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Company: The Los Angeles County Employees Retirement Association (LACERA) administers and manages the $67 billion retirement fund for the County of Los Angeles. They provide retirement, disability, and death benefits to eligible County employees and their beneficiaries, and collect, deposit, invest, and manage retirement funds collected from the County, outside districts, and County employees. LACERA is the largest county retirement association in the United States with over 188,000 members. The membership is comprised of individuals from a diverse range of careers, age groups, and ethnicities.

Overview: The vacancy in the Benefits Section of the Legal Division, which is responsible for providing legal advice and representation on benefits issues to LACERA and its Boards of Retirement and Investments, the Executive Office, the Member Operations Group, and other divisions as needed. The Legal Division is comprised of a Chief Counsel, a Legislative Affairs Officer, Senior Staff Counsels, Staff Counsels, Legal Analysts, Legal Secretaries, and will soon add a Director of Compliance. Legal staff work in one of four sections: Litigation, Investments, Benefits, and Disability. The position will oversee the Benefits Section, reporting to the Chief Counsel.

Travel: Within Los Angeles County 
Relos: Local candidates preferred. 
Compensation Range: $175,950.00 - $265,300.00

Basic Qualifications:

• 8+ years’ experience practicing law.
• Seven years’ experience in the practice of public agency, public retirement law, or employment law.
• Admission to practice law in all courts of California.
• The role of Senior Benefits Staff Counsel includes:
  • Provides legal support to the Board of Retirement and Board of Investments, the Executive Office, the Member Operations Group, and other LACERA Divisions as needed on a wide range of benefits matters, including benefits eligibility (other than disability), the interpretation and application of the County Employees Retirement Law of 1937 (CERL), the Public Employees’ Pension Reform Law of 2013 (PEPRA), and other relevant state and federal laws.
  • Works closely with Chief Counsel on complex and sensitive benefits, ethical and fiduciary matters and advises senior leadership on significant and challenging benefits legal issues.
  • Prepares memos and presents to the Board of Retirement for action or counseling on benefits issues and topics in open and closed session.
  • Advises staff and the Board of Retirement in connection with administrative appeals filed by members on benefits issues.
  • Processes domestic relations orders submitted by members in connection with the split of pension rights and related issues, including guardianship, and conservatorship, and reviewing Powers of Attorney.
  • Supervises the activities of subordinate staff counsel and legal staff on benefits issues.
  • Provides legal support to the Boards and Committees at meetings in the absence of Chief Counsel.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Demonstrated experience providing legal advice regarding legal issues associated with the provision of benefits.
• Demonstrated ability to oversee a benefits legal team.
• Demonstrated experience drafting opinions, pleadings, rulings, regulations, and legislation.
• Knowledge of: Legal principles and precedents, as it relates to benefits, guardianship, dissolution, conservatorship, power of attorney, constitutional, civil, administrative laws and procedures; laws affecting public pension plans; retirement, retiree health care, and/or disability benefits; probate law; family law, and the provision of legal advice to government officials; computerized legal research tools such as Lexis-Nexis and Westlaw; principles and practices of correct English usage, grammar, spelling, punctuation and vocabulary; interpersonal skills using tact, patience, and courtesy; customer service skills; principals and applications of the Microsoft Office Applications including Word and Excel.
• Ability to: Communicate clearly and effectively, orally and in writing, and maintain effective relationships with the public, the Boards, Executive Leadership and Staff; conduct research using computerized legal research tools such as Lexis-Nexis and Westlaw; understand and follow oral and written directions; provide oversight and leadership of a benefits team; work with minimum supervision; and plan and organize their work and the work of others; establish and maintain effective working relationships with other staff internally and externally.

All interested and qualified candidates should apply directly with Major, Lindsey & Africa for review and consideration.

About Major, Lindsey & Africa

Founded in 1982, Major, Lindsey & Africa is the world’s largest and most experienced legal search firm. Combining local market knowledge and a global recruiting network, MLA has earned recognition for its track record of successful General Counsel, Corporate Counsel, Partner, Associate and Law Firm Management placements. With offices throughout the U.S., Hong Kong, London, and Tokyo, MLA recruiters are dedicated to understanding and meeting clients’ and candidates’ needs while maintaining the highest degree of professionalism and confidentiality. MLA considers every search a diversity search, and has been committed to diversity in the law since its inception. For these reasons, MLA was voted “Best Legal Search Firm in the U.S.” in the most recent national survey of America’s top law firms. To learn more about MLA, please visit our website at www.mlaglobal.com.

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