Special Asst City Attorney/ Special Assistant United States Attorney

***This is an APPOINTED Position***

Salary: $76,521- $92,446 (GS.14)

Work Hours: Monday - Friday, 8:00 A.M. - 4:30 P.M. (EST)
*Hours may vary due to work assignments or projects.*

Work Location: City Hall Annex, 100 East 11th Street

FLSA Status: This is an Exempt position.

Department: City Attorney's Office

CLASSIFICATION SUMMARY:
The incumbent in this position will be named a Special Assistant United States Attorney and function full-time as a federal prosecutor in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee. Incumbents are responsible for working in partnership with law enforcement agencies (federal, state, and local) to assist the City of Chattanooga; identifying appropriate targets for federal intervention; coordinating federal investigations; appearing in federal court on behalf of the United States; and prosecuting violent drug traffickers.

SERIES LEVEL:
The Special Assistant City Attorney is a stand-alone position.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:
(The following duties ARE NOT intended to serve as a comprehensive list of all duties performed by all employees in this classification, only a representative summary of the primary duties and responsibilities. Incumbent(s) may not be required to perform all duties listed and may be required to perform additional, position-specific duties.)

Appears in federal court on behalf of the United States at all stages of criminal litigation.

Identifies and evaluates cases appropriate for federal prosecution, satisfying state and federal interests, by working with the Chattanooga Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and other law enforcement partners.

Coordinates the identification of these cases with the District Attorney General and the United States Attorney’s Office.

Reviews and drafts criminal complaints and search warrants in compliance with the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure.

Prepares prosecution memoranda, providing factual summaries of investigations, identifying defendants, listing potential charges, briefing potential issues, and detailing evidence supporting such charges.

Prepares indictments and presents cases to the federal grand jury.

Prosecutes cases in compliance with procedures specified in the Justice Manual, the Local Rules of Court, the procedures established for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Tennessee, Federal Rules of Evidence, and Rules of Professional Conduct.

Handles sentencing proceedings, including reviewing presentence investigation reports, lodging and/or responding to objections, and advocating for sentences consistent with the United States Sentencing Guidelines and federal law.

Assists in the training of the Chattanooga Police Department as well as other law enforcement agencies working in the Chattanooga area. Partners and works with community groups involved with the Project Safe Neighborhood programs to effectively incorporate the prosecution aspect of these programs with the other goals of training, outreach, reentry, and deterrence.

Must meet regular attendance requirements.

Must be able to maintain good interpersonal relationships with staff, co-workers, managers, and citizens.

Must accomplish the essential functions of the job, with or without reasonable accommodations, in a timely manner.

Perform other duties as assigned.

DEPARTMENT SPECIFIC DUTIES (if any):

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
Juris Doctorate Degree and two (2) years work experience in litigation, with a preference for experience in criminal litigation.

LICENSING AND CERTIFICATIONS:
Possess and maintain a legal practice license from any state bar, or specific state bar where the federal district is located and obtain admission to practice in federal courts. If a City vehicle is operated, a valid vehicle operator license is required.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS:
Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules and the democratic political process; the Justice Manual, Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, the Federal Rules of Evidence and Rules of Professional Conduct; the judicial system; caseload management techniques; human behavior; policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions; legal terminology; negotiation and conflict resolution principles and practices; confidentiality procedures; investigation techniques; library or online internet research techniques and research methodology for legal issues and cases; and interviewing procedures.

Skill in observing, receiving and obtaining information from all relevant sources such as interviewing crime witnesses or victims to obtain descriptive information; obtaining information from witnesses, attorneys or litigants; reviewing federal criminal prosecution procedures; searching legal records; analyzing information and evaluating the costs/benefits of potential actions to choose the best option; evaluating information to determine compliance with applicable standards, laws and procedures; examining data against legal precedents; negotiating, handling complaints, settling disputes and resolving conflicts; communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government and other external sources; developing working relationships with others; providing customer service; making presentations; writing legal correspondence and documents; organizing, planning and prioritizing work; identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities and detecting changes in circumstances or events; interpreting the meaning of information for others; communicating with supervisors, peers or subordinates; compiling evidence for court actions and court cases; conducting legal research; identifying laws or court decisions relevant to pending cases laws or court decisions relevant to pending cases; and using a personal computer to complete work assignments using word processing, spreadsheet, database, presentation, and other related computer software programs.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:
Positions in this class typically require fingering, grasping, talking, hearing, seeing and repetitive motions.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:
Sedentary Work: Exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally and/or a negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects, including the human body. Sedentary work involves sitting most of the time. Jobs are sedentary if walking and standing are required only occasionally and all other sedentary criteria are met.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:
Safety Sensitive: N
Department of Transportation - CDL: N
Child Sensitive: N

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION:

This position requires pre-employment screening(s) that include: background check

The City of Chattanooga, Tennessee is an Equal Opportunity Employer. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City will provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities and encourage both prospective and current employees to discuss potential accommodations with the employer.

KNV 2/13/2026

KJF 260131