Job Summary
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Lands and Minerals Division is seeking to fill one (1) full-time Attorney 2 position.
The selected candidate will have the option to report to one of the following locations: St. Paul, New Ulm, Bemidji, Grand Rapids, MN. The specific location will be agreed upon at time of selection.
This position is responsible for assisting in managing legal issues assigned by the Division of Lands and Minerals Director, Assistant Director, or Legal Unit Supervisor. This position will assist with ethical, responsive, and effective legal expertise and services to the Division of Lands and Mineral and assists with agency-wide legal expertise and services in the areas in the areas of real estate and minerals law.
Responsibilities include:
• Legal advice in the land acquisition process, including performing title opinions, resolving title issues, reviewing surveys, and drafting legal real estate documents.
• Legal advice and assistance on regional real estate documents and issues, including leases, utility licenses, easements, trespass issues, boundary disputes, and school trust lands issues.
• Legal counsel on land exchanges, sales, quiet title actions, Torrens proceedings, and condemnation actions.
• Assists with the public sale of mineral and industrial mineral leases, the development of lease terms and conditions, and the issuance of mineral and industrial mineral leases through negotiation or public sale.
• Researches and interprets federal and state laws, regulations, and court cases to advise and direct the agency to ensure that programs and policies are administered in compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
This position has a flexible work arrangement and may be eligible to telework on a part-time basis which is subject to change. If approved, the employee would be required to complete an annual telework agreement.
Minimum Qualifications
• Must have Juris Doctorate (J.D.)
• Current licensure in good standing to practice law in the State of Minnesota.
• Three (3) years of professional experience in the practice of law including two years of legal practice in the area of real estate law.
• Demonstrated human relations and communication skills, effective writing, listening, persuasion and ability to develop consensus among diverse interests in an objective and fair manner.
• Problem solving skills sufficient to define, understand, analyze, prioritize, and recommend solutions to complex problems related to operations, policy, and program priorities.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and maintain effective working relationships with a wide variety of clientele, both internal and external to the Division and Department.
• Ability to produce written products that are thorough in content and professional in appearance.
Preferred Qualifications
• Demonstrated experience in the areas of leasing, land acquisition, easements, conservation easements, title, survey review, and boundary and access issues.
• Experience representing a government entity in land transactions.