Assistant County Attorney IV

Description:

Job Details:
General Definition of Work
Performs work providing legal services and representation for the County in various types of legal matters, such as charging and prosecution of misdemeanor, petty & gross misdemeanor, and felony cases, and/or handling civil cases such as child support, paternity, and other family related proceedings in District Court. Reviewing evidence, incident and police reports, reviewing, researching, and drafting complaints, motions, and legal memorandums, determining what matters may be charged, determining legal sufficiency for cases, researching applicable statutes, ordinance, and case law, and related work as apparent or assigned.

Work is performed under the direction of the County Attorney.

Essential Functions:
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential function satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable an individual with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• May provide supervision in absence of Chief Deputy County Attorney.
• Provides Attorney training and mentoring for Assistant County Attorney I, Assistant County Attorney II, Assistant County Attorney III, Victim Services Coordinator, Assistant Victim Services Coordinator, and Paralegal positions.
• Prepares appellate briefs and argues cases in Appellate Court.
• Negotiates contracts, leases, lawsuit settlements or similar legal matters by assessing client's needs, and opponent's bargaining positions and meeting the opponent's representatives so that the client's objectives can be reached at minimal cost.
• Provides legal services for and represents Isanti County; consults with and advises County Officials, employees, representatives; answers questions regarding legal matters; provides counsel for County departments/offices in developing policies and procedures; works with County to develop and draft proposed legislation; reviews civil investigations, memorandum, evidence to determine justification for and files civil lawsuits; represents the County in litigation.
• Prepares and presents complex criminal and civil cases in State Courts involving applicable statutes and ordinances which include every degree of felony offense, up to and including first degree murder, gross misdemeanors, misdemeanors, and petty misdemeanors; represents the County and State in Federal Court (civil and criminal).
• Drafts complaints after reviewing the law enforcement officers' reports, prepares and conducts prosecutions of defendants in criminal actions.
• Performs research on legal issues, prepares memoranda of law and briefs in pending cases, as well as bail recommendations, criminal complaints, other required pleading or legal documents, jury instructions proposed orders, and formal briefs for appeal.
• Independently prepares complex felony cases for trial, including assisting in the investigative process, conducting grand jury investigations and indictments, preparation of witness testimony including the development of expert witness testimony as necessary, and opening and closing arguments. Provides daily advice to local law enforcement agencies on investigative techniques and procedures. Drafts pleadings and proposed findings, orders and judgments, and oral argument; prepares and approves administrative subpoenas; discusses possible plea-bargaining agreements, attends pretrial and evidentiary hearings.
• Conducts grand jury investigations and indictments.
• Prepares and reviews search warrants for law enforcement officers.
• Consults with members of the public including victims, witnesses, pro se defendants and advocates.
• Determines when appeals are appropriate, conducts research, drafts appellate briefs and argues cases in State Appellate and Supreme Court.
• Consults, advises, and represents the County in juvenile delinquency, dependency, neglect and/or termination of parental rights petitions and in welfare appeal and inebriety/mental illness commitments; receives juvenile complaints and prepares delinquency, dependency, neglect and/or termination of parental rights petitions; prepares all subsequent professional legal work through each petition's final adjudication.
• Negotiates contracts, leases, lawsuit settlements or similar legal matters.
• Required to be licensed in Federal Court.
• Required to be on-call over evenings, weekends, and holidays for the purposes of providing legal guidance to Sheriff's Office and other law enforcement agencies, social services and other regulatory agencies (on-call duty includes preparation of search warrants, probable cause holds and criminal complaints).
• Provides training for law enforcement officers in the County; conducts seminars for law enforcement POST training through Minnesota County Attorney's Association.
• Provides legal work for county real estate closing and transactions.
• May do legislative lobbying and drafting on criminal law issues.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Juris Doctorate and extensive experience as an Assistant County Attorney, or equivalent combination of education and experience.

Licensed to practice law in the State of Minnesota.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Knowledge of the principles of civil law, including real and personal property law, constitutional, statutory rules and case law related to municipal law and the exercise of powers by political subdivisions.
• Knowledge of the Federal Rules of Civil and Criminal Procedure.
• Knowledge of the Minnesota rules of Civil and Criminal Procedure.
• Knowledge of the Minnesota State Tax Court Rules and Procedures.
• Knowledge of the Minnesota Rules of Professional Responsibility, Minnesota Rules of Evidence, Minnesota Commitment Act and Commitment Procedure and Rules, Administrative Procedure Act and Rules.
• Knowledge of local zoning ordinances, environmental codes, and State Land use Planning Statutes.
• Knowledge of Animal Cruelty and Neglect and related statutes.
• Knowledge of the principles of criminal law including search warrant preparation and execution, litigation, trial procedures and tactics.
• Knowledge and practical application of Minnesota Government Data Practices Act, including advice and rulings for all county agencies.
• Knowledge of county ordinances and State and Federal laws including accepted legal or court interpretations and Supreme Court decisions.
• Knowledge of the organization, functions, and legal limitations on the authority of the various County departments.
• Knowledge of specified areas of law, including juvenile delinquency statutes and case law, child protection, child sexual abuse, substantive criminal law and criminal procedure, judicial commitment statutes and law.
• Knowledge of computer research techniques.
• Knowledge of victim rights statutes, victim services, and ability to empathize with victims of crime.
• Skill in efficiency with trial procedures and tactics.
• Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing.
• Ability to analyze, appraise, organize and present facts, evidence and existing statutory and case law.
• Ability to exercise independent and sound legal judgment.
• Ability to determine the limits of actions available to opponents and the probable course of action of opponents in court cases.
• Ability to negotiate settlements involving complex cases.
• Ability to demonstrate effective oral and written English communication skills; understand and carry out oral and written instructions; work independently; use good judgment, prioritize work, meet deadlines.
• Ability to prepare, negotiate and try complex civil or criminal cases; research and accurately interpret a wide variety of state statutes and federal laws.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality.
• Ability to draft legislation, ordinances and county procedure manuals.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with coworkers, clients, County staff, court and legal representatives, department heads, defendants, law enforcement, state and federal agency staff, witnesses, and the general public.
• Regular and timely work attendance.

Working Conditions:
Physical Requirements and Activity
This work requires the occasional exertion of over 100 pounds of force; work occasionally requires standing, walking, sitting, speaking or hearing, using hands to finger, handle or feel, climbing or balancing, stooping, kneeling, crouching or crawling, reaching with hands and arms, tasting or smelling, pushing or pulling and repetitive motions.

Sensory Requirements
Work has standard vision requirements; vocal communication is required for expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word and conveying detailed or important instructions to others accurately, loudly or quickly; hearing is required to perceive information at normal spoken word levels.

Sensory Utilization
Work requires preparing and analyzing written or computer data and observing general surroundings and activities.

Environmental Conditions:
Work has no exposure to environmental conditions; work is generally in a moderately noisy location (e.g. business office, light traffic

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