Chief Legal Counsel - 79010916

Requisition No: 865163 

Agency: Business and Professional Regulations

Working Title: CHIEF LEGAL COUNSEL - 79010916

 Pay Plan: SES

Position Number: 79010916 

Salary:  $2,885.35 - 4,646.89 Biweekly 

Posting Closing Date: 12/29/2025 

Total Compensation Estimator Tool

OFFICE OF THE GENERAL COUNSEL 

 CHIEF APPELLATE COUNSEL-(CHIEF LEGAL COUNSEL) – SES

POSITION NUMBER: 79010916

Hiring Salary: $2,885.35 - 4,646.89 Biweekly

*OPEN COMPETITIVE*

Our Organization and Mission:

License efficiently. Regulate fairly. Florida counts on the Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) to ensure important matters are handled well. Responsibilities range from ensuring the safety of food service, maintaining the integrity of real estate transactions, furthering the transparency of condominium governance, and overseeing the qualifications of licensure that ensure work requiring a skilled professional is performed safely and sufficiently. DBPR’s stakeholders include these professionals and their customers alike.

Under the direction of Secretary Melanie S. Griffin, DBPR oversees many of Florida’s professions and industries in the areas above, and many more which can be seen on our website: http://www.myfloridalicense.com/DBPR/.

The Work You Will Do:

The Chief Appellate Counsel works under the direction of the General Counsel and is responsible for directing and overseeing appellate and rule-making matters. This is a highly responsible position in the Office of the General Counsel that serves as the Department’s appellate attorney and directs and supervises the Office of the Agency Clerk and the Rules Attorney. 

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Serves as a senior legal advisor to the Office of the Secretary and the various divisions of the department regarding appellate issues;
• Represents the department in all appellate proceedings for the various divisions within the department including coordination of appeals, review of cases and records on appeal, drafting briefs and motions, and preparing and attending oral arguments;
• Provides supervision, guidance and direction to the department’s Rules Attorney and Agency Clerk’s Office;
• Provides, participates, and facilitates training for the Office of the General Counsel with respect to various issues from an appellate standpoint;
• Advises the Office of the Secretary and General Counsel on potential impact of proposed legislative changes and issues of importance as necessary;
• Serves as the department’s back-up informal hearing officer pursuant to section 120.57(2), F.S. and drafts final orders as necessary.

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities:

• Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, governing regulations, executive orders, and agency rules and political process;
• Ability to understand and apply applicable rules, regulations, policies, and procedures;
• Ability to plan, organize and coordinate work assignments;
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with others;
• Ability to work independently;
• Ability to recognize and act on emerging issues and shifting priorities;
• Ability to supervise;
• Ability to communicate effectively.

Minimum Requirements:

• Must be a member in good standing of The Florida Bar;
• Must have at least two years of professional experience in the practice of law; and
• Must have a valid Driver's License.

The Benefits of Working for the State of Florida:

 “Working for the State of Florida is more than a paycheck. The State’s total compensation package for employees features a highly competitive set of employee benefits including:

• State of Florida retirement package: 3% employee contribution required.
• Nine annual paid holidays and one personal holiday
• Ability to earn up to 104 hours of paid annual leave annually as a new employee with the State of Florida
• Ability to earn up to 104 hours of paid sick leave annually.
• The State of Florida offers health insurance coverage (i.e. individual and family coverage) to eligible employees.
• The State of Florida provides a $25,000 life insurance policy to eligible employees.
• Additional supplemental insurance policies are available for dental, vision, hospital supplement, cancer, etc.
• Tax deferred medical and childcare reimbursement accounts are available.
• Tuition waiver program to attend an approved State of Florida College or University

For additional benefit information, please visit the following website: http://www.mybenefits.myflorida.com

***Information contained in responses to Qualifying Questions concerning education, experience, knowledge, skills and/or abilities must also be disclosed on the State of Florida Employment Application. ***

 Applicant Note: 

• If you are the selected candidate for this position and hold a current license through the Florida Department of Business & Professional Regulation, you may be required to place your license in an inactive status.

• This Advertisement may be used to fill current and future vacancies for up to six months from date of opening.

 
NOTE: This position requires a security background check, and participation in direct deposit. You will be required to provide your Social Security Number (SSN) and date of birth in order to conduct this background check.
 
Applicants are required to apply through the People First system by the closing date, by applying online.  All required documentation must be received by the closing date of the advertisement.  If you have any questions regarding your application, you may call 1-877-562-7287.

 
The Florida Department of Business & Professional Regulation is committed to increasing recruitment and hiring of individuals with disabilities and improving employment outcomes. 
 

Candidates requiring a reasonable accommodation, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act, must contact the DBPR Human Resources (HR) Office at (850) 487-2074. DBPR requests applicants notify HR in advance to allow sufficient time to provide the accommodation.

SPECIAL REMINDERS:

Male applicants born on or after October 1, 1962, will not be eligible for hire or promotion unless they are registered with the Selective Services System (SSS) before their 26th birthday, or have a Letter of Registration Exemption from the SSS.  For more information, please visit the SSS website: http://www.sss.gov .

If you are a retiree of the Florida Retirement System (FRS), please check with the FRS on how your current benefits will be affected if you are re-employed with the State of Florida. Your current retirement benefits may be canceled, suspended, or deemed ineligible depending upon the date of your retirement.

The Department of Business and Professional Regulation will only hire U. S. citizens and lawfully authorized alien workers. Our agency participates in the E-Verify System which is a federal government electronic database available for employers to use to verify the identity and employment eligibility of all persons hired to work in the United States.

The State of Florida is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Affirmative Action Employer, and does not tolerate discrimination or violence in the workplace.

Candidates requiring a reasonable accommodation, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act, must notify the agency hiring authority and/or People First Service Center (1-866-663-4735). Notification to the hiring authority must be made in advance to allow sufficient time to provide the accommodation.

The State of Florida supports a Drug-Free workplace. All employees are subject to reasonable suspicion drug testing in accordance with Section 112.0455, F.S., Drug-Free Workplace Act.

The State of Florida is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Affirmative Action Employer, and does not tolerate discrimination or violence in the workplace.

Candidates requiring a reasonable accommodation, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act, must notify the agency hiring authority and/or People First Service Center (1-866-663-4735). Notification to the hiring authority must be made in advance to allow sufficient time to provide the accommodation.

The State of Florida supports a Drug-Free workplace. All employees are subject to reasonable suspicion drug testing in accordance with Section 112.0455, F.S., Drug-Free Workplace Act.