Deputy County Counsel
County of Los Angeles
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Job summary
The County of Los Angeles is seeking qualified Deputy County Counsel for emergency recruitment to handle complex legal matters and provide expert advice to the Board of Supervisors and County departments.
Positions may start for up to 90 days with a path to permanent County employment, based on performance during evaluation. Admission to CA Bar and litigation experience are essential for appointment.
Qualifications
- Two (2) years of experience in public agency law or civil law areas.
- Admission to practice law in all California courts.
- California Class C Driver License or ability to use an alternative transport.
- Physical Class II – Light duties.
- Must meet requirements to fill vacancies under emergency recruitment.
Responsibilities
- Represents, advises and prepares legal documents for County departments, boards or agencies.
- Represents the County in difficult litigation including tort, contracts, regulatory actions and labor.
- Draf ts and pursues legislation, ordinances and amendments to State and County codes.
- Supervises external counsel and manages assigned cases.
Education
Job description
EXAM NUMBER U9206C-FR
TYPE OF RECRUITMENT Open Competitive - Emergency
FIRST DATE OF FILING Tuesday, October 13, 2026, at 8:00 a.m. (PT) - Open Continuous. This examination will remain open until the needs of the service are met and is subject to closure without prior notice.
REPOSTING INFORMATION This announcement is being reposted to accept additional applications.
The LA County Board of Supervisors has unanimously ratified a Proclamation of Local Emergency in response to the windstorms and wildfires, including the Palisades and Eaton Fires, that have devastated communities across the County. We are looking for qualified and passionate individuals to assist the County in mobilizing resources and support needed to help our residents recover and rebuild. If you are looking for a new career that will directly benefit the population of LA County, this may be the opportunity for you.
County Counsel is seeking qualified candidates to fill emergency Deputy County Counsel vacancies related to this unprecedented natural disaster.
Under the emergency order, applicants who meet the requirements may be hired for an initial period of up to 90 days, with an opportunity for permanent County employment.
During your initial work period, you will be assessed on your work performance. This assessment will be weighted 100%. Those who successfully pass the assessment will be considered for permanent appointment to Deputy County Counsel.
The Office of County Counsel provides legal representation, advice and counsel to the Board of Supervisors, County departments, special districts, and other public agencies, such as the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA), as mandated and authorized by the County charter and State statutes. The Office provides a broad range of legal services directed at promoting the public service objectives of the County and other entities, while protecting the County and other entities from loss and risk. The Office of County Counsel is committed to inclusion, diversity, equity, and antiracism (IDEA), and we believe these principles are necessary to build a culture of belonging for all employees, volunteers, and contractors. Our commitment is to deliberately and intentionally advance IDEA and, by doing so, more effectively serve the County of Los Angeles.
- The County of Los Angeles offers one of the strongest public-sector benefits package in the nation, including a wide range of health care options, pensions through LACERA, 401k and 457b savings plans with matching, and 13 paid Holidays.
Performs the most difficult legal assignments in providing advice to and representing the Board of Supervisors, the County and its departments/agencies and/or the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority in litigation and may supervise subordinate attorneys.
These positions are allocated only to the Office of the County Counsel and typically receive general direction, from an Assistant County Counsel, primarily pertaining to policy. Deputy County Counsel positions are responsible for assignments involving the most difficult and complex legal matters, which requires a high degree of initiative, skill and specialized legal knowledge or acting as principal legal advisor to a large County department or special district or a separate agency, such as the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. This class is the first level at which supervisory duties may be assigned and requires that incumbents be able to exercise knowledge of the principles of supervision and have a thorough knowledge of legal principles and their application. In addition, incumbents must possess the ability to appear in federal and state court, and administrative hearings.
- Represents, advises and prepares legal documents for one or more County departments, special boards, commissions, or other governmental bodies whose functions regularly require the resolution of difficult legal issues regarding their powers, functions, jurisdiction, procedures, and operations.
- Represents the County in difficult litigation involving such areas as tort liability, contract, regulatory actions, zoning, labor, workers' compensation, probate or juvenile dependency.
- Works with County departments to draft and pursue legislation, ordinances, and amendments to State and County codes.
- Supervises external counsel in the management of their assigned cases, addressing inquiries related to procedural matters or trial strategies.
REQUIREMENTS TO QUALIFY
Two (2) years of experience in the practice of public agency law*, or civil law experience in areas such as probate, contracts, healthcare, employment, workers' compensation, real property, environmental, land use, litigation, intellectual property, or child dependency proceedings.
You MUST meet the above requirement(s) in order to be appointed to fill any vacancies related to this recruitment.
