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Office of General Counsel
ESTABLISHMENT The Office of General Counsel was newly established on July 26, 2021, via Supreme Court Order No. 2021-ADM-0011-MSC. Because it is a newly developed office, tracking of the office?s activities and progress have not been measured prior to its establishment. Accordingly, the above annual report does not track every single item supported, addressed, and/or worked on by OGC. The report also does not include sensitive/confidential items due to attorney-client privilege reasons. It also does not track the scope and details of the work performed for the same reasons.
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Supreme Court Order No. 2021-ADM-0011-MSC Establishing the Office of General Counsel
D U T I E S A N D R E S P O N S I B I L I T I E S
The Office of General Counsel (?OGC?) oversees all legal matters of the Judiciary. Its responsibilities include providing legal advice on a wide variety of legal issues affecting court system and administration, such as state and federal compliance (including ADA, FLSA, FMLA, Title VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, EEOC laws); contract and grants management, procurement, capital improvements and personnel matters; researching and formulating legal opinions and making recommendations on a wide variety of legal concerns faced by and impacting the Judiciary and its officials and employees; reviewing court rules, ensuring legal sufficiency, and recommending changes, if any, to the Supreme Court; reviewing and authoring court policies and procedures; researching and drafting legal memoranda and letters for the Office of Chief Justice and the Supreme Court; reviewing and standardizing legal forms for use by court officials and personnel; providing and reviewing the applicability of proposed and enacted local and federal legislation; conducting education and training programs for justices, judges, staff and the public on applicable local, federal, and Judiciary rules, policies, and regulations; assisting in judicial education and ethics; and providing support, oversight, and legal advice to Judiciary committees, task forces, and work groups.
HVAC Upgr ade and Mol d Remedi ati on under 20-61 In 2021, the Office reviewed and advised on the purpose, eligible uses, and restrictions of funds under PL 20-61; attended Committee meetings and meetings with vendors; prepared and/or reviewed contracts, change orders, letters, and purchase orders, provided legal advice on all stages of procurement; communicated/negotiated with vendors on contract issues; assisted in contract closing; and performed other duties, as assigned. Cor onav i r us Ai d, Rel i ef, Ec onomi c Sec ur i ty (?CARES?) Ac t The Office also reviewed and advised on the purpose, eligible uses, and restrictions of the CARES Act fund; provided updates on U.S. Treasury guidelines, rules, and regulations, conducted staff training; attended Committee meetings and regularly updated the group on the latest CARES Act news; reviewed and edited CARES Act reports; reviewed terms and conditions of the award; prepared contracts, reviewed purchase orders, conducted training on reporting requirements, authored forms for CARES Act employees, advised on work reporting and audit requirements; assisted in the drafting of spending plan; and performed other duties, as assigned.
M A J O R P R O J E C T S
AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT
ARPA
ARPA Paralegal Mary Bernadette C. Glass reports on the Judiciary Court Forms Project at the ARPA Committee Meeting. (December 9, 2021)
General Counsel Hyun Jae Lee, Deputy General Counsel Matthew J. Brown advise on ARPA guidelines to Justice John A. Manglona and Team.
The Office of General Counsel held their weekly meeting via MS Teams to address action items and report work progress General Counsel Hyun Jae Lee and other court staff at NADCP Conference, Washington D.C. (August 18, 2021)
Judiciary meets with Patrick Guerrero to discuss the remaining FEMA projects from Super Typhoon Yutu, which includes the Roof Tile Project and Elevator Projects. (January 26, 2021) From left: Director of Courts Sonia A Camacho Deputy General Counsel Matthew J. Brown, Grants Administrator Jim W. Stowell, General Counsel Hyun Jae Lee, Associate Judge Teresa K. Kim-Tenorio, GAR Patrick Guerrero, Associate Justice John A. Manglona
HUMAN RESOURCES OFFICE 1. Reviewed and edited NOPA, fiscal impact worksheets, and employment contracts 2. Reviewed JVAs and PDs, as requested 3. Provided advice on federal law affected by CARES and ARPA 4. Drafted and/or reviewed HR memos 5. Conducted EEO Policy training and Non-Discrimination Policy training for leadership 6. Conducted training for NMI Judiciary Rules of Procurement 7. Assisted Judge Kim-Tenorio in re Strategic Goal No. 5 8. Conducted LAPP Training for court interpreters 9. Conducted ADA Training 10. Conducted Anti-Bullying Policy Training 11. Conducted Anti-Texting Policy Training 12. Breach of PII Policy Training 13. Conducted Training on UV equipment 14. Conducted Training re Supreme Court COVID-19 Order 15. Assisted with conducting interview of applicants
SUPERIOR COURT 1. Authored, revised, and reviewed Mental Health Court Docket Policies and Procedures and accompanying forms, advised of HIPAA and 2 CFR 42, attended NADCP training; provided recommendations to improve the docket, attended meetings with relevant stakeholders; researched on pre-adjudicatory process 2. Reviewed OAPS manual and SOP 3. Assisted judges regarding various inquiries 4. Assisted Drug Court re BJA and other inquires related to Drug Court Program 5. Provided legal advice and guidance to all inquiries from divisions and judges, as requested 6. Drafted Probate and Small Claims Court forms for pro se litigants
MISCELLANEOUS 1. Resolved issues with OPA 2. Drafted letters, memos, press release 3. Assisted the newly established CRO in their day-to-day activity by providing guidelines in accordance with the NMI Supreme Court Policies and Commonwealth Code 4. Drafted various demand letters 5. Presented on Covenant during the Law and Freshman Legislature seminar 6. Performed other duties, as assigned 7. Attended weekly/periodic meetings for HVAC, CARES, ARPA, and FEMA
