Chief Deputy City Solicitor - Appeals Unit

Cityofphiladelphia; Philadelphia (Philadelphia County); On-site; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

City of Philadelphia seeks a Chief Deputy City Solicitor for the Appeals Unit to lead the appellate practice of the City. Responsible for supervising a team of five appellate attorneys and one non-attorney staff while guiding briefing, arguments, and settlements.

The role advises on high-stakes matters, including First Amendment issues, collaborates across the Law Department, and develops training for new attorneys to strengthen the unit's capabilities.

Qualifications

• Senior/supervisory level role requiring 9+ years of legal experience in relevant subject matter.
• Must have a law degree from an ABA-accredited law school and be admitted to the Pennsylvania Bar or eligible to reciprocity.
• Extensive appellate and jury trial experience preferred.

Responsibilities

• Manage and supervise all attorneys and administrative personnel in the Appeals Unit.
• Advise on brief, argument, and settlement strategy; authorize settlements when in the best interest of the City.
• Represent the City in federal and state appellate matters, including briefs and oral arguments.
• Lead collaboration with other units on tax policy, contract provisions, and legislation.
• Develop training programs for new attorneys and foster a diverse, inclusive environment.

Skills

Appellate experience

Legal writing

Team leadership

Negotiation skills

Education

Juris Doctor (ABA-accredited)

Job description

The Chief Deputy City Solicitor of the Appeals Unit is the head of the Unit. This is a management level position that involves running the appellate practice of one of the largest municipalities in the country. Responsibilities include managing and supervising a team of approximately five (5) appellate attorneys and one (1) non-attorney staff member as they represent the City in a broad array of cases, including some of its highest-exposure litigation arising out of overturned conviction, Ninth Exception, and tax matters.

The Chief Deputy advises the Unit's attorneys on brief, argument, and settlement strategy, and authorizes settlement of the Unit's cases when in the best interest of the City. The Chief Deputy represents the City and its officials in significant and routine appellate matters as needed, inclusive of briefs, arguments and settlement negotiations. The Chief Deputy is responsible for advising clients on high-exposure legal matters, particularly in the First Amendment space. The Chief Deputy also leads the Unit in its collaborations with units across the Department on a broad array of matters, be it tax policy and litigation strategy, trial strategy in any number of subject matters, contract provisions, proposed legislation, and interpretations of statutory obligations of the City. The team has a breadth and depth of experience to leverage in all of these spaces, and the Chief Deputy serves as the primary point of contact for issue spotting and workflow management for these collaborations.

Essential Functions

The functions listed below are intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed in this role. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, or essential functions. Duties may be modified, assigned, or reassigned as operational needs evolve, consistent with applicable law.

• Managing and supervising all attorneys and administrative personnel in the Unit.
• Coaching employees to enhance their written and courtroom presentation of arguments, as well as their relationship development with both clients and the bench.
• Representing the City in federal and state court settlement conferences in cases where the City's potential liability is substantial.
• Briefing and presenting oral argument on complex legal issues in state and federal courts of appeal.
• Ensuring that the Unit is providing proactive legal counseling as required to City departments and agencies.
• Fostering relationships with the state and federal appellate courts by proactively seeking opportunities to present at CLEs, attend networking events, and speak to interns.
• Fostering and maintaining a collegial, inclusive, and professional environment that values all forms of diversity.
• Participating in external efforts to raise the profile of the Unit and the Law Department.
• Developing and updating a rigorous training program for new attorneys.
• Working closely with clients to assure compliance with applicable federal and state law.

Competencies, Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Knowledge of applicable laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, and agency rules and process, or demonstrated ability to quickly learn;
• Ability to analyze large amounts of information, determine relevant facts, and propose viable solutions;
• Ability to find what applicable laws and regulations apply to a specific matter;
• Ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand. Must be able to clearly present and explain their case to judges, arbitrators, mediators, opposing parties, and clients, and listen, answer questions, present to large groups and high-level officials and employ diplomacy in challenging situations.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with a demonstrated ability to identify and analyze legal issues within complex fact patterns.
• Ability to foster and maintain a collegial, inclusive, and professional work environment.
• Excellent writing, case management, negotiating, and trial skills.
• Ability to train professional legal staff as well as non-legal staff on applicable legal requirements.
• Excellent judgment and critical thinking in high-pressure situations.
• Strong commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion;
• Strong interpersonal skills, including the ability to work on teams and collaborate with colleagues and clients;

Qualifications (Education and Experience)

This is a senior/supervisory level position, with a minimum of (9) plus years of legal experience relevant to the subject matter and/or responsibilities the unit requires. The successful candidate will have significant jury trial experience, as well as significant appellate experience making complex factual and legal presentations to the court. Candidates must have a law degree from an ABA accredited law school and must either be a member in good standing of the Pennsylvania Bar, or currently eligible to be admitted by reciprocity to practic