Assistant City Attorney Senior I

City of Charlotte; Charlotte (NC); On-site; USD 120,000 - 173,000; Full time

Job summary

The Senior Counsel at Charlotte Area Transit System (future: MPTA) provides comprehensive legal services, advises leadership, and represents the agency in internal and external legal matters. The role collaborates with the City Attorney’s Office to address regulatory, operational, and policy issues affecting CATS.

It requires independent judgment, managing complex assignments, and clear communication of risks and options to executives and staff.

Responsibilities

• Provides timely and practical legal advice to CATS leadership, City representatives, department attorneys, and staff on routine and complex matters.
• Analyzes matters from legal, operational, policy, and business perspectives and recommends appropriate courses of action.
• Advises clients regarding legal requirements, potential risks, available options, and the practical implications of proposed decisions.
• Assists senior, lead, or supervising attorneys with highly complex, sensitive, or significant legal matters.
• Researches and analyzes constitutional, statutory, regulatory, judicial, and administrative authorities relevant to assigned matters.
• Prepares legal opinions, memoranda, correspondence, agreements, pleadings, resolutions, policies, and other legal documents.
• Reviews documents and proposed actions for legal sufficiency, accuracy, consistency, and compliance with applicable requirements.
• Communicates legal conclusions and recommendations clearly, both verbally and in writing.
• Represents CATS in litigation in state and federal court, administrative matters, negotiations, hearings, mediations, arbitrations, and other external legal matters, as assigned.
• Coordinates with City attorneys, manages outside counsel, consultants, subject‑matter experts, and CATS staff in managing assigned matters.
• Organizes and manages a diverse legal portfolio, establishes priorities, and completes assignments within required timeframes.
• Maintains appropriate legal records, work products, correspondence, and matter documentation.
• Monitors local, state, and federal laws, regulations, judicial decisions, and proposed legislation that may affect CATS or City operations.
• Identifies and researches legal issues arising within the operational, business, policy, and regulatory framework applicable to public transit and local government.
• Supports compliance with applicable constitutional, federal, state, and local legal requirements.
• Advises CATS leadership and staff regarding changes in legal requirements and their potential effect on policies, programs, services, and operations.
• Develops effective working relationships with CATS leadership and staff, City attorneys, elected and appointed officials, government agencies, and other stakeholders.
• Works collaboratively with clients to understand operational needs and develop legally sound and practical solutions.
• Participates in meetings, working groups, negotiations, and other activities requiring legal support.
• Performs other legal services and related duties as assigned by a Senior II, Lead, or Supervising Attorney.
• Legal Analysis and Judgment: Ability to evaluate complex legal and factual issues and provide well‑supported, practical advice.
• Applies relevant legal authorities to operational, policy, and business matters.
• Exercises sound judgment in assessing risk, recommending action, and escalating sensitive or highly complex issues.
• Client Counsel and Service: Ability to understand client needs and translate legal requirements into clear, actionable guidance.
• Explains legal risks, requirements, and options to attorneys, executives, managers, and staff.
• Develops legally sound solutions that account for operational needs and organizational objectives.
• Legal Communication and Advocacy: Ability to communicate complex legal information clearly, accurately, and persuasively.
• Prepares concise, well‑reasoned legal opinions, agreements, memoranda, pleadings, and other documents.
• Represents CATS and the City professionally in meetings, negotiations, proceedings, and other legal matters.
• Collaboration and Relationship Management: Ability to establish productive working relationships across legal, operational, governmental, and external stakeholder groups.
• Collaborates effectively with CATS leadership and staff, government officials, outside counsel, and other stakeholders.
• Builds credibility through responsiveness, professional integrity, and constructive problem‑solving.
• Accountability and Work Management: Ability to independently manage a diverse legal portfolio in a complex and time‑sensitive environment.
• Prioritizes assignments, meets deadlines, and manages multiple matters concurrently.

Job description

Department: Charlotte Area Transit System DepartmentSalary: $120,008.00 - $172,512.64 Commensurate with Experience

Thank you for your interest in joining the team that keeps Charlotte moving, at a very exciting time for our organization. At the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS), we’re committed to delivering safe, reliable, and innovative transit services for our growing community, and we value employees who bring professionalism, passion, and a commitment to public service.

This position is currently employed by CATS, a department of the City of Charlotte. With the passage of the PAVE Act and last year’s sales tax referendum, CATS is preparing to transition from a City department to the newly created Metropolitan Public Transit Authority (MPTA). The MPTA was established to strengthen regional transit governance, improve accountability, and support long‑term investment in mobility. It’s an important and exciting step forward for transit in our region.

