Senior Prosecuting Attorney - Criminal Division

City of Saint Paul; Saint Paul (MN); On-site; USD 112,000 - 176,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Retirement contributions

Paid vacation and sick time

Job summary

The Saint Paul City Attorney’s Office is seeking two full-time senior-level prosecutors in its Criminal Division. The pay range depends on qualifications and level attained.

Positions involve prosecuting petty to gross misdemeanors, handling high-volume cases, and providing legal guidance to City bodies. This is not a remote role; the worksite is in downtown Saint Paul with competitive wages and benefits.

Qualifications

• Juris Doctorate Degree and Minnesota license to practice law are required.
• Excellent legal research and writing skills are expected.
• Strong analytical, communication, and trial strategy abilities are essential.
• Progressive legal experience, including years at attorney level, is required.

Responsibilities

• Prosecute petty to gross misdemeanor offenses.
• Represent the City at arraignments, hearings, trials, and related proceedings.
• Investigate cases, interview victims/witnesses, and gather evidence.
• Draft criminal complaints, motions, briefs, and court documents.
• Draft ordinances, resolutions, and appellate briefs as needed.
• Mentor and lead lower-level staff within the Criminal Division.
• Provide expert legal advice to City officials and departments.

Skills

Legal research

Legal writing

Trial strategy

Analytical skills

Communication

Professionalism

Education

Juris Doctorate Degree

License to practice law (Minnesota)

Job description

The Saint Paul City Attorney’s Office is currently accepting applications for two (2) full-time senior-level prosecutor positions in its Criminal Division. The pay range will be dependent on qualifications.

• Senior Attorney:$67.47 - $84.54 Hourly.$140,337.60 - $175,843.20 Annually. (To be considered at the Senior Attorney level, candidates must have at least 7 years of directly related attorney experience.)
• Attorney:$57.27 – $70.71 Hourly. $119,121.60 - $147,076.80 Annually. (To be considered at the Attorney level, candidate must have at least 3 years of directly related attorney experience.)
• Associate Attorney:$54.00 - $61.42 Hourly. $112,320.00 – $127,753.60 Annually.

Attorneys in the Criminal Division represent the City and are assigned to handle high volumes of a variety of criminal cases from charging through appeal.

Here’s what you can expect to do:

This position will involve prosecuting individuals charged with petty misdemeanor, misdemeanor, and gross misdemeanor offenses. Typical work performed includes:

• Screening of cases for criminal charges by reviewing and evaluating reports from law enforcement, assessing evidentiary issues and the merits of cases, and recommending approval or declining of charges.
• Representing the City by preparing for and making appearances at arraignments, pretrial hearings, jury trials, sentencing, and other court proceedings; keeping affected parties informed as to case status; negotiating resolution of cases, and recommending disposition of cases.
• Conducting case investigations by identifying and researching legal issues, interviewing victims and witnesses, and obtaining evidence from sources such as phone records, business records, video, audio, or other digital evidence, background searches, and other evidentiary materials.
• Drafting, filing, and/or submitting criminal complaints, memoranda, discovery requests, appeals, proposed court orders, pleadings, motions, letters, briefs, and other legal documents.
• Drafting ordinances, resolutions, rules, and policies.
• Drafting, reviewing, filing, and/or submitting appellate briefs and other legal correspondence to the Minnesota appellate courts.
• Plans, organizes, mentors, and leads the work of lower-level employees within the Criminal Division as requested by the City Attorney, Deputy City Attorney, or Supervising Attorney.
• Leads criminal prosecution activities and provides expert legal advice to the City Council, the Mayor’s Office, City departments, boards, commissioners, and committees.

Information Specific to this Position:

This position performs wide-ranging, routine to expert level, highly complex professional legal work in the Criminal Division. The worksite for this position is at the Saint Paul City Attorney’s Office located in downtown Saint Paul. While some telework may be possible upon approval of the City Attorney, this position is not a remote position.

Our Benefits:

We offer competitive wages, and a variety of excellent benefits, including health insurance, retirement contributions and paid vacation and sick time.

Equity, Inclusion and Belonging:

The City of Saint Paul is dedicated to dismantling systemic racial, cultural, and economic barriers that prevent people from fully enjoying and participating in our community and ensuring fairness in opportunities and outcomes for all individuals. At the City of Saint Paul, we want our workforce to reflect the diverse city that we serve. Our leaders are guided by an unapologetic equity agenda, which promotes the belief that true equity is building a city that works for all of us. We encourage you to apply as we are most interested in finding the best candidate for this job.

Job classification and salary will be commensurate with experience.

• Candidates for this position must have a Juris Doctorate Degree and a license to practice law from the Supreme Court of the State of Minnesota, and at least seven years of progressive experience to include four years of experience as an Attorney at the full performance level with the City of Saint Paul or equivalent.
• Continued employment as an assistant city attorney is contingent upon maintaining a license to practice law from the Supreme Court of the State of Minnesota.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Minimum of five years of experience practicing criminal law.
• Excellent legal research and writing skills.
• Strong analytical, communication, and trial strategy skills.
• A demonstrated ability to maintain consistent professionalism.

Unclassified Posting:

This is an UNCLASSIFIED position and is therefore not governed by City Civil Service Rules. All who meet the criteria and requirements stated on the job posting will be placed on a hiring list for consideration. Hiring Managers may interview/hire anyone from the list.

Final Selection Process:

You will be notified if you are invited to participate in the final selection process.

Human Resources Contact Information:

Trisha Freiberger at 651-266-6481 E-mail: [e-mail]

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement:

The City of Saint Paul is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. Veterans, women, persons of color, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, and individuals with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.