal research, analysis, and writing skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Environmental or administrative law experience.
• Seven (7) years' experience as a practicing attorney or providing legal services.
• Familiarity with regulated utility industries, energy infrastructure permitting or related policy issues.
• Experience with energy and telecommunications issues.
• Experience in employment, data practices, ethics, administrative, or government law.
• Knowledge of the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act and Open Meeting Law.
• Experience providing legal or policy advice to executive decision-makers on diverse, complex, and interrelated matters.
• Experience managing litigation and/or working with the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office.
• Experience working with people of diverse backgrounds and marginalized communities.
• Demonstrated success in supervision, mentoring, or professional development of staff.
• Experience working with Tribal governments or Tribal-State Relations.

Additional Requirements

This position requires successful completion of a background and reference check.

About Public Utilities Commission

The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (Commission) regulates three cornerstone service industries in Minnesota's economy, i.e., electricity, natural gas and telephone. The Commission’s mission is to create and maintain a regulatory environment that ensures safe, adequate and efficient utility services at fair, reasonable rates consistent with State telecommunications and energy policies. It does so by providing independent, consistent, professional and comprehensive oversight and regulation of utility service providers. One of the key functions of the commission in performing this mission is to balance the private and public interests affected in each docket, and to make decisions that appropriately balance these interests in a manner that is “consistent with the public interest.”

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