Assistant Corporation Counsel I - Collections, Ownership and Administrative Litigation

City of Chicago; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 80,000 - 134,000; Full time

Job summary

The City of Chicago Law Department seeks an Assistant Corporation Counsel I for the Collections, Ownership and Administrative Litigation (COAL) Division. You will enforce fines and penalties, identify responsible owners, and represent the City in foreclosures and related matters under supervision.

The role requires strong analytical, drafting, and client counseling skills, with ability to manage deadlines and lead initiatives across teams.

Qualifications

• Juris Doctor degree from ABA-accredited law school.
• Admission to the Illinois Bar (or eligible on motion).
• Strong writing, research, and editing skills; client counseling experience.

Responsibilities

• Represent City and departments in collections, foreclosures, and related litigation.
• Counsel City client Departments and coordinate across divisions.
• Enforce fines, penalties, and amounts owed to the City; determine responsible owners and parties.

Skills

Analytical skills

Workflow management

Written communication

Client counseling

Leadership

Deadline driven

Property knowledge

Education

Juris Doctor (JD)

Illinois Bar admission

Job description

Assistant Corporation Counsel I - Collections, Ownership and Administrative Litigation

Assistant Corporation Counsel I - Collections, Ownership and Administrative Litigation Job Number: 421271

Description

The City of Chicago Law Department is seeking an attorney for the position of Assistant Corporation Counsel (ACC I) in the Collections, Ownership and Administrative Litigation (COAL) Division.

COAL is responsible for enforcing a significant number of municipal laws and holding individuals and entities that violate those laws accountable. Its primary mandates are to (1) enforce fines, fees, and penalties, and to collect other amounts owed to the City; and (2) determine the owners and other parties responsible for municipal law violations. COAL is also responsible for representing the City and its departments in foreclosure and lien proceedings, bankruptcy matters (including appeals to the district court), tax deed petitions, debt due and owing and ownership disputes at the City's Department of Administrative Hearings, and in a host of other matters. The ACC I will work under the general supervision of the Deputy, Chief, and Supervising Attorney of the Division and assist in the counseling of various Client Departments.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Excellent analytical skills;
• The ability to organize, prioritize, monitor, and control workflow deadlines;
• The ability to work and communicate well with others;
• Experience working with short deadlines;
• The ability to exhibit leadership and initiative on assigned tasks;
• Superior writing, research and editing skills;
• Experience providing client counseling.

Preference may be given to candidates possessing the following:

• Experience in determining real property ownership;
• Experience in reviewing and analyzing property deeds, mortgages, liens and foreclosures;
• Experience in project management;
• Experience in collections matters;
• Experience in bankruptcy cases.

Qualifications

• Graduation from an American Bar Association accredited law school with a Juris Doctor degree
• Admission to the Illinois Bar (or eligible for admission on motion to the Illinois Bar pursuant to Illinois Supreme Court Rule 705), good standing with your state Attorney Registration & Disciplinary Commission
  • Or, if applicable, intent to take the bar exam to obtain required Illinois Licensure indicated in cover letter.

Disclaimer - "Accredited" means any American law school that has passed and maintains the requirements of accreditation by the American Bar Association ( www.americanbar.org ).

Salary: $80,448 - 134,028 (salary is based on a variety of factors including experience and credentials)

For Information on our employees benefits please visit our benefits website at:

https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/fin/benefits-office.html

For Information on our salary and title structure visit our classifications website at:

https://www.chicago.gov/content/dam/city/depts/dhr/supp_info/JobClassification/2025_Classification_and_Pay_Plan.pdf

NOTE REGARDING PUBLIC SERVICE LOAN FORGIVENESS: Working for the City of Chicago Department of Law may qualify you for loan forgiveness under the federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program . For detailed information, visit www.StudentAid.gov/publicservice or contact your federal loan servicer.

Selection Requirements

This position requires applicants to complete an interview. The interviewed candidate (s) possessing the qualifications best suited to fulfill the responsibilities of the position will be selected.

Evaluation

Your initial evaluation will be based on the documents submitted. Applications must be submitted by the individual applicant. No second party applications will be accepted.

NOTE: To be considered for this position you must provide information about your educational background and your work experience . You must include job titles, dates of employment, and specific job duties. (If you are a current City employee, Acting Up cannot be considered.) If you fail to provide this information at the time you submit your application, it will be incomplete, and you will not be considered for this position. There are three ways to provide the information: 1) you may attach a resume; 2) you may paste a resume; or 3) you can complete the online resume fields.

Education & Employment Verification : Please be advised that if you are selected to be hired, you must provide, upon request adequate information regarding your educational and employment history as it relates to the qualifications of the position for which you are applying. If the City of Chicago cannot verify this information, any offer extended to you will be withdrawn and you will not be hired.

Fair Chance Hiring Employer: The City of Chicago is committed to being a Fair Chance Hiring employer. We value applicants with diverse experiences, including those who have had prior contact with the criminal legal system. Having a criminal history, including prior incarceration, arrest(s), and/or conviction(s) does not automatically disqualify you from employment with the City of Chicago.

If you receive a conditional offer of employment, the City will conduct a background check. The resulting report will be used to conduct an individualized assessment to determine if the nature of any prior conviction conflicts with the specific duties and responsibilities of the job for which you have been selected. If a conflict exists, you will be asked to present any evidence of rehabilitation that may mitigate the conflict, except when federal or state regulations bar employment in specific circumstances.

Residency Requirement: All employees of the City of Chicago must be actual residents of the City of Chicago as outlined in 2-152-050 of the City of Chicago Municipal Code . Proof of residency will be required.

Reasonable Accommodation: If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation due to disability or pregnancy in order to participate in the application process, please contact the City of Chicago, Department of Human Resources, at 312-744-4976 or [e-mail]. Please be prepared to provide information in support of your reasonable accommodation request.

THIS POSITION IS EXEMPT FROM THE CAREER SERVICE.

ALL REFERENCES TO POLITICAL SPONSORSHIP OR RECOMMENDATION MUST BE OMITTED FROM ANY AND ALL APPLICATION MATERIALS SUBMITTED FOR CITY EMPLOYMENT.

The City of Chicago is an Equal Employment Opportunity and Military Friendly Employer. To further our commitment to hiring applicants with diverse experience the City of Chicago has adopted the following ordinances 2-74-020 and 2-74-075.

City of Chicago

Brandon Johnson

Mayor

Job Posting : Oct 22, 2026, 7:10:19 PM | Closing Date (Period for Applying) - External : Nov 5, 2026, 5:59:00 AM