City Attorney

City of San Luis; San Luis (AZ); On-site; USD 100,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

The City of San Luis seeks a City Attorney to provide executive leadership for the City Attorney’s Office and the City Prosecutor’s Office. You will advise the City Council, City Manager, and departments, and oversee contracts, development agreements, and legal opinions.

Responsibilities include managing outside counsel, directing litigation strategy, and ensuring compliance with city codes and state law. Residency within 25 miles is preferred. Bilingual English/Spanish a plus.

Qualifications

• Juris Doctor degree from ABA-accredited school.
• Five years of progressively responsible legal experience with at least three in supervision.

Responsibilities

• Provide legal counsel to City Council, City Manager, department directors, and boards/commissions.
• Draft, review, and negotiate contracts, intergovernmental agreements, deeds, and leases; prepare ordinances and opinions.
• Attend city council meetings and planning/com zoning meetings to render legal advice on agenda items.
• Oversee litigation and manage outside counsel to support the City’s legal needs.
• Develop and implement goals, policies, and procedures for delivering city legal services.

Education

Juris Doctor degree from ABA-accredited Law School

Five (5) years of progressively responsible experience with supervisory responsibility over attorneys or legal staff

Job description

YOUR FUTURE BEGINS HERE!
Join one of the fastest-growing cities in Arizona and the youngest in Yuma County!

Under limited supervision, the incumbent provides executive leadership, direction and oversight for the City Attorney’s Office and City Prosecutor’s Office. Serves as the Chief Legal Advisor, delivering legal counsel to the City Council, City Manager, all City departments, and various Boards and Commissions. Responsibilities include offering legal advice on land use and development, code development and revisions, contract development and review, development agreement negotiations, and other matters related to municipal government. Represents the City in all legal proceedings and oversees the selection, management, and performance of outside counsel retained to support the City’s legal needs.

SCOPE OF REPRESENTATION

The role and duty of the City Attorney is to represent the City as an organization, and not the City’s individual representatives.

As the City Attorney, you will

• Provide legal counsel to the City Council, City Manager, department directors, and various boards and commissions on matters affecting the City.
• Draft, review, and negotiate contracts, intergovernmental agreements, deeds, and leases; prepare ordinances, resolutions, legal opinions, and other legal documents.
• Attend all city council meetings, Planning and Zoning Commissions, and various committee and board as required and renders legal advice on matter of the agenda.
• Conduct complex legal research and prepares written and oral opinions on a wide range of issues for the City Council and City departments.
• Participate as a member of the management team, attending leadership, development, and other applicable meetings to offer legal guidance and input.
• Oversee adherence to City policies related to land use, jurisdictional matters, and other municipal interests.
• Evaluate and provide advice on risk related to the City operations.
• Pursue enforcement action on the City behalf to ensure compliance with city code provisions.
• Provide oversight of the Prosecutor’s Office.
• Stay current on court decisions and legislative changes, advising City departments on impacts to City operations.
• Review, propose and enacted state and federal legislation for impact to the City.
• Present legal information and guidance to diverse audiences, including the City Council.
• Manage investigations of litigated claims and complaints against the City and recommend appropriate courses of action.
• Review and redact highly sensitive public records requests.
• Develop, plan, and implement City Attorney’s Office goals, objectives, policies, and procedures to ensure delivery of legal services aligned with Citywide priorities.
• Prepare and manage the department budget; forecast staffing, equipment, materials, and supply needs for the City Attorney’s Office and review/approve the City Prosecutor’s Office budget.
• Administer and oversee all functions and personnel within the City Attorney’s Office.
• Oversee and participate in litigation involving the City of San Luis, including making legal decisions, filing dispositive motions, and developing litigation strategies, tactics, and settlements.
• Provide recommendations to management and the City Council on settlement proposals based on management input and outside counsel advice, if applicable.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Will possess knowledge of:

• Federal, State and legal precedents of municipal law principles and practices.
• Management and administration practices and procedures.
• Budget and consultant contract development, monitoring and administration practices and principles.
• Computer hardware, software and peripheral operation and utilization.

Will have the ability to:

• Research, investigate, evaluate, and develop solutions and resolutions to complex and/or politically sensitive legal issues, concerns and complaints.
• Represent City’s interests in Federal, State or Municipal courts, during trials, depositions and settlement negotiations.
• Analyze, review, prepare, and present oral and written legal recommendations to City Council.
• Negotiate, develop, administer and execute consulting and other contracts.
• Research, analyze, and interpret legal, regulatory and compliance issues for City departments, boards and commissions.
• Prioritize, delegate, assign and review work of assigned staff and outside counsel.
• Manage interruptions.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with others.
• Learn novel areas of law as issues arise.
• Manage multiple tasks and projects independently.

Education, Training, and Experience:

• Juris Doctor degree from a School of Law accredited by the American Bar Association; AND
• Five (5) years of progressively responsible experience with at least three of those years in a position of supervisory responsibility over attorneys or legal staff.

Licenses and Certifications:

All required licenses and certifications must be maintained throughout employment.

• A valid Arizona driver’s license at the time of appointment
• Licensed to practice law in the State of Arizona and membership in good standing in the Arizona State Bar Association (or licensed in a state with reciprocal jurisdiction with the Arizona Bar and have the ability to be admitted to the Arizona State Bar by motion.)

Special Requirements:

• Residency in the United States and within 25 miles of the City of San Luis.

Desired/Preferred:

• Bilingual in Spanish.
• San Luis residency.
• Local government experience or eagerness to learn.

The physical and mental demands described here are representative of those that must be met by employees to successfully perform the essential functions of this class. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Physical Demands

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, walk and stand; talk and hear; use hands to finger, handle, feel or operate objects, tools, or controls; reach with hands and arms; and perform repetitive movements of hands or wrists. The employee is frequently required to lift up to 25 pounds unaided. Employees must be physically capable of operating City vehicles, for job-related purposes, safely. Specific vision abilities required for this job include close vision and the ability to adjust focus.

Mental Demands

While performing the duties of this class, an employee uses written and oral communication skills; reads and interprets data, information, and documents; analyzes and solves problems; uses math and mathematical reasoning; performs highly detailed work; deals with multiple concurrent tasks; and interacts with others encountered in the course of work, including frequent contact with customers and/or the public.

Work Environment

Work is performed in a standard office or courtroom environment. May require frequent sitting and continuous operation of a personal computer.

The City of San Luis is committed to Professional Growth and Career Development -

Current employees may be given preferred consideration if they meet the position's minimum requirements.

OPEN UNTIL FILLED