NEW YORK STATE Department of Civil Service announces Continuous Recruitment Examination Open to All Qualified Individuals APPLICATIONS ACCEPTED CONTINUOUSLY TESTS ADMINISTERED PERIODICALLY

Candidates appointed in certain positions throughout the state
may be assigned to different negotiating units which may result in a slightly different starting salary.

Appointees who work in the five boroughs of New York City or in Nassau, Suffolk, Rockland, or Westchester Counties will receive an additional $1,302 annual downstate adjustment.  Appointees who work in Dutchess, Orange, or Putnam Counties will receive an additional $651 annual mid-Hudson adjustment. 

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:  As of the date of filing your application, you must be a graduate of an accredited law school with an LLB or JD degree and/or be eligible to take the New York State Bar examination.  If you are in your senior year at an accredited law school, you may apply within two months of the date of your anticipated graduation.  See below for details concerning entry levels of appointment and supplementary qualifications.

NOTES:

1. Appropriate part-time and volunteer experience, which can be verified, will be accepted on a prorated basis in determining the appropriate appointment level.  Also, experience gained subsequent to admission to the Bar in a state having reciprocity with New York State can be credited only after admission to the New York State Bar.  Candidates must note such experience and the existence of the admission reciprocity agreement at the time of interview.
2. New York State residence is not required.
3. Your degree or college credit must have been awarded by a regionally accredited college or university or one recognized by the NYS Education Department as following acceptable educational practices.  If your degree was awarded by an educational institution outside the United States and its territories, you must provide independent verification of equivalency.  You can write to the Examination Information Desk of the Department of Civil Service for a list of acceptable companies who provide this service.  You must pay the required evaluation fee. 

Advancement Within Attorney Traineeship (Following Appointment From Eligible List Number 20-131):  If you are appointed to one of the entry levels of the Attorney Traineeship, you will normally be advanced after each six months of satisfactory service to the next higher title (with salary based on performance) until you reach Senior Attorney or Hearing Officer.

If you are appointed as an Attorney Trainee 1 or 2, you will be automatically advanced to Assistant Attorney 1 upon admission to the New York State Bar.  If you are not admitted to the New York State Bar within two years of appointment, your appointment will be terminated.

If your performance as an Assistant Attorney 1 and 2, and Attorney 1, is rated outstanding, you may be eligible for early advancement to Senior Attorney, reducing your traineeship by six months.  Similarly, if your performance as an Assistant Attorney 1 and 2, and Assistant Hearing Officer 1, is rated outstanding, you may be eligible for early advancement to Hearing Officer, reducing your traineeship by six months.

All service during the traineeship will be in probationary status.  Performance will be evaluated every six months against established standards set by the individual agencies which reflect a timetable for gaining the knowledge and skills necessary so that appointees are able to function at the Senior Attorney or Hearing Officer level at the completion of the traineeship.

Additional legal titles can be filled by traineeship from this examination:  Senior Insurance Policy Examiner, Unemployment Insurance Referee, or Senior Attorney Realty.

Legal Traineeship Appointment Levels

*At the discretion of the employing agency, a $1,000 premium may be added, for the trainee period only, to the annual base salary for those appointees who were graduated in the top one-third of their class or were members of the editorial board of law school review.

THE POSITIONS:  These positions exist in multiple agencies throughout the State.  Assignments will vary, depending on the particular department or agency with which you work.

DUTIES:   As a Senior Attorney, your assignment might include such tasks as rendering "in-house counsel" advice to program managers; preparing pleadings; planning litigation strategy; drafting legislation, rules, and regulations; performing legal research and analysis; drafting or reviewing contracts; preparing opinions and memoranda of law; or appearing at administrative tribunals or courts.

As a Hearing Officer, you might preside at quasi-judicial or administrative hearings which are of an adversarial or investigative nature concerning the resolution of issues of fact, law, and regulatory practice; conduct hearings; issue subpoenas; evaluate evidence; make findings of fact and conclusions of law; and render or recommend decisions.  Positions may be created in the Attorney series and the Hearing Officer series which require speaking a foreign language.  As positions are created, those considered for appointment will be required to demonstrate proficiency in the foreign language.  Proficiency must be at a level that will ensure the ability to perform the duties of the position properly.

SUBJECT OF EXAMINATION:  The Department of Civil Service has developed a selection process which will match your education and experience to a specific position that needs to be filled.  No written test and no test date are involved.  If you meet the Minimum Qualifications, you will be sent an education and experience questionnaire which should be completed and returned to the New York State Department of Civil Service.  Your answers to the questionnaire will be matched against criteria identified for current vacancies.  You will be rated on your education and experience, which will be weighted according to the requirements of the specific position to be filled.  Your rating thus may vary when being scored for different jobs.  Ratings will be based on such factors as:  categories of legal experience; types of tasks previously performed within the legal sphere; major field(s) and level(s) of legal and non-legal education; licenses and certificates obtained (e.g., CPA, P.E.); work experience outside the practice of law; and the duration of each type of experience.  It is important to note that your ranking will vary widely, depending on the nature of a given vacancy.  You may be considered and called to interviews for several different positions, depending on your education and experience.  It will not be possible for the Department of Civil Service to define your rank for any given position in advance of an agency's request for a list of candidates available for appointment.  Final scores will be based on the ratings received on the evaluation of education and experience. 

