What we do in the Office of Legal Services
General Law
The General Law Division primarily supports the Office of Administrative Services and provides legal counsel on issues related to personnel and employment law, contracts, public information processing and distribution, and records retention.
The division also prepares the administrative records for appeals under the Administrative Procedures Act, publishes rule proposals and adoptions in the Texas Register, and provides the Office of Legal Services with administrative support.
Environmental Law
The Environmental Law Division supports the air, water, waste, and pollution cleanup programs. The division provides legal counsel to the agency in all areas of permitting and rulemaking, and represents the executive director in contested permitting matters.
Litigation
The Litigation Division provides legal representation and support primarily to the Office of Compliance and Enforcement and the Remediation Division of the Office of Permitting, Remediation, and Registration. The division negotiates agreed orders, litigates enforcement actions, provides legal advice concerning contaminated sites, manages delinquent fee and penalty actions, coordinates supplemental environmental projects, and supports the agency's environmental audits program.
The Special Investigations section of the division investigates environmental crimes as part of Texas' Environmental Crimes Task Force.
The Texas Register Team
Members of the Texas Register team manage the agency's rulemaking process and ensure publication of rule proposals and adoptions meet publication requirements of the Texas Register.
Attorney Support:
Paralegals
These legal assistants perform a variety of assignments and projects that present interesting issues and vary in degree of complexity. Typical assignments may include legal research, administrative record reviews, responding to open records requests, assistance with case management, and organizing and indexing case files.
Legal Secretaries
Legal secretaries provide valuable assistance including word processing, file/record management and general office duties.
Caroline Sweeney
Legal Services Deputy Director
Robert Martinez
Environmental Law Director
Kathleen Decker
Litigation Director
