Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County · 1 month ago
Senior Legal Counsel (Labor & Employment)
Houston, TX
Contract
Onsite
Senior Level, Lead/Staff
$171K/yr - $233K/yr
10+ years expThe Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO) is seeking a Senior Legal Counsel specializing in Labor and Employment law. The role involves providing legal representation and counsel to METRO, focusing on labor and employment-related matters, compliance, and litigation.
Fleet ManagementPublic TransportationTransportationTravelTravel Agency
Responsibilities
Provides primary managerial direction and performs personnel administrative functions of direct report staff (e.g., training, supervising, work assignments, timesheets, performance evaluations, etc.) for maintaining necessary staffing, enhancing productivity of staff, and ensuring necessary department outcomes are achieved
Primary responsibility is to provide legal advice and counsel on a broad spectrum of labor and employment-related matters
Provides counsel and training to various departments, including Human Resources and the METRO Police department, on personnel, regulatory and compliance and other legal matters
Develops annual employee human resources training or oversees consultants who provide the training
Represents METRO in litigation, arbitration, and other administrative hearings
Supervises outside litigation counsel in case development, defense, or prosecution
Administers employment and labor-related issues, including representing METRO in matters before administrative agencies and courts
Responsible for the administration and reporting requirements to insurance carriers and brokers on legal matters and assists the risk management department with policy renewals
Drafts and reviews employment and labor-related documents, negotiates disputes, and analyzes liability or litigation exposure
Researches legal issues related to employment law, labor law, transit law, administrative law, public law and other matters
Responds to government agencies such as Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Texas Workforce Commission and Department of Labor
Research, drafts, and develops agency guidelines and policies. Reviews policies, guidelines and processes for compliance issues
Drafts and reviews memorandums of understanding, inter-local agreements, and cooperative agreements between METRO and other governmental entities
Advocates for METRO’s interests in public forums when necessary, including public hearings, administrative proceedings, local or state governmental proceedings and any other necessary forums
Provides well-reasoned, thorough legal opinions and guidance on various legal matters affecting METRO
Negotiates, drafts, reviews, advises management on Labor Agreements, Memorandum of Understanding and Labor Work Rules
Provides counsel during labor contract development and negotiation
Drafts and reviews the scope of services and other documents for professional services
Assists and advises in regulatory and compliance audits to ensures compliance with federal, state, county, and local codes, laws, rules, guidelines, and regulations
Advises Chief of Police on matters of police department administration including hiring, discipline, separation, general orders, and police procedures
Advises Public Information Coordinator on requests for information pursuant to Texas Public Information Act
Provides excellent customer service to METRO internal and external customers
Applies SMS (Safety Management System) methods and principles in daily routine and supports all aspects of the agency’s Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan (PTASP)
Promotes safety awareness and follows safety procedures to reduce or eliminate accidents
Performs other job-related duties as assigned
Qualification
Required
Doctorate of Jurisprudence from an accredited school of law
Minimum ten (10) years' experience in the practice of employment and labor law
Demonstrated litigation/trial proficiency before state courts, federal courts, and administrative agencies
Requires high level of expertise of labor and employment law including Texas Labor Code, Title VI, Title VII, ADAAA, FMLA, 1983
Active license to practice law in the State of Texas required
Preferred
Legal experience in public law is preferred
Board certification in Labor & Employment Law is a plus
Company
Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County
The Authority has transformed a broken bus fleet into a regional multimodal transportation system.
1001-5000 employees
Funding
Current Stage
Late StageTotal Funding
$40.4MKey Investors
Federal Transit Administration
2023-06-26Grant· $40.4M
Leadership Team
Randy Frazier
Chief Technology Officer
Chuck Berkshire
Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer
Recent News
Holy City Sinner
2025-04-22
Federal Transit Administration
2025-04-22
Company data provided by crunchbase