Assistant City Attorney

City of Plant City (FL); Florida; On-site; USD 95,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

City of Plant City (FL) seeks an Assistant City Attorney to provide comprehensive legal services to the City Commission and departments. You will research, analyze, and apply federal, state, and local laws and advise on ordinances, contracts, and legal procedures.

The role requires extensive knowledge of local government law with several years of practice; responsible for prosecuting City Code violations and assisting the City Attorney in municipal matters.

Qualifications

• JD from an accredited college or university.
• Five years of practice in law, or four years with an LLM in urban affairs or related field.
• Minimum five years’ experience in local government law required.
• Five years’ experience in real estate/land use development, contracts, or environmental law preferred.

Responsibilities

• Prepares and reviews contracts, bonds, and other instruments involving the municipality.
• Assists City Attorney as legal counsel for the City in municipal areas.
• Reviews and drafts legal documents including contracts, leases, opinions, and memoranda.
• Conducts legal research and analyzes proposed legislation, staying updated on developments.
• Prepares ordinances, resolutions, deeds, pleadings, and other legal documents.

Skills

Municipal law

Legal research

Contract drafting

Written communication

Oral communication

City governance

Interpersonal skills

Education

Juris Doctor (JD)

LLM in urban affairs (optional)

Job description

Under the general direction of the City Attorney, the Assistant City Attorney provides comprehensive legal services to the City Commission, all City departments, and various boards and committees. This position is responsible for researching, analyzing, and applying federal, state, and local laws, judicial decisions, and administrative procedures. Work is reviewed through oral and written reports, discussion, and results obtained.

The following duties are illustrative and not exhaustive. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment to the position:

• Prepares and reviews contracts, bonds and other instruments in writing in which the municipality is concerned.
• Assists the City Attorney as legal counsel for the City in all municipal areas.
• Reviews and drafts various legal documents, including contracts, leases, legal opinions, and memoranda, as assigned by the City Attorney.
• Conducts legal research, analyzes proposed and enacted legislation, and maintains up-to-date knowledge of developments in relevant areas of law.
• Prepares or reviews ordinances, codes, resolutions, deeds, pleadings, requests for proposals/bids, contracts, leases, and other legal documents.
• Prepares a variety of reports, correspondence, and documents on questions of law and legal procedures as directed and approved by the City Attorney.
• Attends meetings of the City Commission, advisory boards, and other public meetings as assigned for the purpose of providing legal guidance.
• Prosecutes, on behalf of the City, violations of the City Code of Ordinances.
• When authorized by the City Attorney, the Assistant City Attorney shall prosecute and defend, for and on behalf of the City, all complaints, suits and controversies in which the City is a party.
• Subject to the review and authorization by the City Attorney, to furnish the City Commission, the City Manager, the head of any department, or any officer or board member not included in any department, an opinion on any question of law relating to their respective powers and duties.
• Subject to review and authorization of the City Attorney, to carry out such other professional duties of the City Attorney as may be required by ordinance or Resolution of the City Commission, or as prescribed for City Attorneys under Florida Law.
• Performs other duties as assigned.
• Oversees the City Attorney’s Office in the absence of the City Attorney.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to carry out each essential duty or responsibility satisfactorily. The minimum requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skills, and abilities; education and experiences; and certificates or licenses required in order to fill the position. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Knowledge of applicable municipal law.
• Skilled in preparing briefs and other legal documents.
• Organization, attention to detail, prioritization, time management, and ability to handle several assignments concurrently.
• Highly effective written, verbal, electronic, and visual communication abilities for various audiences, including non-lawyers.
• Ability to acquire a thorough understanding of the City Charter, ordinances, and land development code and to apply legal knowledge to varied problems.
• Ability to prepare and analyze comprehensive legal documents.
• Ability to carry out duties and responsibilities of the City Attorney.
• Ability to communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with the City Commission, City Attorney, City Manager, City Clerk, Department heads and City Boards.

Education and Experience

• Graduation from an accredited college or university with a Juris Doctor degree.
• Practice of law for at least five years, or four years with a Master of Laws (LLM) in urban affairs or a closely related field.
• A minimum of five years’ experience in local government law required.
• A minimum of five years’ experience in real estate/land use development, contract drafting, quasi-judicial/administrative procedures, procurement, or environmental law preferred.

Certifications and Licenses

• A license to practice law in the State of Florida and must be in good standing with The Florida Bar.
• Board Certification in the area of City, County and Local Government Law, preferred.
• Must possess and maintain a valid Florida driver's license and be insurable by the City’s current insurance provider.
• National Incident Management System (NIMS) training will be required according to the job duties and responsibilities within one (1) year of employment.

Supervisory Responsibilities

• N/A

Essential Physical Abilities

Code:
Constant = 2/3 or more of the time
Frequent = from 1/3 to 2/3 of the time
Occasional = up to 1/3 of the time
N/A = Not applicable

Environmental Conditions

Code:
Constant = 2/3 or more of the time
Frequent = from 1/3 to 2/3 of the time
Occasional = up to 1/3 of the time
N/A = Not applicable