Assistant City Attorney

Description

With a workforce of over four hundred employees, the City of Antioch stands as one of the largest employers in the East Bay, dedicated to serving a vibrant and growing community of more than 115,000 residents. The City is currently seeking a qualified Assistant City Attorney to join its dedicated legal team and contribute to the ongoing development and governance of this thriving municipality. This position is expected to uphold and further strengthen the City’s strong internal relationships by fostering open communication and providing timely, effective legal counsel to staff on a broad range of legal matters. The City is seeking a team-oriented, collaborative legal professional who will serve as a strategic partner in enhancing the capacity of the City Attorney’s Office and contributing to the overall success of the organization.

Under general direction of the City Attorney, provides a wide range of legal services; functions as a principal assistant to the City Attorney; manages legal agreement workflow for the City Attorney’s Office to achieve timely review of City legal agreements; reviews claims and lawsuits against the City; attends day and evening board, commission , and committee meetings to provide legal advice and counsel; analyzes complex legal issues, evaluates alternative approaches to problems, and implements sound solutions; prepares legal opinions, pleadings, ordinances, resolutions, contracts, leases, staff reports, and similar documents; represents the City in court and criminal, civil, and administrative proceedings and in transactional matters; and responds to inquiries from City officials, City staff, community organizations, state and local agencies, ant the general public.

Examples of Duties

The Assistant City Attorney is supervised and directed by the City Attorney and exercises technical and functional supervision over administrative support staff, legal staff and legal service providers, though direct supervision and management of support and legal staff is the responsibility of the City Attorney. Employees in this classification are distinguished from the Deputy City Attorney due to the elevated level of decision making associated with complex and specialized legal services. While expertise may be gained in a specialized area of municipal law, the Assistant City Attorney assumes responsibility for legal matters in any area as assigned by the City Attorney. Specialized legal services may be in areas such as: litigation and claims liability, criminal prosecution, employment law, public contracting, planning, zoning and environmental laws, complex transactions, police, fire, Brown Act, constitutional law, public records act, conflicts of interest, litigation and claims liability, employment law, finance, real estate, public housing, information technology, records retention, state election laws, state and federal law pertaining to public utility law, redevelopment law, federal law and/or risk management. Work may involve assigning, supervising and reviewing the work of subordinate attorneys.

Representative Duties

The following duties are typical for this classification. Incumbents may not perform all of the listed duties and/or may be required to perform additional or different duties from those set forth below to address business needs and changing business practices.

• Directs specified program area activities of the City Attorney’s Office as assigned by the City Attorney.
• Manages legal agreement workflow for the City Attorney’s Office to achieve timely review of City legal agreements. Draft and review complex and routine legal agreements including contracts, memorandums, leases, deeds and other legal documents and instruments. Review insurance, payment bond, and performance bond information, if applicable for contracts submitted by City departments to the City Attorney’s Office.
• Builds the capacity of department staff members to prepare enforceable legal agreements, resolutions, ordinances, leases, deeds and other legal documents and instruments for their departments by providing legal review and written or oral explanation of revisions to their documents.
• Builds the capacity of department staff members to understand risk management and insurance requirements for legal agreements submitted by City departments to the City Attorney’s Office by providing legal review and written or oral explanation of insurance, payment bond, and performance bond requirements as applicable.
• Reviews claims and lawsuits against the City; submit requests for coverage of claims to the City’s insurance providers; assist and represent the City in its defense to achieve a final resolution of the claim or lawsuit.
• Attends day and evening board, commission, and committee meetings to provide legal advice and counsel; review and edit agendas, staff reports, and resolutions for boards, commissions, and committees as directed by the City Attorney; provide staff with feedback and comments.
• Draft and review complex and routine resolutions, ordinances, legal opinions, and other legal documents and instruments. Research and analyze legal issues and statutory and statutory and case law.
• Receive and review claims and lawsuits for damages filed against the City; assist and represent the City in its defense to achieve a final resolution of the claim or lawsuit.
• Represent the City in civil, criminal, and administrative proceedings and in transactional matters; perform all phases of pretrial, trial and appellate work; develop litigation strategy, prepare briefs, drafts pleadings, motions and arguments, and conduct discovery and depositions; file motions and briefs; represent the City in court; make appearances at administrative hearings.
• Provide legal advice to City departments, City staff, City officials, and certain boards and commissions on a wide range of municipal law; conduct research and provide opinions and advice regarding the duties, powers, functions and obligations of City departments and related bodies.
• Respond to staff inquiries regarding the legality of complex and routine issues, questions on policy, interpretation of Antioch Municipal Code, and related matters.
• Assist code enforcement efforts involving nuisances or uninhabitable properties; prepare notices and orders; follow-up on enforcement efforts; advise City staff.
• Prepare gun forfeiture petitions for the Police Department; attend hearings and prepare Police Officer witnesses.
• Prepare oppositions to Pitchess motions and attend related court hearings.
• Respond to correspondence and public inquiries on legal matters related to City business.
• Maintain current knowledge of complex and routine legal issues and precedents; attend and participate in professional group meetings; participate in professional development activities; read publications relevant to area of assignment.
• Assist in department budget preparation and administration.
• Supervise, train and evaluate assigned staff.
• Perform related duties as required.

