Senior Deputy City Attorney

City of Sacramento; Sacramento (CA); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

City of Sacramento in Sacramento, CA seeks an experienced Senior Deputy City Attorney to handle general litigation matters and provide professional legal services for the City and its boards, commissions, offices, and departments. The ideal candidate will manage a litigation caseload independently and advocate persuasively in writing and orally.

The position supports a hybrid work model with a two-day in-office requirement and no billable hour requirements.

Qualifications

• Knowledge of municipal, state, and constitutional laws affecting city government.
• Familiarity with methods of legal research and pleadings.
• Understanding of court and administrative agency procedures and rules of evidence.

Responsibilities

• Performs complex legal research and prepares opinions for the City Council, and represents the City at board/commission meetings.
• Prepares and drafts ordinances, resolutions, contracts, deeds, leases, and other legal documents; advises departments on policy.
• Investigates claims and prepares cases for hearings; represents the City in hearings.

Skills

Legal research

Oral advocacy

Written advocacy

Education

Juris Doctor (JD)

Tools

Desktop computer

Job description

IDEAL CANDIDATE STATEMENT

The City Attorney is currently seeking an experienced attorney to handle general litigation matters for the City of Sacramento. The ideal candidate is an experienced litigator who is capable of independently handling a litigation caseload and has effective and persuasive written and oral advocacy skills, solid legal writing background and legal research skills. They will have the ability to work collaboratively for some projects and independently for others. They will be comfortable and competent to handle civil litigation from inception to conclusion, including any potential appeal and post-trial motions. The City Attorney’s office works in a hybrid model with a two-day in office requirement and no billable hour requirements.

THE POSITION

With supervisor approval, incumbents may be eligible for intermittent remote work; however, they must physically reside within the Sacramento region or have the ability to regularly report to a City of Sacramento physical worksite with little notice.

Under general direction, the Senior Deputy City Attorney provides professional legal services for the City of Sacramento and its boards, commissions, offices, and departments.

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS

This classification is populated with multiple incumbents assigned to a City Attorney’s office: Special Projects, Litigation, and Advisory. Senior Deputy City Attorney is the advanced journey-level in the City Attorney's office. Incumbents are expected to use professional judgment and skill in performing work, the acceptability of which is subject to review by professional superiors through inspection of casework, records, and documents, and through periodic conferences. The Senior Deputy City Attorney is distinguished from the Deputy City Attorney II in that the former may specialize in certain areas of the law as it applies to the City.

SUPERVISION RECEIVED AND EXERCISED

General direction is provided by a Supervising Deputy City Attorney. The Senior Deputy City Attorney may oversee and lead the work of other attorneys, paralegal and office support staff. The Senior Deputy City Attorney does not supervise.

Essential Duties And Responsibilities

• Performs complex legal research and prepares opinions on various legal problems for the City Council, City of Sacramento, and its boards, commissions, offices, and departments; represents the City Attorney at various board and commission meetings as assigned.
• Prepares and drafts ordinances, resolutions, contracts, deeds, leases, and other legal documents; reviews documents and offers advice as to the legal acceptability of such documents; confers and assists City departments in establishing policies by developing and applying legal points and procedures, recommends changes in policies and procedures in order to meet legal requirements.
• Investigates claims and complaints by or against the City; recommends action to be taken; prepares cases for hearings; represents the City in such hearings.

Further duties include preparing cases for trial, initiating code enforcement proceedings in court, and other related legal work as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS

Knowledge

• Municipal, state, and constitutional laws affecting city government.
• Methods of legal research.
• Court and administrative agency procedures, methods and practices of pleading and rules of evidence.

Skill

• Use of desktop computer including basic applications and related computer-based research.

Ability

• Research legal issues and prepare sound opinions.
• Draft and present persuasive arguments.
• Read and comprehend legal documents quickly and efficiently.
• Use sound judgment in providing legal advice.
• Establish and maintain cooperative relationships.
• Work well under the pressure of a heavy caseload and short deadlines.
• Recognize and handle issues of political sensitivity.
• Direct support staff that are not direct reports.
• Communicate effectively, verbally and in writing.

Experience And Education

Any combination of education and experience that would provide the required knowledge and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to obtain the knowledge and abilities would be:

Experience
Four years of professional legal experience comparable to a Deputy City Attorney with the City of Sacramento.

Education
Graduation from an accredited school of law.

PROOF OF EDUCATION AND MEMBERSHIP

Proof of education such as, but not limited to, university/college transcripts and degrees should be submitted with your application and will be required at the time of appointment. An applicant with a college degree obtained outside the United States must have education records evaluated by a credential evaluation service. Proof of membership in good standing with the California State Bar Association should be submitted with your application and will be required at the time of appointment.

The City of Sacramento is an equal opportunity employer to all, regardless of age, ancestry, color, disability, exercising the right to family care and medical leave, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, military or veteran status, national origin, political affiliation, race, religious creed, sex, and sexual orientation.