Assistant General Counsel (Austin)

WHO WE ARE:
The Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) is seeking an Assistant General Counsel (General Counsel I-II) to join the Office of General Counsel’s employment legal team. This position is located in downtown Austin, next to the Texas State Capitol at 101 E. 15th Street, Austin, TX.

TWC is not considering applications from individuals who require sponsorship for an employment visa, including those with H1B visas or those currently on student or postgraduate visas. You must be a Texas resident to work for the Texas Workforce Commission or willing to relocate to Texas.

WHAT YOU WILL DO:
TWC is a state agency of approximately 4,500 employees helping the Texas economy grow by connecting people with jobs. The Assistant General Counsel provides legal advice and guidance on employment and labor matters to agency leadership to ensure compliance with federal, state, and local laws and agency policies, procedures, and best practices. This role is also responsible for responding to EEOC charges, conducting formal internal investigations into employee complaints, representing the agency in unemployment insurance claim hearings, and providing legal oversight for the pre-employment background screening process. The position will work closely with attorneys handling support for administrative, regulatory and policy functions for the agency, as well as clients who administer Workforce, Vocational Rehabilitation and Unemployment Insurance programs for the agency. The Assistant General Counsel performs moderately complex to complex (journey-level) legal work, under general supervision, with limited to moderate latitude for the use of initiative and independent judgment.

YOU WILL BE TRUSTED TO:
- Prepare legal documents and perform legal research, conduct investigations, and reports findings and conclusions to management and other agency employees as appropriate.
- Handle special assignments related to personnel matters including representing the agency in unemployment claim hearings and providing support for employee complaints and investigations.
- Analyze factual and legal issues in an independent and neutral manner taking into consideration state, federal, and local employment laws, agency policy, and precedent.
- Provide counsel to management on employment-law-related matters.
- Draft position statements and conducts professional research, working closely with staffs to produce legal memorandum, work product and presentations.
- Research, analyze, and interpret state and federal employment laws and regulations, guidelines, policies, procedures, and rules.
- Provide professional legal advice for agency programs and operations, routinely the Workforce Solutions Division, including the Workforce and Vocational Rehabilitation programs, the Unemployment Insurance and Regulatory Integrity Divisions, as well as the agency's administrative divisions.
- Perform related work providing backup for other attorneys, as assigned.
- Review, summarize and evaluate proposed state and federal legislation that may affect the agency on occasion.
- May provide support and conduct research related to requests for accommodation.
- May plan, assign, and/or oversee the work of others. May act as a liaison and counsel to committees and workgroups.
- Perform other duties as assigned.

YOU QUALIFY WITH:
- General Counsel I: Graduation from an accredited law school approved by the American Bar Association and admission to the State Bar of Texas plus two years of experience in the full-time practice of law, or two years of full-time experience in a responsible position involving legal work as a primary duty.  One year of full-time in-service experience classified as an Attorney II with regular status will satisfy the minimum qualifications.
- General Counsel II: Graduation from an accredited law school approved by the American Bar Association and admission to the State Bar of Texas plus three years of experience in the full-time practice of law, or three years of full-time experience in a responsible position involving legal work as a primary duty. One year of full-time in-service experience classified as a General Counsel I or an Attorney III with regular status will satisfy the minimum qualifications.

YOU ARE A GREAT FIT WITH:
- An understanding of employment laws, including but not limited to Title VII, ADA, ADEA, FMLA, FLSA, Workers’ Compensation, GINA, and FCRA.
- Excellent oral and written skills. A writing sample will be requested at the time of interview.
- One or two years’ experience in legal research and writing.
- Experience in legal work with governmental entities providing guidance and briefing on federal and state laws.

YOU GAIN:
- A Family Friendly Certified Workplace
- Competitive starting salary: $8,762.72-$9,033.08/month
- Defined Retirement Benefit Plan
- Optional 401(k) and 457 accounts
- Medical Insurance
- Paid time off, including time for vacation, sick and family care leave
- Additional benefits for active employees can be found at https://www.ers.texas.gov/Active-Employees/Health-Benefits. 

VETERANS:
Use your military skills to qualify for this position or other jobs! Go to www.texasskillstowork.com to translate your military work experience and training courses into civilian job terms, qualifications, and skill sets. Also, you can compare this position to military occupations (MOS) at the Texas State Auditor's Office by pasting this link into your browser: https://hr.sao.texas.gov/Compensation/MilitaryCrosswalk/MOSC_Legal.pdf. 

HOW TO APPLY: 
To be considered, please complete an Application for Employment and apply on Taleo. TWC is not considering applications from individuals who require sponsorship for an employment visa, including those with H1B visas or those currently on student or postgraduate visas. In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification document form upon hire. A position utilizing this classification will be designated as security sensitive according to the Texas Labor Code, Section 301.042.

Job Details
Primary Location: United States-Texas-Austin
Work Locations: Austin:101 E 15th St (320-4001), 101 E 15th St, Austin, 78778-0001
Job: Lawyers
Organization: TWC Business Unit
Schedule: Regular
Shift: Standard
Employee Status: Non-Management
Job Type: Full-time
Travel: Yes, 10 % of the Time
Job Posting: Jul 31, 2026, 5:00:00 AM