Position Information

JC-496415 - Attorney III / IV
CalPERS is currently seeking an Attorney III / IV in the Pension & Tax Unit in the Legal Office.

Duties include but are not limited to: Advising staff on a variety of difficult and complex legal issues relating to CalPERS program divisions, including, but not limited to, Customer Services and Support, Benefit Services, Financial Office, Pension Contracts and Prefunding Programs, Actuarial Office, Office of Audit Services, Public Affairs, Legislative Affairs, and Strategy, Projects & Data Divisions. Advising clients on matters of difficult and complex governmental law, including Constitutional and statutory interpretation, pension and employee benefit law, federal tax law, administrative law, open meeting law, public records requests, and fiduciary principles.

Researching and writing difficult and complex formal and informal legal opinions for specific program areas. Ensuring opinions are timely, accurate and complete, and presents alternative courses of action and analysis of those alternatives where appropriate, with a recommendation. Conferring with system management, staff, and others to gather necessary background, interpretation, and context of issues and facts presented in opinion requests.

Keeping clients informed of the status of all assignments. Keeping the General Counsel, Deputy General Counsel and Associate General Counsel informed on the status of all significant issues. Reviewing and approving critical correspondence and other critical documents. Drafting critical documents and representing the system on a variety of difficult and complex legal issues.

Providing informal or oral advice to system management and staff on a variety of program-specific legal issues, as needed. Evaluating difficult and complex state and federal legislation to determine the potential impact on CalPERS, including assisting in the preparation of bill analyses, drafting legislation, and recommending amendments.

Working closely with the Executive Office on Special Projects, such as legal analysis for pension-related and tax issues and high-profile matters.

Apply Online https://calcareers.ca.gov/CalHrPublic/Jobs/JobPosting.aspx?JobControlId=496415
 
Position: JC-496415 - Attorney III / IV
Organization: California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS)
Location: Sacramento,  CA 
United States
Salary: $11,993 - $16,096 per Month
Posting Start Date: 10/27/2025
Date Posted: 10/27/2025
Requirements

Minimum Qualifications
All Attorney Levels

All classifications require active membership in The California State Bar. (Applicants who are not members of The California State Bar but who are eligible to take the California State Bar examination or are in their final year of law school will be admitted to the examination but will not be considered eligible for appointment until they are admitted to The State Bar.).

Applicants who are six months from meeting the required legal experience will be admitted to the examination, but must meet the total required years of experience prior to appointment. 
 

Attorney III

Five years of legal experience in the practice of law*.

 

Attorney IV

Six years of legal experience in the practice of law*, one year of which must have been at a level equivalent to an Attorney III or higher.

* “Legal experience in the "practice of law" is defined as: (1) only that legal experience acquired after admission to any State Bar, or (2) experience as a judicial clerk for a federal court, California's state courts, or any other state's courts, or (3) legal experience acquired while practicing under a provisional license to practice law issued by the State Bar of California's Provisional Licensure Program, to constitute experience in the practice of law. For an individual's judicial clerkship to qualify as “legal experience in the practice of law, the experience must have been gained after receipt of a Juris Doctor or equivalent degree.
Status: This listing expires on: 12/26/2025
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Organization Information
Name:
California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS)
Address:
400 P Street

Sacramento,  CA 95811
United States
Email:
Recruitment@calpers.ca.gov
Phone:
916-795-2444
Fax:
Contact:
CalPERS HRSD, Selection Services
Become A Member

Becoming a member of NASRA offers a unique opportunity to join a community committed to the sound, efficient, and innovative stewardship of public retirement systems. Membership connects you with a network of professionals and experts, providing valuable insights into managing public retirement systems with a focus on sustainability and risk-averse strategies.

By joining NASRA, you gain the tools and resources to enhance the management of public retirement systems, ensuring their long-term success and reliability for generations to come.

What's New at NASRA: Updated Cost of Living Issue Brief

Cost-of-Living Adjustments (COLAs) play a significant role in public pensions. They help retirees keep up with rising prices, but they also add costs to pension plans. Policymakers and plan sponsors are tasked with balancing three things: benefits adequacy, plan sustainability, and affordability for members and plan sponsors.
The recent increase in inflation caused many policymakers and, in some cases pension trustees, to review how benefits are designed and paid for, including the way COLAs are granted and funded. NASRA’s recently updated issue brief on the lates trends in COLAs is available in the NASRA Research Center.