Employees hired into this role will remain City employees through December 31, 2026, and will transition to MPTA employment on January 1, 2027. Benefits and compensation will follow City provisions through 2026 and shift to MPTA provisions in 2027, with clear information shared in advance. Your core duties, reporting structure, and daily responsibilities will remain consistent, with no break in service. If anything delays the transition, your City employment, including compensation and benefits, will remain in place until the move to the MPTA occurs.

The creation of the MPTA positions us for a more modern, sustainable, and efficient transit system, one that can better support the Charlotte region for decades to come. We’re excited about what’s ahead and appreciate your interest in being part of it.

SUMMARY

The Senior Counsel provides comprehensive legal services to the Charlotte Area Transit System (future: MPTA). The position advises CATS leadership and staff, conducts legal research, prepares legal documents, and represents CATS and the City (future: MPTA) in internal and external legal matters.

The position works closely with the City Attorney’s Office and other City departments to address legal, operational, business, regulatory, and policy matters affecting CATS. Work requires independent legal judgment, the ability to manage complex assignments, and clear communication of legal risks and options to attorneys, executives, managers, and other stakeholders.

Major Duties and Responsibilities:

Legal Advice and Counsel

• Provides timely and practical legal advice to CATS leadership, City representatives, department attorneys, and staff on routine and complex matters.
• Analyzes matters from legal, operational, policy, and business perspectives and recommends appropriate courses of action.
• Advises clients regarding legal requirements, potential risks, available options, and the practical implications of proposed decisions.
• Assists senior, lead, or supervising attorneys with highly complex, sensitive, or significant legal matters.

Legal Research and Document Preparation

• Researches and analyzes constitutional, statutory, regulatory, judicial, and administrative authorities relevant to assigned matters.
• Prepares legal opinions, memoranda, correspondence, agreements, pleadings, resolutions, policies, and other legal documents.
• Reviews documents and proposed actions for legal sufficiency, accuracy, consistency, and compliance with applicable requirements.
• Communicates legal conclusions and recommendations clearly, both verbally and in writing.

Representation and Matter Management

• Represents CATS in litigation in state and federal court, administrative matters, negotiations, hearings, mediations, arbitrations, and other external legal matters, as assigned.

• Coordinates with City attorneys, manages outside counsel, consultants, subject‑matter experts, and CATS staff in managing assigned matters.
• Organizes and manages a diverse legal portfolio, establishes priorities, and completes assignments within required timeframes.
• Maintains appropriate legal records, work products, correspondence, and matter documentation.

Legal and Regulatory Compliance

• Monitors local, state, and federal laws, regulations, judicial decisions, and proposed legislation that may affect CATS or City operations.
• Identifies and researches legal issues arising within the operational, business, policy, and regulatory framework applicable to public transit and local government.
• Supports compliance with applicable constitutional, federal, state, and local legal requirements.
• Advises CATS leadership and staff regarding changes in legal requirements and their potential effect on policies, programs, services, and operations.

Collaboration and Client Service

• Develops effective working relationships with CATS leadership and staff, City attorneys, elected and appointed officials, government agencies, and other stakeholders.
• Works collaboratively with clients to understand operational needs and develop legally sound and practical solutions.
• Participates in meetings, working groups, negotiations, and other activities requiring legal support.
• Performs other legal services and related duties as assigned by a Senior II, Lead, or Supervising Attorney.

Core Competencies:

Legal Analysis and Judgment

Ability to evaluate complex legal and factual issues and provide well‑supported, practical advice.

• Applies relevant legal authorities to operational, policy, and business matters.
• Exercises sound judgment in assessing risk, recommending action, and escalating sensitive or highly complex issues.

Client Counsel and Service

Ability to understand client needs and translate legal requirements into clear, actionable guidance.

• Explains legal risks, requirements, and options to attorneys, executives, managers, and staff.
• Develops legally sound solutions that account for operational needs and organizational objectives.

Legal Communication and Advocacy

Ability to communicate complex legal information clearly, accurately, and persuasively.

• Prepares concise, well‑reasoned legal opinions, agreements, memoranda, pleadings, and other documents.
• Represents CATS and the City professionally in meetings, negotiations, proceedings, and other legal matters.

Collaboration and Relationship Management

Ability to establish productive working relationships across legal, operational, governmental, and external stakeholder groups.

• Collaborates effectively with CATS leadership and staff, government officials, outside counsel, and other stakeholders.
• Builds credibility through responsiveness, professional integrity, and constructive problem‑solving.

Accountability and Work Management

Ability to independently manage a diverse legal portfolio in a complex and time‑sensitive environment.

• Prioritizes assignments, meets