Deputy Town Attorney/Assistant Town Attorney

Town of Front Royal, VA; Front Royal (VA); On-site; USD 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Virginia Retirement System enrollment

457 Deferred Compensation with pre-tax

Health, vision, dental, wellness and E

Employee assistance program

Paid time off and 14 holidays

Life and disability insurance

Job summary

The Town of Front Royal, VA is seeking an Assistant Town Attorney or Deputy Town Attorney, depending on experience, to support the Town Council and public bodies on a broad range of matters. This role focuses on enforcement of Town Code provisions, transactional work, and FOIA compliance under the Town Attorney's supervision.

Deputy requires Virginia Bar licensure with 5–10 years of general practice and 3–5 years local government law.

Qualifications

• Licensed member in good standing of the Virginia State Bar.
• 2–5 years in general practice of law; local government law experience preferred for Assistant.
• 5–10 years in general practice; 3–5 years local government law for Deputy.

Responsibilities

• Provide legal services to Town Council and public bodies.
• Draft contracts, deeds, leases, easements, ordinances and resolutions.
• Prepare memoranda and conduct legal research as needed.
• Prosecute violations of the Town Code.
• Advise on FOIA compliance and freedom of information requests.
• Review agendas and attend meetings as requested.
• Supervise staff in the Legal department.
• Handle COIA and FOIA issues; civil, criminal and traffic litigation.

Skills

Legal research

Draft contracts

FOIA compliance

Interpersonal communication

Written communication

Public law experience

Education

Juris Doctorate

Bachelor’s degree

Job description

The Town of Front Royal seeks an Assistant Town Attorney, or Deputy Town Attorney, depending on experience and qualifications. The successful candidate will assume a supporting role in providing legal services to the Town Council and to other public bodies and departments of the Town on a broad range of matters, with primary responsibility for enforcement of Town Code provisions, various areas of transactional work, and for FOIA compliance. The position will function under the general supervision of the Town Attorney and requires strong interpersonal and written communication skills along with knowledge and understanding of Virginia general and local government law and their application to the functions of government, and of court rules and procedures. The attorney will be expected to perform legal research and prepare memoranda on relevant issues, draft contracts, agreements, deeds, leases, easements, ordinances, resolutions, and other legal documents, and to prosecute violations of the Town Code.

A successful candidate for the Deputy position will be a licensed member in good standing of the Virginia State Bar with 5-10 years’ experience in the general practice of law, with 3-5 years’ local government law practice. Salary range Deputy: $100,000 to $120,000 depending on qualifications.

A successful candidate for the Assistant position will be a licensed member in good standing of the Virginia State Bar with 2-5 years’ experience in the general practice of law, with local government law practice highly preferred. Salary range Assistant: $85,000 to $100,000 depending on qualifications.

A successful applicant will be a licensed member in good standing of the Virginia State Bar. Prior experience in local government practice is highly preferred. We request that applicants with less than five (5) years in the practice of law submit a law school transcript along with their application.

The Town of Front Royal seeks an Assistant Town Attorney, or Deputy Town Attorney, depending on experience and qualifications. The successful candidate will assume a supporting role in providing legal services to the Town Council and to other public bodies and departments of the Town on a broad range of matters, with primary responsibility for enforcement of Town Code provisions, various areas of transactional work, and for FOIA compliance. The position will function under the general supervision of the Town Attorney and requires strong interpersonal and written communication skills along with knowledge and understanding of Virginia general and local government law and their application to the functions of government, and of court rules and procedures. The attorney will be expected to perform legal research and prepare memoranda on relevant issues, draft contracts, agreements, deeds, leases, easements, ordinances, resolutions, and other legal documents, and to prosecute violations of the Town Code.

A successful candidate for the Deputy position will be a licensed member in good standing of the Virginia State Bar with 5-10 years’ experience in the general practice of law, with 3-5 years’ local government law practice. Salary range Deputy: $100,000 to $120,000 depending on qualifications.

A successful candidate for the Assistant position will be a licensed member in good standing of the Virginia State Bar with 2-5 years’ experience in the general practice of law, with local government law practice highly preferred. Salary range Assistant: $85,000 to $100,000 depending on qualifications.

A successful applicant will be a licensed member in good standing of the Virginia State Bar. Prior experience in local government practice is highly preferred. We request that applicants with less than five (5) years in the practice of law submit a law school transcript along with their application.

The Town offers excellent benefits to include automatic enrollment in the Virginia Retirement System; 457 Deferred Compensation with pre-tax and Roth options; health, vision, dental, wellness, and employee assistance benefits; generous paid time off; 14 paid holidays; life, disability and other supplemental insurances. The Town is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

• Provide legal counsel upon request to Town Council, department heads and staff, including research of issues presented and provision of legal opinions through oral or written response.
• Draft or review contracts and other legal instruments as needed; negotiate contract and other legal instrument terms with parties or opposing counsel and review for sufficiency of legal form.
• Draft and/or review ordinances, resolutions, forms, policies and procedures.
• Interpret legal documents as requested; interpret statutes, rules, regulations, policies and ordinances with respect to adherence to federal, state, and local laws.
• Review agendas; attend Town Council, Planning Commission, Board of Architectural Review and Board of Zoning Appeals meetings upon request.
• Handle Conflicts of Interests Act (COIA) and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) issues.
• Handle civil, criminal, and traffic litigation in trial and appellate courts.
• Assist in issues dealing with bankruptcy.
• Supervise a small group of employees in the Legal department.
• Perform related work as required.
  

Experience Required: Five (5) years of related work experience preferred

Education Requirements: Bachelor’s degree; Juris Doctorate

Certifications: Licensed Attorney by Virginia State Bar

Qualifications:

• Knowledge of legal principles, precedents, and practices and their application to functions of local government and in civil, criminal and traffic legal practice generally.
• Knowledge of general statutory, administrative law, and State and Federal laws
• Knowledge of judicial and administrative procedures and rules of evidence
• Skilled at collaborative conflict resolution, negotiation, and meeting facilitation
• Ability to lead and direct employees in an effective manner
• Ability to analyze the legal aspects of governmental problems and to provide sound advice and assistance to officials
• Ability to present facts, law, and arguments clearly, logically, and persuasively
• Ability to interpret and analyze facts, evidence, and legal instruments
• Ability to express conclusions and arguments clearly and logically in oral and written forms
• Ability to maintain effective working relationships with elected officials, staff, other government officials, citizens, Town Attorney, and department heads
• Exercises sound judgement

Work Environment

• Office environment; mostly sedentary; occasional exposure to outside elements.

Physical Demands

• This is light work requiring the exertion of up to 20 pounds of force occasionally, up to 10 pounds of force frequently, and a negligible amount of force constantly to move objects.
• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
• Work requires climbing, reaching, standing, walking, lifting, fingering, grasping, and repetitive motions; vocal communication is required for expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word; hearing is required to perceive information at normal spoken word levels.
• Visual acuity is required for preparing and analyzing written or computer data, use of measuring devices, operation of machines, and determining the accuracy and thoroughness of work; the worker is not subject to adverse environmental conditions.