Legal and Compliance Intern

WHO WE ARE:

Service, Respect, and Connection are core to the individual and collective TRS experience. We know that great service rests on a foundation of relationships that connect us all to an empowering and rewarding career. At TRS, we’re inspired by our diverse community who bring authenticity and commitment to our mission to improve the retirement security of public education employees and retirees throughout Texas.

As a group of achievers, we tap collaboration and innovation to raise the bar in performance, administering and counseling pensions and healthcare benefits to ensure certainty for the future of our members. We invite you to join us, where both personal and career growth are respected and where you can make a difference in our members’ lives every day.

Internship: This position is a paid, full-time, limited term assignment that offers interns the opportunity to gain substantive hands on experience. Interns enjoy the opportunity to get training and mentoring from experienced professionals in one or more areas. Interns may also be eligible to continue working part-time through the fall and spring semesters, depending on department and agency needs.

The Legal Intern is responsible for supporting agency operations with the different groups within Legal & Compliance. The incumbent will assist with responding to open records requests; assist with researching and analyzing L&C data; provide department operational support; and assist with special projects. This position will proactively work with the TRS legal & compliance team, and agency employees.

This position will start on June 4th and will end on August 8th of 2025.
Salary will be dependent upon education level:
Undergraduate (Junior or Senior) - $19.50/hour
Graduate Student - $21.00/hour
Law Student - $28.00/hour


WHAT YOU WILL DO:
Legal and Compliance
• Assists with responses to open records requests, the review and analysis of legal orders received by TRS, administrative appeals and other litigation involving the TRS pension plan, and responses to member requests for information and third party subpoenas and discovery requests, including research, document preparation such as organizing, scanning, or redacting content, and paper and electronic file maintenance.
• Researches and analyzes issues relating to benefit programs, contracts and procurement matters, investment agreements, ethics and compliance, health law, data privacy and security, intellectual property, employment and immigration, and other matters relevant to a public retirement system; and drafts documents, memoranda, and correspondence.
• Assists with implementation of legislation passed by the Texas Legislature, implementation of rules adopted by the TRS board of trustees, and compliance with federal laws affecting benefit programs and investments.
• Assists with annual ethics compliance, including tracking ethics compliance submissions by agency employees and contractors, reviewing ethics compliance statements submitted by agency employees and contractors for completeness, and drafting related correspondence.
• Works collaboratively on Legal & Compliance’s records management and litigation tracking efforts, including paper and electronic file maintenance, organizing records for purging and reviewing, evaluating statistical data, and producing narrative reports of findings
General Functions
• Assists with the legal operations team.
• May assist in researching, compiling, and analyzing data; entering data into spreadsheets, databases, and other automated applications; organizing litigation and administrative appeal files; and preparing complex queries and reports.
• May review forms, correspondence, reports, and other documents for completeness and acceptability.
• May assist in reviewing and analyzing agency policies, procedures, and forms and recommending changes to improve efficiency and effectiveness.
• Assists in completing special projects and performs other work as assigned.

• Performs related work as assigned.

WHAT YOU WILL BRING:
Required Education:
• Currently enrolled in an accredited law school, actively pursuing a Juris Doctor (J.D.); OR
• Currently enrolled in and actively attending an accredited college or university as an undergraduate student within 12 months of graduation; OR
• Currently enrolled in and actively attending a paralegal program, pursuing paralegal certification.
• Applicant will be required to submit a copy of official college transcripts.
Required Experience
• None
Required Registration, Certification, or Licensure
• None
Preferred Qualifications
• Letter(s) of recommendation from program professor(s) are strongly encouraged.
• Experience using Microsoft Office software.


Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
Knowledge of:
• General office practices and procedures.
Skill in:
• Organizing and prioritizing work to manage a high-volume workload in a fast-paced environment, and completing work accurately while meeting deadlines.
• Conducting data searches and evaluations of large amounts of information, performing complex analysis of the data, and preparing concise and accurate reports and written/oral recommendations.
• Verbal and written communication of complex information that is accurate, timely, and based on sound judgment.
• Providing quality customer service.
• Reviewing documentation; properly applying complex laws, regulations, rules, and policies; and making decisions based on sound judgment.
• Using a personal computer in a Windows and Microsoft Office (Word, Excel) environment, and accurately performing data entry.
Ability to:
• Establish and maintain harmonious working relationships with co-workers, agency staff, and other external contacts.
• Work effectively in a professional team environment.

Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) Codes:
Veterans, Reservists or Guardsmen with experience in the Military Occupational Specialty ( https://www.trs.texas.gov/files/trs-military-crosswalk.xlsx ) along with the minimum qualifications listed above may meet the minimum requirements and are highly encouraged to apply. Please contact Talent Acquisition at  careers@trs.texas.gov  with questions or for additional information.

To view all job vacancies, visit www.trs.texas.gov/careers  or www.trs.csod.com/careersite.

For more information, visit www.trs.texas.gov.