EXHIBIT A
Page
1 of
3 CLASS SPECIFICATION
CLASS TITLE
:
DEPUTY CITY ATTORNEY
DEFINITION
:
Under general direction from the City Attorney, the Deputy City Attorney performs a variety of professional duties to provide a full range of legal services related to municipal government operations including providing legal research, advice and counsel to City employees and officers; drafting and reviewing contracts, ordinances,
and other
legal
documents
;
representing
the City’s interests in court or before
administrative tribunals
;
and perform
ing
related work as required.
DISTINGUISHING
CHARACTERISTICS:
The Deputy City Attorney perform
s
a variety of assignments while receiving on
-
the
-
job training. With
experience, the work becomes progressively more diversified and difficult requiring independence of judgment and working under general direction.
This
class
is d
istinguished from the Assistant City Attorney
in that the latter
provides professional legal services at a senior management level, exercising a broad range of independence within policy parameters and under minimal supervision.
SUPERVISION RECEIVED AND EXERCISED:
Receives general direction
from
the City Attorney.
May assi
gn work and provid
e
direction
to professional, technical, and support staff and consultants, as well as directly
provide
professional legal services on behalf of the City.
EXAMPLES OF DUTIES
:
Duties may include, but are not limited to, the following:
•
P
rovides
legal
services
on
a
wide
range
of
municipal
law
topics,
as
assigned
by
the City Attorney,
which may include providing advisory legal services to City employees and officers and as well as litigation related services
.
•
Performs
legal
research
and
provides
oral
and
written
opinions
and
advice
on
various
legal issues
for City employees, officers, and legislative bodies.
•
Prepares legal documents, such as ordinances, resolutions, administrative policies, contracts, and real property documents such as deeds or leases; negotiates the terms of such documents with third parties, as necessary; and reviews the terms of such documents prepared by others for approval as to form before signed on behalf of the City.
•
Represents the City in legal matters brought by or against the City in federal court, state court, arbitrations, mediations, and administrative proceedings; performs all aspects of legal representation including pleadings, discovery, motions, trials, appellate actions, and negotiation and settlement of resolutions when warranted.
•
Evaluates
potential
and
actual
claims
and
complaints
by
or
against
the
City,
as
well
as legal risks
and opportunities facing the City, including Government Code liability claims, personnel disputes, enforcement of municipal code violations, and collections
of debts owed; recommends actions to be
taken, and works with City employees and consultants to implement the recommended actions.
R2023-__
EXHIBIT A
• Provides legal services and advice at meetings of various legislative bodies, such as the City Council, or other boards or commissions.
• Provides varied staff support to the City Attorney as needed.
QUALIFICATIONS
Knowledge of:
• L egal principles and practices, including civil, constitutional and administrative laws and procedures; • J udicial procedures and rules of evidence;
• M ethods of legal research;
• State, Federal, constitutional and statutory provisions; • Principles of municipal law (including the Ralph M, Brown Act, California Public Records Act, and conflict of interest laws);
• Principles and practices of public administration;
• O rganization, functions and legal limitations on the authority of the various City departments and of enforcement and procedural problems involved in the operation of such departments; • C ity codes and ordinances;
• Effective communication principles and techniques;
• Problem solving and negotiating techniques.
Ability to:
• Analyze difficult legal problems, exercise judgment in determining the amount of time and resources warranted for each problem, and provide appropriate legal services through legal advice, representation, or advocacy.
• Perform legal research using current techniques, which results in an accurate and well-reasoned analysis, and an identification of alternative legal and practical approaches to resolve the problem presented, including corresponding risks and benefits of competing alternatives.
• Work collaboratively and effectively with other City officers, employees, and consultants to achieve the City’s goals, as set by the City Council.
• Effectively communicate, both orally and in writing.
• Provide legal advice to City employees and officers that clearly and concisely describes complex issues at a level of detail appropriate to the decision to be made. This includes advice in confidential settings, as well as public written opinions, and advice provided during public meetings of legislative bodies.
• Effectively represent the City in a variety of settings including all aspects of advocacy before judicial and administrative bodies, as well as negotiations to reach consensus or resolve disputes in other public forums, including meetings with other entities or agencies, community meetings, or mediations.
Education and Experience:
Any combination of education, experience, and training that would provide the best qualified candidates. A typical way to obtain the knowledge, skills, and abilities would be:
A Juris Doctorate degree from an accredited law school
Three (3) years of professional experience practicing law for a governmental jurisdiction, preferably for a municipality, or four (4) years of professional experience practicing in related areas of municipal law.
EXHIBIT A
Special Requirements:
Possession at time of hire and continued maintenance of a valid California Class C driver’s license is required.
Active membership, in good standing, in the State Bar of California. Attendance at evening meetings and occasional travel to out of town to job-related meetings is required. This position is exempt from Civil Service and at will.
Employment Type: Full-Time At-Will
Bargaining Unit: AMPX
FLSA Status: Exempt
Established: June 1996
Amended: TBD