City Attorney

Lincoln City; Lincoln City (OR); On-site; USD 129,000 - 163,000; Full time

Job summary

Lincoln City is seeking a City Attorney to act as general legal counsel and city prosecutor, providing comprehensive legal services to the City and its boards. This on-site role requires advising the City Council, City Manager, and departments on a wide range of legal matters and representing the City in diverse proceedings.

Ideal candidates hold a Juris Doctorate, are licensed to practice in Oregon, and have at least 3 years of municipal law experience (5+ years preferred).

Qualifications

• Juris Doctorate (J.D.) from an accredited law school.
• Minimum 3 years of municipal law experience; greater than 5 years preferred.

Responsibilities

• Advise City Council, City Manager, staff, and boards on legal matters.
• Prepare legal instruments, provide opinions, and represent the City in administrative, civil, judicial, legislative, and quasi-judicial proceedings.
• Prosecute traffic and ordinance violations in municipal court; assist police with warrants and arrests.
• Conduct legal research and draft briefs; review ordinances, contracts, and documents for legal sufficiency.
• Attend City Council and other meetings; serve as Agency Attorney for Urban Renewal Agency.
• Maintain records and coordinate with insurers and outside counsel as needed.

Education

Juris Doctorate (J.D.)

Job description

EEMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

City Attorney

Annual Salary Range: $129,000 - $163,000

Contract Employment

Full-Time--Exempt

This position will remain open until filled, with a first look at applications beginning October 22, 2026.

The City Council is accepting applications from licensed attorneys interested in service as a City employee. The ideal candidate will have more than five years’ experience providing practical legal advice in a municipal setting to the City Council, City Manager and staff, and city boards and commissions.

The City Council meets regularly on the second and fourth Monday each month. Occasional work sessions, executive sessions, and special meetings may be held, based on need, and at the request of the mayor and city council. The City Attorney will be required to attend City Council meetings unless excused by the Mayor.

The city attorney, as an appointed officer of the city, delivers comprehensive professional legal services to the City of Lincoln City as its general legal counsel and city prosecutor by: (i) advising City Council, City Manager, all Departments, and all Boards and Commissions on most legal matters; (ii) preparing legal instruments, providing legal opinions, and representing the City in administrative, civil, judicial, legislative, and quasi-judicial proceedings, (iii) reviewing draft policies, agreements, solicitations for procurements, and other documents created by all Departments for legal sufficiency, and (iv) prosecuting traffic violations and ordinance violations in municipal court.

This is an on-site position based in Lincoln City, Oregon. Must be licensed by the Oregon State Bar to practice law in Oregon. Valid driver’s license required. Please see full job description for more details about the position.

Purpose of position

The city attorney, as an appointed officer of the city, delivers comprehensive professional legal services to the City of Lincoln City as its general legal counsel and city prosecutor by: (i) advising City Council, City Manager, all Departments, and all Boards and Commissions on most legal matters; (ii) preparing legal instruments, providing legal opinions, and representing the City in administrative, civil, judicial, legislative, and quasi-judicial proceedings, (iii) reviewing draft policies, agreements, solicitations for procurements, and other documents created by all Departments for legal sufficiency, and (iv) prosecuting traffic violations and ordinance violations in municipal court.

Essential job functions

The city attorney provides all legal services to the city, except for bond-related advice, labor, water rights expertise, condemnation counsel, and insurance-covered claims under the Oregon Tort Claims Act. Occasional services that require unusual expertise not ordinarily within the scope of city attorney services, such as condemnation counsel in the acquisition of real property, labor negotiations, as bond counsel and areas of special expertise requiring outside counsel as the parties may mutually agree. Because the city is insured by the City-County Insurance Services (CIS) for tort-type claims, and by Saif Corporation for worker’s compensation claims, the city attorney does not provide defense services in insured cases except for monitoring of significant cases and occasionally assisting lead CIS defense counsel in the assembly of city records.

