SENIOR ASSOCIATE COUNSEL - 74601

Executive Service

The office is based in Nashville, Tennessee, and operates on a fixed hybrid schedule that combines in-office and remote work.

Who we are and what we do:

The Commission is the regulatory body established by the General Assembly to provide general supervisory and regulatory oversight of all aspects of Tennessee's public utilities, including investor-owned natural gas, water, wastewater, and electric utilities. The Commission also provides administrative and investigative support to the Underground Utility Damage Enforcement (UUDEB) Board. In addition, the Commission administers popular consumer assistance programs, such as the Do Not Call/Text program and the Telecommunications Devices for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (TDD/TTY) Access Program. Its Gas Safety Division personnel inspect approximately 40,000 miles of intrastate natural gas distribution and transmission lines that serve over 1,356,000 customers in the state of Tennessee.

Job Overview:

The Tennessee Public Utility Commission (Commission) is hiring for a Senior Associate Counsel position. This role reports to the General Counsel.

Essential duties and responsibilities include:

1.Provide ongoing legal support to the General Counsel and agency staff, including expert legal advice and recommendations on complex, technical, and financial matters related to public utility regulation and other matters entrusted to the Commission by the General Assembly.

2.Research and analysis of utility petitions, testimony, and discovery, including financial, accounting, engineering, and other technical data and issues related to public utilities.

3.Prepare written opinions on a wide range of relevant legal issues, which may include the application and impact of statutes, rules, legislation, policy, and precedent on Commission case decisions and agency operations.

4.Represent and defend the Commission, the Board, their members, and staff in their official capacities in trial court litigation before the various Tennessee courts, including courts of appeal, and as required, representing agency staff as a party before the Commission or the Board itself.

5.Draft agency orders, memoranda, pleadings, appellate briefs, policies and procedures, regulations, and other legal documents, clearly and accurately, meeting time-sensitive deadlines.

6. Prepare and deliver verbal opinions and presentations in multiple settings (open meetings, court, legislature, regulatory associations, etc.), as opportunities arise.

Key Responsibilities:

Necessary Skills & Abilities include:

1.Adherence to the highest standards of personal and professional integrity, judgment, and conduct.

2.Skilled at working as a member of a team, with an aptitude for explaining legal issues to non-attorneys, and maintaining positive, professional interactions with outside counsel and public officials.

3.Familiarity with or willingness to learn complex technical, financial, and economic concepts inherent in public utility regulation.

4.Self-starter with a strong work ethic and a proven ability to meet stated objectives while managing diverse, competing matters, projects, and deadlines.

5.Strong proficiency in drafting clear, concise legal documents, with experience drafting legal opinions and orders preferred.

6.Communicates effectively with strong oral communication and public speaking skills.

Minimum Qualifications:

Minimum Educational Requirements & Qualifications:

The ideal candidate will be a licensed Tennessee attorney in good standing with five or more years of full-time, relevant legal experience. Experience in state court litigation/or regulatory and administrative law is highly 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.