ASSISTANT CHIEF, LEGAL DIVISION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION EXAMINATION BULLETIN

Exam Code: 0TR13

Department: Department of Transportation (Caltrans)

Exam Type: Departmental Promotional

Bulletin Date: 4/01/2021

Final Filing Date: Continuous (cut-off dates for 2023: January 31st, February 28th, March 31st, April 30th, May 31st)

Monthly Salary: $12,141.00 - $15,600.00

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INTRODUCTION
Caltrans is pleased to announce the posting of the Assistant Chief, Legal Division, Department of Transportation examination. Employment from this examination will be offered in all Districts and Sacramento County.

Any information submitted in your examination effort WILL NOT BE FORWARDED or be included in the determination of your qualifications for a position.

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EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY
Caltrans is an equal opportunity employer to all, regardless of age, ancestry, color, disability (mental and physical), exercising the right to family care and medical leave, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, military or veteran status, national origin, political affiliation, race, religious creed, sex (includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and related medical conditions), and sexual orientation.

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DRUG FREE STATEMENT
It is an objective of the State of California to achieve a drug-free work place. All applicants will be expected to behave in accordance with this objective, as the use of illegal drugs is inconsistent with the law of the State, the rules governing civil service, and the special trust placed in public servants.

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WHO SHOULD APPLY
Candidates who meet the minimum qualifications as stated below may apply for this examination.

Once you have list eligibility, you may not reapply for twelve (12) months from your eligibility date. Candidates that are unsuccessful in the examination must wait six (6) months from the testing date before reapplying to take the examination.

All applicants must meet the education and/or experience requirements as stated on this exam bulletin to be accepted into the examination. Part-time or full-time jobs, regardless of whether paid or volunteer positions, and inside or outside California state service will count toward experience.

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FILING INSTRUCTIONS
Candidates are required to submit: 1) Standard State Application (STD.678), 2) Training and Experience Evaluation

Caltrans does not accept resumes in lieu of the STD.678 State Applications. Please send the required documents listed above in order for your examination to be processed in a timely manner, incomplete submissions may cause your examination to be delayed.

Applications (STD 678) must be received or postmarked no later than the cut-off date. Dates printed on Mobile Bar Codes, such as the Quick Response (QR) Codes available at the USPS, are not considered Postmark dates for the purpose of determining timely filing of an application. Faxed or E-mailed applications will NOT be accepted. THE EXAMINATION TITLE MUST BE INDICATED ON THE APPLICATION.

File by Mail

Attention: Caltrans Examination Services (MS 86)
P.O. Box 168036, Sacramento, CA 95816-8036

File in Person

Attention: Caltrans Examination Services (MS 86)
1727 30TH Street, 1st Floor, Sacramento, CA 95816-8036

*Any information submitted in your examination effort WILL NOT BE FORWARDED or be included in the determination of your qualifications for a position.

**Candidates are responsible for obtaining proof of mailing or submission of their application to Exam Services.

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POSITION STATEMENT
Under direction, either to (1) coordinate on a statewide basis, one or more complex, and major specialized areas of the legal work in the Legal Division, Department of Transportation, or (2) have statewide responsibility for the Department's legislative program; to be responsible for the work of a group of attorneys; and to do other related work.

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REQUIREMENTS FOR ADMITTANCE TO THE EXAMINATION
All applicants must meet the education and/or experience requirements for this examination by the cut-off date. Your signature on the application indicates that you read, understand, and possess the minimum qualifications required, and that the information provided is true and complete to the best of your knowledge.

All applications must include: “to” and “from” dates (month/day/year), time base, civil service or private sector titles, the duties performed, and an original signature. Applications received without this information will be rejected.

NOTE: Qualifying experience may be combined on a proportionate basis if the requirements stated below include more than one pattern and are distinguished as “Either I,” “or II,” “or III,” etc. For example, candidates possessing qualifying experience amounting to 50% of the required time of Pattern I, and additional experience amounting to 50% of the required time of Pattern II, may be admitted to an examination as meeting 100% of the overall experience requirements.

Click on the link below to review the California State Personnel Board class specification which contain the requirements for admittance to the exam:

Assistant Chief, Legal Division, Department of Transportation

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MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
Membership in The State Bar of California. (Applicants must have active membership in The State Bar before they will be eligible for appointment.) and

Either I

One year of experience performing duties of Deputy Attorney III, Department of Transportation, in the California state service.

Or II

Broad and extensive legal experience (more than five years) in the practice of law* in connection with the acquisition of property for the construction, operation or maintenance of works for public use, of which at least two years must have involved the handling of legal matters of the highest degree of difficulty and responsibility.

*Experience in the “practice of law” or “performing legal duties” or “legal experience” is defined as only that legal experience acquired after admission to The Bar.

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KNOWLEDGE AND ABILITIES

Knowledge of:
1. Federal Highways Act and other Federal aid statutes relating to highways

2. California law relating to acquisition, financing, administration, and construction of toll bridges

3. Law governing the relations of the Department of Transportation with public utilities, public agencies and the relocation of utility facilities

4. California law relating to the tort liability of the Department, its agencies, commissions, officers and employees and the pertinent claim statutes and procedures

5. Rules of evidence and conduct of proceedings in trial and appellate courts in California and the United States and before administrative bodies

6. Principles of supervision

7. Legal principles and practices with particular reference to the law of contracts, torts, real property, eminent domain, claims against public bodies, utility relocations, and laws governing public officers and agencies and their liabilities

8. State Contract Act and the statutes and constitutional provisions governing the organization and conduct of the work of the Department of Transportation