LICENSE
Admission to practice law in all courts of California**.
A valid California Class C Driver License or the ability to utilize an alternative method of transportation when needed to carry out job‑related essential functions.
PHYSICAL CLASS
Physical Class II – Light: This class includes administrative and clerical positions requiring light physical effort that may include occasional light lifting to a 10-pound limit and some bending, stooping, or squatting. Considerable ambulation may be involved.
SPECIAL REQUIREMENT INFORMATION
*Public agency law refers to representing the government of a State or political subdivision thereof; an agency of the United States, a State, or a political subdivision of a State; or any interstate government agency.
**A copy of a valid and active California Bar card with a visible watermark of the year - OR - A printed copy of the member profile information from the State Bar of California website, with an "Active" status designation. If you are unable to attach the required document(s), you must email them to CoCoExams@counsel.lacounty.gov at the time of filing or within five (5) calendar days from the application submission date.
Applications received without this required documentation will be rejected as incomplete.
AT THE TIME OF FILING, you are encouraged to provide a copy of your resume, which details relevant professional experience.
Please DO NOT attach or upload your writing samples, or confidential case files to your application.
We do not accept password-protected documents. Ensure documents are unlocked before attaching to your application or sending to the exam analyst.
During your initial work period, the appointing department will evaluate your performance. Those who achieve a passing score on this evaluation will be considered for permanent appointment.
Additional consideration will be given to candidates with experience beyond the requirements in the practice of probate, contracts, healthcare, employment, workers' compensation, real property, environmental, land use, litigation, intellectual property, or child dependency proceedings.
Please include your Social Security Number for record control purposes. Federal law requires that all employed persons have a Social Security Number.
For applicants who may not have regular access to a computer or the internet, applications can be completed on computers at public libraries throughout Los Angeles County.
All applicants must file their application online using their own user ID and password. Using a family member's or friend's user ID and password may erase a candidate's original application record.
213-974-1570
800-899-4099
800-897-0077
800-735-2922
Raquel Guerrero
CoCoExams@counsel.lacounty.gov
U9206C-FR
The County of Los Angeles recognizes and affirms that all people are created equal and are entitled to all rights afforded by the Constitution of the United States. The Office of the County Counsel is committed to promoting Anti-racism, Diversity, and Inclusion (ARDI) efforts to address the inequalities and disparities amongst race. We support the ARDI Strategic Plan and its goals by improving equality, diversity, and inclusion in recruitment, selection, and employment practices.
The County of Los Angeles is a Equal Employment Opportunity Employer and is committed to non-discrimination in the County workforce, regardless of age (40 and over); ancestry; color; ethnicity; religious creed; protected family or medical leave status; disability; marital status; medical condition; genetic information; military and veteran status; national origin; race ; sex; gender; sexual orientation; or any other characteristic protected by State or federal law. For more information, please visit: https://employee.hr.lacounty.gov/eeo-programs/.
The County of Los Angeles complies with all federal and state disability laws and makes reasonable accommodations for qualified applicants and employees with disabilities. If a reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application process, please contact the testing accommodation coordinator listed on the job posting. Hearing impaired applicants with telephone teletype equipment may leave messages by calling the teletype phone number on the job posting. For more information on accommodations, please visit:https://hr.lacounty.gov/accessibility/.
The County of Los Angeles is a Fair Chance employer. Except as otherwise permissible under applicable laws, you will not be asked to provide information about conviction history unless you receive a conditional offer of employment. The County will make an individualized assessment of whether your conviction history has a direct and adverse relationship with the specific duties of the job, and will also consider potential mitigating factors, which may include, but is not limited to, evidence and extent of rehabilitation, recency of the offense(s), and age at the time of the offense(s). If asked to provide information about conviction history, any convictions or court records which are exempted by a valid court order do not have to be disclosed. Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with County Fair Chance Policies and the Fair Chance Act (Gov. Code Section 12952).
Final appointment is contingent upon verification of U.S. citizenship or the right to work in the United States.
Resources to help current and prospective employees plan a career with Los Angeles County are available. To explore career paths to and from nearly all job titles, please visit our interactive Career PathFinder application at http://career-pathfinder.hr.lacounty.gov.
Pursuant to the County Charter and County policy, in all open competitive examinations (i.e., examinations open to everyone), the County of Los Angeles will add a credit of 10 percent of the total credits specified for such examination to the final passing score of an honorably discharged veteran, as well as the spouse of a deceased or disabled veteran, who served in the Armed Forces of the United States under specific conditions. For more information on veteran’s credit, please visit: https://file.lacounty.gov/SDSInter/dhr/205102_PPG_115.pdf
Revised September 2025
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