• Represents the City in all administrative, civil, judicial, legislative, and quasi-judicial proceedings.
• Performs the duties of City Prosecutor, including the pre-trial evaluation and subsequent prosecution of violations of City ordinances and traffic laws in Municipal Court, and assists the police department in preparation of search warrant requests and arrests.
• Gathers evidence in civil, criminal, and other cases to formulate defenses or to initiate affirmative legal action to support the City’s interests.
• Performs legal and real property research and manages all other details in preparation for City actions or trial.
• Prepares and files with courts legal pleadings and briefs and develops legal strategies, arguments, and testimony in preparation for presentation of cases.
• Interprets federal, Oregon, and local laws, rulings, and regulations for City officials and staff, and may assist in the development of staff recommendations for action by the city council.
• Confers with colleagues with specialties in other areas of law to establish and verify bases for the City’s legal proceedings and serves as a liaison between insurer-appointed or other retained legal counsel and City officials and staff on specialized legal issues.
• Prepares a variety of opinions, studies, reports, and related information for City decision-making.
• Drafts and reviews ordinances, resolutions, solicitations, contracts for goods and services, deeds, leases, franchises, and all other legal instruments.
• Approves City documents as to legal form, legal sufficiency, and content as required, including regular review and maintenance of working contract documents and template files for staff use.
• Attends all City Council, Planning Commission, Urban Renewal Agency Board, and other meetings as required.
• Serves as Agency Attorney for City of Lincoln City Urban Renewal Agency, providing comprehensive general counsel services to the Agency Board and staff.
• Responds to questions of the public and media regarding the City’s legal affairs.
• Reviews legal cases and attends trainings to remain informed of changes in the laws pertaining to the business of the City and apprises City Council and appropriate Departments before ensuring ordinances and City policies are amended to reflect dynamic changes in law.
• Represents the city in intergovernmental relations as appropriate.
• Maintains appropriate records and files in accordance with retention rules and city policy.
• Assists in meeting election requirements.
• Works collaboratively with the City Manager, and report directly to the City Council.
• Maintains cooperative and harmonious working relationships with City elected and administrative officials, employees, representatives of business and governmental organizational and the general public.
• Other related duties as assigned by the City Council.

Auxiliary job functions

All other duties required to protect the City from and mitigate foreseeable liabilities.

Mandatory requirements

Education: Juris Doctorate from accredited institution.

Experience*: Minimum 3 years of experience (greater than 5 years preferred) in municipal law, including but not limited to Oregon law. Specific fields include land use, contracts, real property, urban renewal, public works, environmental law, Oregon public records and meetings law, ethics, municipal finance, elections, Indian law, and other related fields. Related Oregon experience must be within the last ten (10) years.

Anysatisfactorycombinationof on-the-joborsector-specifictrainingcertificates,and experience that demonstrates the knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the above duties may be substituted for the specific experience requirements.

Knowledge, skills, and abilities

• Excellent verbal and written communication, diplomacy, time management and organization skills are required.
• Intermediate to advanced knowledge of and ability to use Microsoft Office Suite and electronic communication methods.
• Basic to intermediate social media navigation skills.
• Considerable knowledge of Oregon law relating to municipal affairs.
• Working knowledge of modern policies and practices of municipal law and public administration.
• Skill in preparing briefs and other legal documents.
• Skill in operating the listed tools and equipment.
• Ability to prepare and analyze comprehensive legal documents.
• Ability to carry out assigned projects to their completion.
• Ability to represent the City effectively in court.
• Ability to effectively organize and present facts and evidence.
• Ability to conduct legal research and write reports.
• Ability to effectively supervise subordinate staff.

Special requirements / licenses

Licensed by the Oregon State Bar to practice law in Oregon. Valid driver’s license.

Desirable knowledge and experience

Substantial experience, greater than five (5) years, providing practical legal advice in a municipal setting to the City Council, City Manager and staff, and city boards and commissions.

Physical demands of position

While performing the duties of this position, the employee is frequently required to sit, bend, communicate, reach and manipulate objects. The position is primarily sedentary but mobility is required to travel to various City locations. Duties involve moving materials weighing up to 5 pounds on a regular basis and may infrequently require moving materials weighing up to 30 pounds. Requires the ability to use hearing and speech to make presentations and carry on conversations over the phone and in-person. Requires near visual acuity necessary to read printed materials and computer screens. Manual dexterity and coordination are required over 80% of the work period while operating office equipment such as computer keyboard, calculator, telephone and other standard office equipment.

Working conditions

Usual office working conditions. The noise level in the work area is typical of most office environments with telephones, personal interruptions and background noises.

Supervisory responsibilities

Provide complete supervision of assigned employees, including oversight of one FTE.

Supervision received

Appointed by, serves at the pleasure of, and is responsible to the City Council, as described in the City Charter.