City Attorney

NACBA; Campbell (CA); On-site; USD 315,000 - 385,000; Full time

Job summary

The City of Campbell is transitioning from an external counsel model to an in-house City Attorney’s Office, offering the unique opportunity to shape the office’s vision, hire and develop a team, define its culture, and create a modern, responsive legal function.

Reporting directly to the City Council and serving on the executive team, the City Attorney provides strategic legal counsel, guides governance, manages risk, and leads a high-performing staff dedicated to public service.

Qualifications

• Juris Doctor degree from an accredited law school.
• Seven years of legal practice, five in municipal law, plus three years of management of junior attorneys and staff.
• Active membership in the State Bar of California.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the City's principal legal advisor to the City Council, City Manager, executive leadership, boards, commissions, and staff.
• Direct the City's litigation strategy, oversee outside counsel when appropriate, manage claims and legal disputes, and mitigate legal risk across City operations.
• Draft, review, and negotiate ordinances, resolutions, contracts, development agreements, and other legal instruments.
• Monitor changes in legislation, regulations, and court decisions and evaluate their impact on City operations.
• Provide leadership for the City Attorney’s Office by establishing priorities, managing resources, developing staff, fostering accountability, and ensuring high-quality services.
• Build productive relationships with elected officials, employees, and partner agencies.

Education

Juris Doctor degree

Job description

THE OPPORTUNITY

Few city attorney opportunities offer the chance to build something that will shape an organization for years to come. As Campbell transitions from a longstanding outside counsel model to an in-house City Attorney’s Office, the next City Attorney will have the rare opportunity to establish the office’s vision, hire and develop its team, define its culture, and create a modern, responsive legal function for one of Silicon Valley’s most respected small cities.

ABOUT CAMPBELL

The City of Campbell is centrally located in the Santa Clara Valley, 50 miles south of San Francisco, and bordered by San Jose, Los Gatos, and Saratoga. Campbell was officially incorporated as a city in 1952 and has grown from a small agricultural community to a progressive community with a population of approximately 43,000.

The City is a safe, vibrant, and family-friendly community offering its residents amenities such as the Campbell Community Center; the Historic Heritage Theatre; the Ainsley House, a historical museum and garden; the Campbell Library; the Los Gatos Creek Trail; and a variety of parks and recreational activities. The charm of Campbell provides its residents with an unmatched quality of life including highly rated community events, recreational activities, shopping, and dining. Campbell’s historic downtown is filled with gourmet restaurants, cafes, galleries, and boutiques, and hosts one of the best farmer’s markets in the Silicon Valley each Sunday. The area provides easy access to San Francisco, as well as getaways to Napa wine country, the Monterey peninsula, or Sierra Mountains. With its temperate climate, excellent schools, and historical small-town feel, Campbell continues to be one of the hidden gems of California.

THE CITY ATTORNEY’S OFFICE

The new City Attorney for the City of Campbell will have the unique opportunity to staff the office as it transitions into in-house legal services. In addition to the City Attorney, the City has budgeted for attorney support (with options on how to implement) as well as a shared administrative support specialist. In order to provide the new City Attorney the opportunity to make key staffing decisions, additional staffing for the office will take place once the City Attorney begins, and different staffing models are under consideration. The fiscal year 2027 budget for the Office is $838,457.

THE POSITION

Reporting directly to the City Council and serving as a key member of the City's executive team, the City Attorney is a trusted strategic advisor who helps shape policy, manages legal risk, and supports sound governance across the organization. Working in close partnership with the City Council, City Manager, executive leadership, boards and commissions, and City staff, the City Attorney provides practical, business-minded legal counsel that enables the City to achieve its objectives. Beyond providing legal opinions, the City Attorney helps navigate complex policy questions, facilitates thoughtful decision-making, oversees the City's legal affairs, and will lead a high-performing legal team committed to exceptional public service.

• Serve as the City's principal legal advisor and provide strategic counsel to the City Council, City Manager, executive leadership, boards, commissions, and staff.
• Direct the City's litigation strategy, oversee outside counsel when appropriate, manage claims and legal disputes, and proactively identify and mitigate legal risk across City operations.
• Draft, review, and negotiate ordinances, resolutions, contracts, development agreements, and other legal instruments.
• Monitor changes in legislation, regulations, and court decisions and evaluate their impact on City operations.
• Provide leadership for the City Attorney’s Office by establishing priorities, managing resources, developing staff, fostering accountability, and ensuring responsive, high-quality legal services.
• Build productive relationships with elected officials, employees, and partner agencies.

The ideal candidate for Campbell’s City Attorney will be an experienced California attorney with a broad understanding of municipal law, as well as a contemporary understanding of the evolving issues facing California cities. To that extent, additional experience in housing or land use is beneficial. The City has a successful and established relationship with an external firm for employment law and labor matters. With the unique opportunity to establish the City Attorney’s Office in-house, the strongest candidates should be resourceful, innovative, efficient, and have an eye for risk management. As a smaller city, collaboration, responsiveness, and teamwork are of utmost importance.

SALARY & BENEFITS

The hiring range for the City Attorney is up to $350,000, dependent on qualifications. The City Council will negotiate an employment agreement with the selected candidate which will have a substantially similar benefit package to what is offered to other executive employees of the City.

• Retirement is provided through CalPERS.
• Classic CalPERS members are eligible for the 2% @ 60 formula with an employee contribution of 7%, while PEPRA members are eligible for the 2% @ 62 formula with an employee contribution of 8.5%.
• A voluntary deferred compensation (457) plan is also available.

QUALIFICATIONS

The following are the minimum qualifications for the position of City Attorney:

• Education: A Juris Doctor degree from an accredited law school.
• Experience: Seven (7) years of experience practicing law, five (5) years of which were spent practicing municipal law, and increasingly responsible management experience including three (3) years of managing junior attorneys and support staff.
• Bar Status: Active membership in the State Bar of California.