Deputy City Attorney II

Los Angeles City Attorney's Office (CA); Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Los Angeles City Attorney's Office (CA) seeks an attorney for the General Litigation Division to defend the City and employees in civil tort matters, including premises liability and governmental immunities. The role involves direct case intake, pleadings, motions, and trial work across Los Angeles County courts, with occasional Federal Court involvement.

The position requires five years of trial experience and a California license, plus strong written and spoken communication skills to advocate

Qualifications

• Licensed to practice law in all California courts.
• Five (5) years criminal or civil trial experience, or general litigation experience.
• Strong verbal communication and writing skills.

Responsibilities

• Manage case intake, filing initial pleadings, motion work, discovery.
• Settlement conferences, expert discovery and trial.
• The attorney must be willing and able to conduct trials alone or with co-counsel.
• Other related duties as assigned.

Skills

Trial experience

Verbal communication

Writing skills

Judgment

Education

License to practice law in California

Job description

Attorneys with the General Litigation Division defend the City of Los Angeles and its employees in civil tort litigation, particularly in personal injury and property damage actions. The cases involve allegations of dangerous condition of public property or negligence. The dangerous condition matters include roadway design, sewer backup, traffic engineering principles, trip and falls, and governmental immunities. The negligence matters primarily involve allegations of negligent driving by City employees that have resulted in traffic collisions. The primary venue for General Litigation is in Superior Courts throughout Los Angeles County as well as surrounding counties, although some Federal Court litigation is involved

• The attorneys in this position are responsible for their own case intake, filing initial pleadings, motion work, discovery, settlement conferences, expert discovery and trial;
• The attorney must be willing and able to conduct trials alone or with co-counsel;
• Substantial knowledge of medical conditions is required since many matters involve catastrophic injuries; and
• Other related duties as assigned.

Applicants for this position must have a license to practice law in all of the courts in the State of California. Additional requirements include:

• Five (5) years criminal or civil trial experience, or general litigation experience;
• A sincere desire to vigorously litigate cases through pretrial and trial stages;
• Strong verbal communication and writing skills and ability to exercise sound judgment.

Desired Qualifications

The following qualifications are highly desirable:

• Experience in representing governmental entities in Tort Litigation.
• Ability to interact with public officials, city departments as well as the public.
• Knowledge of medical conditions and terminology.

Requirements for Application

• Cover Letter
• Resume
• Candidates are required to submit two recent writing samples personally authored in the last two years.

Current Location

City Hall East, 200 N. Main Street, Los Angeles. Position is subject to assignment at any location within the County of Los Angeles.

Work Location and Parking

This position requires regular onsite work. Employer-provided parking is limited and may not be available for this classification. Employees may be responsible for securing and paying for parking at nearby facilities.

Applicants are encouraged to review available commute and transportation resources through the City’s COMMUTEwell program. For more information, please visit: https://lacommutewell.com.

Probation

Appointment to this exempt position (non Civil-Service) will be subject to a two year probationary period as required by Section 1050 of the City Charter. Successful completion of the two-year probationary period will result in tenure with the office.

Classification

Current employees selected for this assignment will be placed through a lateral transfer and retain their current classification, unless otherwise determined by the City Attorney in the exercise of the appointing authority.

Retirement Benefits

Employees participate in the Los Angeles City Employees’ Retirement System (LACERS), which includes mandatory employee pension contributions through payroll deduction. The City also contributes toward the employee’s retirement benefit. Contribution rates are established by the applicable retirement system and may vary based on employee classification, membership status, and other factors. For more information, please visit: https://www.lacers.org.

Conflict-of-Interest

This position is designated as Category 1 on the Conflict-of-Interest Code.

Contact

Questions? Please email [e-mail].