Typical Qualifications

Knowledge of:

• Municipal government organization, structure and functional responsibilities.
• Laws, principles and practices related to municipal government and public administration.
• General, municipal, and public contract law.
• Legal principles and practices including civil, criminal, administrative law and procedures, especially as they relate to municipal governments.
• Principles, methods and techniques of legal research and investigation.
• Judicial procedures and rules of evidence.
• Legal precedents and court decisions related to assignments.
• All phases of litigation, including managing clients, discovery, court appearances, motion practice, trial preparation and trials
• Appellate practices.
• Office procedures, methods, and equipment including computers and applicable software applications.
• Pertinent federal, state, and local laws, codes, and regulations.

Ability to:

• Define legal issues, collect and analyze information, and recommend action.
• Properly interpret and make decisions in accordance with laws, regulations, and policies.
• Prepare clear and concise legal documents, including but not limited to, briefs, ordinances, resolutions, correspondence, and supporting documents.
• Conduct research on legal problems and prepare sound legal opinion.
• Present statements of fact, law, and argument clearly and logically.
• Exercise sound, independent judgment within general policy guidelines and legal parameters.
• Represent the City effectively in hearings, courts of law, and meetings.
• Read, understand, interpret, apply, and explain codes, regulations, and other written materials.
• Effectively perform and administer all phases of City legal work.
• Analyze, appraise, and apply legal principles and precedents to difficult legal problems.
• Demonstrate effective leadership, set priorities and meet deadlines.
• Develop and implement goals, objectives, policies, procedures, work standards and internal controls.
• Draw valid conclusions and project consequences of decisions and recommendations.
• Analyze situations and make quick decisions requiring sound judgement.
• Negotiate with other parties.
• Establish and maintain accurate records, prepare concise, comprehensive reports.
• Act with resourcefulness, courtesy and initiative.
• Operate office equipment including computers and supporting software applications.
• Communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with employees, public officials, community organizations, the general public and those contacted in the course of work.

Education and Experience Guidelines

Education/Training:

Graduation from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association with a Juris Doctorate degree, and,

Experience:

Four years of progressively responsible experience performing legal work in the public or private sector. Experience in specialized legal matters such as those pertaining to public contracts, risk management, litigation and claims liability, criminal prosecution, human resources, employment law, complex transactions, police, fire, Brown Act, first amendment, public records act, conflicts of interest, finance, real estate, public housing, information technology, records retention, state election laws, public utilities, redevelopment, and/or risk management is highly desirable. Prior experience in the practice of municipal or other government law is desirable, but not required.

License or Certificate:

Current membership in the California State Bar.

Supplemental Information

Application Deadline

Recruitment will be opened until filled. This recruitment is subject to close at any time without notice. Applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.

Interview Process

All applications, résumés, and supplemental questionnaires received will be reviewed for minimum qualifications. Applications with "see resume" as a substitution for the work experience description, those with unclear past employment information, or those with insufficient information to evaluate possession of minimum qualifications will not be considered; missing information cannot be assumed. A limited number of the most highly qualified applicants will be invited to participate in the examination process, which may consist of an oral panel interview, written exercise, or in the form of a practical demonstration of skill and ability, or any combination of these, tentatively scheduled for TBD.

EEO/ADA: The City of Antioch is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant employer, committed to providing equal employment opportunity to all employees and applicants.

REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION: If you believe you require special arrangements to participate in the testing process, you must inform the Human Resources Department in writing no later than the filing date. Applicants who request such accommodation must document their request with an explanation of the type and extent of accommodation required. If you have a disability and require accommodations in the testing process, please contact Human Resources at 925-779-7020 or HR@antiochca.gov prior to the final filing date.