9. Work of preparing and revising legislation and of the legislative process

10. Law relating to public highways

11. Department's Affirmative Action Program objectives

12. A manager's role in the Affirmative Action Program and the processes available to meet affirmative action objectives

Ability to:

1. Plan and direct the activities of a staff of attorneys

2. Analyze and appraise difficult and complex legal problems and apply legal principles and precedents to particular sets of facts

3. Give advice and assistance as a consultant and coordinator in a particular field of law

4. Analyze and draft proposed legislative measures

5. Write clear and concise reports and opinions and dictate difficult legal correspondence

6. Present oral statements of fact, law and agreement clearly and logically

7. Address an audience effectively

8. Maintain the confidence and respect of members of the legal profession and other officials and persons

9. Effectively contribute to the Department's affirmative action objectives

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EXAMINATION INFORMATION
This examination will consist of a Training and Experience Questionnaire weighted 100%. In order to obtain a position on the eligible list, a minimum score of 70% must be attained.

Applications will be accepted on a continuous basis and will be processed quarterly. Testing is considered continuous, as new test dates can be set at any time as departmental needs warrant. Candidates will receive their results 2-4 weeks after the cut-off date.

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VETERANS' PREFERENCE
Veterans’ Preference will be applied to those competitors who are successful in this examination and who qualify for, and have requested, Veterans’ Preference through the California Department of Human Resources. Veterans who have achieved permanent civil service status are not eligible to receive Veterans’ Preference.

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CAREER CREDITS
Career Credits will not be added to the final score of this examination.

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CONTACT INFORMATION
General questions on how to apply? Click HERE for video tutorials.

For more information regarding this examination, please contact the Office of Examinations at (916) 227-7858 or email the Exam Analyst at Ehsan.Tahir@dot.ca.gov.

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GENERAL INFORMATION
For an examination without a written feature, it is the candidate's responsibility to contact the testing department three weeks after the cut-off date if he/she has not received his/her notice.

Applications are available at Standard State Application (STD 678), California Department of Human Resources (CalHR) offices, local offices of the Employment Development Department, and the testing department on this job bulletin.

If you meet the requirements stated on this bulletin, you may take this examination, which is competitive. Possession of the entrance requirement does not assure a place on the eligible list. Your performance in the examination will be compared with the performance of the others who take this test, and all candidates who pass will be ranked according to their scores.

Caltrans reserves the right to revise the examination plan to better meet the needs of the service, if the circumstances under which this examination was planned change. Such revision will be in accordance with civil service laws and rules and all competitors will be notified.

Candidates needing special testing arrangements due to a disability must complete an STD679 and submit with the requested examination materials.

General Qualifications: Candidates must possess essential personal qualifications including integrity, initiative, dependability, good judgment, and the ability to work cooperatively with others; and a state of health consistent with the ability to perform the assigned duties of the class. A medical examination may be required. In open examinations, investigation may be made of employment records and personal history and fingerprinting may be required.

Eligible Lists: Eligible lists established by competitive examination, regardless of date, must be used in the following order: 1) sub-divisional promotional, 2) departmental promotional, 3) multi-departmental promotional, 4) service-wide promotional, 5) departmental open, 6) open. When there are two lists of the same kind, the older must be used first. Eligible lists will expire in one to four years unless otherwise stated on the bulletin. Eligibility lists may be abolished at anytime after one year, per Departmental needs. It is the candidates responsibility to maintain eligibility throughout the hiring process.

If High School Equivalence is Required: Equivalence to completion of the 12th grade may be demonstrated in any one of the following ways: 1) passing the General Educational Development (GED) Test; 2) completion of 12 semester units of college work; 3) certification from the State Department of Education, a local school board, or high school authorities that the candidate is considered to have education equivalent to graduation from high school; 4) for clerical and accounting classes, substitution of business college work in place of high school on a year-for-year basis.

If Veterans’ Preference is Warranted: Pursuant to Assembly Bill 372, Veterans’ Preference will be awarded as follows, starting January 1, 2014:

1.    Any veteran, widow or widower of a veteran, or spouse of a 100 percent disabled veteran, who achieves a passing score in an open examination, shall be ranked in the top rank of the resulting eligibility list.
2.    Any veteran who has been dishonorably discharged or released is not eligible for Veterans’ Preference.
3.    Veterans’ Preference is not granted once a person achieves permanent civil service status (Permanent State civil service status means the status of an employee who is lawfully retained in his/her position after completion of the applicable probationary period. This includes permanent intermittent, part-time, and full-time appointments. In addition, individuals who at any time achieved permanent State civil service status and subsequently resigned or were dismissed from State civil service are not eligible to receive Veterans’ Preference).

Veteran status is verified by the California Department of Human Resources (CalHR). Directions to apply for Veterans’ Preference are on the

Veterans’ Preference Application (CalHR Form 1093) which is also available at CalHR and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

If Career Credits is Warranted: In Open, Non-promotional examinations, Career Credits are granted to: 1) State employees with permanent civil service status, 2) full-time employees of the state who are exempt from State civil service pursuant to the provisions of Section 4 of Article VII of the California Constitution, and who meet all qualification requirement specified by the Board and have 12 consecutive months of service in an exempt position, and 3) individuals who have served one full year in, or are graduates of, the California Conservation Corps (eligibility shall expire 24 months after graduation from the California Conservation Corps). Three points are added to the final test score of those candidates who meet the above criteria, and who are successful in the examination. Such examinations cannot be for managerial positions described in Government Code Section 3513. Competitors not currently employed in State civil service who have mandatory reinstatement rights may also be eligible for career credits, but they must explain their service status in the appropriate section of the application Form 100-678. (Section 4 of Article VII of the California Constitution is posted at the State Personnel Board, 801 Capitol Mall and Sacramento).