Messer Fort | Attorney | Land Use Focus

clearcareerprofessionals; San Francisco (TX); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Messer Fort is seeking a mid-level attorney to serve as a city attorney concentrating on land use and development work for its city clients. The role covers zoning, plats, development agreements, PID/TIRZ, and related ordinance work.

You will advise planning commissions and city councils, handle vesting and deadlines under Texas Local Government Code, and provide general in-house counsel support to staff.

Qualifications

• Juris Doctor degree from an accredited law school.
• Texas law license in good standing required at hire.
• Five or more years of land use, zoning, or development practice in Texas.
• Experience before public boards, commissions, or councils.

Responsibilities

• Advise planning and zoning commissions, boards, and city councils on land use matters.
• Draft and negotiate development agreements, PID/TIRZ, and ordinances.
• Manage zoning and platting reviews under relevant Texas codes.
• Provide contracts, resolutions, and opinions to city staff.
• Ensure compliance with Open Meetings and Public Information Acts.

Education

Juris Doctor (J.D.)

Texas law license

Job description

Messer Fort is hiring a mid-level attorney to serve as a city attorney with a focus on land use and development work for its city clients. The role spans the full transactional practice: public improvement districts and tax increment reinvestment zones, zoning and platting, development agreements, and the ordinance and code work that comes with representing a city.

The cities the firm represents sit in some of the fastest growing corridors in the country, and land use is the daily heartbeat of their legal needs. You will carry a steady flow of zoning cases and development matters, negotiate with developer counsel, and serve as counsel to planning and zoning commissions and city councils.

Texas licensure and Texas land use experience are required.

Core Responsibilities

• Zoning and entitlements: advising on zoning and rezoning cases under Chapter 211 of the Texas Local Government Code, including specific use permits, planned developments, and zoning ordinance amendments.
• Subdivision and platting: plat review and subdivision regulation under Chapter 212, including the statutory shot clock requirements for plat approval.
• Vested rights: analysis of permit vesting and grandfathering questions under Chapter 245, a recurring and high stakes issue in fast growth cities.
• Boards and commissions: counsel to planning and zoning commissions, boards of adjustment, and city councils, including meeting attendance and advice on procedure, notice, and open government requirements.
• Development agreements: drafting and negotiating development agreements, PID transactions, TIRZ transactions, annexation and ETJ matters under Chapter 43, and impact fee questions under Chapter 395.
• Ordinance and code work: drafting and updating zoning ordinances, unified development codes, sign regulations, and related regulatory ordinances.
• General counsel work: contracts, resolutions, opinions, and day to day advice to city staff, with compliance under the Texas Open Meetings Act and Public Information Act.

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE

Chapter 245 vested rights and Chapter 212 platting deadlines come up constantly here, and the attorney in this role handles them without hesitation. Composure in public meetings matters as much as subject knowledge. Land use is where residents and developers collide, and this attorney will advise lay commissioners and elected officials in live sessions on contested cases. The firm is looking for practical drafting, judgment on when to hold the line and when to find a path to yes.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Juris Doctor and a Texas law license in good standing. Texas licensure is required at hire.
• Five or more years of legal experience with substantial land use, zoning, or development work in Texas.
• Working knowledge of Chapters 211, 212, 245, and 372 of the Local Government Code.
• Experience advising or appearing before public boards, commissions, or councils.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience inside a city attorney’s office, a municipal law firm, or private-side development.
• Land use experience in a high growth city with heavy case volume.
• Experience drafting or overhauling a unified development code or major zoning ordinance.
• Familiarity with annexation, ETJ release petitions, and development agreements.
• PID or TIRZ creation and administration experience.
• TCAA or IMLA involvement, or similar professional involvement.

LOCATION AND COMPENSATION

Based in the firm's Frisco office. Messer Fort serves clients across Texas, and the attorney may work on matters statewide.

• Compensation is dependent on qualifications and experience and is supported by a robust benefits package.