HOW TO APPLY:

• Download the examination application NYS-APP form; or
• Email examinfo@cs.state.ny.us to request NYS-APP form; or
• Obtain NYS-APP form from a State agency or facility personnel/business office; or
• Request NYS-APP form by calling the Department of Civil Service in the Albany area at 518-457-2487 [press 2, then press 3]; or toll free at 1-877-697-5627 [press 2, then press 3].

Mail your completed application to:

• New York State Department of Civil Service, Alfred E. Smith State Office Building, Albany, NY 12239

The NYS Department of Civil Service reserves the right to reject for lateness or to accept applications filed after the advertised filing period.  All statements you make on your application are subject to investigation.

State agencies have an ongoing need for persons qualified for appointment to these positions. Therefore, the Department of Civil Service will accept applications at any time.

RETEST POLICY:  Examination No. 20-131 consists of an evaluation of education and experience against a state agency's specialized needs.  You may apply once a year.

IMPORTANT:  As bar admission affects the level at which you may be appointed, you should indicate the dates and locations of all bar admissions in your application.  If you are admitted to this examination before being admitted to the New York State Bar, or before graduation from law school, it is your responsibility to notify the Department of Civil Service when such changes in status occur.  Admission to the New York State Bar and current registration to practice in New York State is necessary for continued employment.  Disbarment or loss of registration shall result in termination or suspension of your employment.

ADMINISTRATION OF ELIGIBLE LISTS:  Each administration of a position-specific evaluation of education and experience will create an individual eligible list which will remain in force for a one-year period; your eligibility for consideration as a result of this examination program (as part of the candidate pool) will last one year.  Candidates must re-apply yearly to remain active.  Permanent appointment to any one position filled as a result of this examination will remove your name from further consideration.

INFORMATION FOR CANDIDATES

HOW TO APPLY: UseFORM NYS-APP, APPLICATION FOR NYS EXAMINATIONS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. Forms are available (by mail or in person) at these offices of the New York State Department of Civil Service: Alfred E. Smith Office Building, Albany, NY 12239; the Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. State Office Building, 163 West 125th Street, New York, NY 10027; and the Edward A. Rath Building, 95 Franklin Street, Room 625, Buffalo, NY 14202, or by E mailing us at: examinfo@cs.state.ny.us. State employees may obtain examination applications at their agency or facility personnel or business office.

Mail your completed application to: NYS Department of Civil Service, Alfred E. Smith Office Building, Albany, NY 12239. DO NOT USE INTER AGENCY MAIL. The NYS Department of Civil Service reserves the right to reject for lateness or to accept applications filed after the advertised filing period. All statements you make on your application are subject to investigation.

NEW YORK STATE IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER: It is the policy of the State of New York to provide for and promote equal opportunity in employment, compensation and other terms and conditions of employment without discrimination on the basis of age, race, color, religion, disability, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, or arrest and/or criminal conviction record unless based upon a bona fide occupational qualification or other exception.

REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS IN TESTING: In addition, it is the policy of the Department of Civil Service, in accordance with the New York State Human Rights Law and the Americans with Disabilities Act, to provide qualified persons with disabilities equal employment opportunity and equal opportunity to participate in and receive the benefits, services, programs, and activities of the Department. It is the policy of the Department to provide such persons reasonable accommodations and reasonable modifications as are necessary to enjoy equal opportunity. Persons with disabilities who require an accommodation to participate in an examination must note this on their applications. Further information is available from the Special Arrangements Unit of the Department of Civil Service at (518) 457-2487 [press 2, then press 2] in the Albany area, toll free at 1-877-697-5627 [press 2, then press 2], or via TDD (telecommunications device for the deaf) at (518) 457-8480.

CONTINUOUS RECRUITMENT/ELIGIBLE LISTS: Candidates who meet the qualifications and pass this examination will have their names placed on the eligible list in the order of final scores, regardless of the date on which they filed or took the test. Generally, the names of qualified candidates will remain on the eligible list for one year. Appeal of ratings will not be allowed as the opportunity for retest exists. The Department of Civil Service reserves the right to terminate this special recruitment program.

NEW YORK STATE RESIDENCE IS NOT REQUIRED FOR MOST POSITIONS: However, you must be eligible for employment in the United States.

S5 MME-tmc
Reissued: 2/08

BE SURE TO USE THE APPLICATION FORM NYS-APP
WHEN APPLYING FOR THESE EXAMINATIONS