Closing Date: 12th May, 2024
Description:
This position is a full-time, Fair Labor Standards Act exempt position. The regular work schedule for the Assistant or Deputy City Attorney is Monday through Friday, 40 hours per week. Attendance at evening hour meetings or other off-duty events may be required. The incumbent in this position is not a Civil Service employee. Classification and salary will both depend on experience.General Purpose:
The Assistant or Deputy City Attorney is responsible for assisting the City Attorney in providing comprehensive legal services to the City, with emphasis on the following practice areas: zoning and land use including code enforcement, public records act, employment and labor relations, real estate, environmental and hazardous waste law, criminal prosecution, police advising, public works projects including the procurement and public bidding process, and general litigation. The Assistant or Deputy City Attorney will serve as acting City Attorney in the absence of the City Attorney, or upon the request of the City Attorney. This position works under the general direction of the City Attorney and may supervise administrative staff or rule 9 interns.
The work performed by this class requires incumbents to apply professional knowledge and expertise as well as established guidelines and alternatives to determine facts, analyze problems, and make decisions without immediate supervisory review; incumbents may respond to sensitive and complicated inquiries or problems related to departmental programs or policies. The work requires judgment in selecting the appropriate planning methods and procedures for accomplishing project assignments, and incumbents perform their daily work independently and alert their supervisor to potentially controversial issues.
About Sumner:
The City of Sumner's vision is to set the standard of excellence for a progressive small city. In working to achieve that vision, Sumner prioritizes and celebrates diverse perspectives, life experiences and differences. The City actively seeks and encourages people with diverse backgrounds and characteristics to apply and all come together with a goal of continuing to learn and improve to better serve the residents, businesses and visitors of our community. Sumner remains a traditional city of just over 10,000 residents with agricultural roots, known for decades as the Rhubarb Pie Capital of the World. At the same time, its compact, walkable layout aligns perfectly with progressive planning trends, as its classic Main Street becomes repurposed for boutiques, independent restaurants and daily services such as legal offices, financial advisors and doctors. While Sumner retains historic neighborhoods of Craftsman houses and an active high school right on Main Street, it also offers over 16,000 manufacturing and distribution jobs for companies such as REI, Keurig Dr. Pepper, Amazon.com, and Dillanos Coffee Roasters. With a downtown Sound Transit station with buses and trains, it is well connected to the Puget Sound region while striving to be a full service city with the largest YMCA facility in the state of Washington as well as a link trail system that will connect the Foothills and Interurban trails. Like the community, the city government is large enough to be professional but small enough to be creative. The City has won a variety of awards from the Governor's Smart Planning Award to recognition at the International Association of Chiefs of Police for its groundbreaking police work on victims' assistance. With a strong mayor format, the City has just over 100 employees who operate a cemetery, wastewater treatment facility, accredited police department, animal shelter, parks, full service public works and administration.
Examples of Duties:
The job duties and responsibilities represented in this job description in no way imply that these are the only duties to be performed. Employees occupying the position will be required to follow any other job-related instructions and to perform any other job-related duties requested by a supervisor. While requirements may be representative of minimum levels of knowledge, skills and abilities to perform this job successfully, the employee will possess the abilities or aptitudes to perform each duty with average proficiently.
Such duties include, but are not limited to:
- Provides a variety of professional legal services for various divisions or departments within the City.
- Serves as the City's Prosecutor. In addition to weekly court representation, performs a variety of trial preparation duties including organizing case information, analyzing evidence and pertinent facts, interviewing witnesses, developing arguments, drafting briefs and motions.
- Advises and manages the City's response to public records requests including but not limited to physical and electronic (e-mail, electronic files/data, and video) records.
- Advises the Police Department regarding criminal matters and advances in the law.
- Attends regular and special City Council sessions in the absence of the City Attorney; participates in meetings and conferences with City boards, commissions, committees, and staff; provides legal advice as required;
- Effectively advises the Mayor, City Council, City Administrator and City staff regarding jurisdictional problems, zoning controversies, law enforcement issues, protection of the public and property, code compliance, tax issues, permits, zoning and land use; public utilities, land acquisition, labor and employment law, business licensing issues, criminal law, and other municipal law issues;
- Prepares and drafts a variety of legal documents and instruments including ordinances, resolutions, motions, briefs, contracts, and agreements; review contracts and other documents for compliance with legal requirements.
- Researches and prepares opinions on various legal problems for City departments, governing boards or officials; draft responses to inquiries regarding City legal matters.
- Investigates claims and complaints by or against the City and recommend action to be taken.
- Represents the City in administrative hearings and in municipal, State and federal courts; defends suits and claims filed against the City.
- Prepares cases and represents the City at hearings before boards and commissions, such as the Planning Commission, Civil Service Commission, LEOFF I Disability Board, Growth Management Hearings Board, and Boundary Review Board.
- Drafts and negotiates contracts and other agreements with private parties, other governmental bodies, and state and county agencies.
- Maintains accurate and complete files and records related to litigation, legal opinions and professional information.
- Performs special projects requiring knowledge of municipal law and related legal issues.
- Exercises sound and ethical judgment in the decision-making processes required of this position.
- Performs other duties as assigned.
Qualifications:
Education and Experience:
Graduation from an accredited school of law with a Juris Doctorate or equivalent degree. Experience in the practice of municipal law strongly desired; specific emphasis in one or more of the following practice areas strongly preferred; zoning and land use, employment and labor relations, real estate, public records act, environmental and hazardous waste law, prosecution, public works, or general litigation. Any combination of education, experience, and training that indicates the ability to successfully perform the essential functions of the position listed above may be considered.
Special Qualifications:
Licensed
to practice law in the State of Washington and a member in good
standing of the Washington State Bar Association, or recent examinee of
the Bar Examination with employment contingent upon passage of the Bar
Examination. Possession of or the ability to obtain, and maintain
throughout employment, a valid Washington State driver's license.Necessary Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
Knowledge of:
- Federal, state and local laws and regulations relating to Washington State municipal government.
- Modern policies and practices of municipal law and public administration.
- Civil and criminal litigation and appellate principles, practices and procedures.
- Legal research, methodology, preparation and review of legal documents and instruments involving significant impact on City operations.
- Municipal government structure, operation and jurisdiction.
- Principles and practices of supervision and training.
- Public speaking techniques.
- Correct English usage, grammar, spelling, punctuation and vocabulary.
- Complex legal recordkeeping techniques and requirements.
- Interpersonal skills using tact, patience and courtesy.
Ability to:
- Work with elected officials on complex legal and policy issues in a public setting where different objectives and/or adversarial viewpoints may exist.
- Perform a majority of the duties of the City Attorney when necessary due to absence or scheduling conflicts affecting the City Attorney.
- Provide legal advice to guide City policies, decisions and activities.
- Represent the City at various court levels and tribunals in criminal and civil litigation.
- Draft and interpret City ordinances and resolutions.
- Communicate
legal issues orally and in writing to a variety of audiences in a
clear, comprehensive, effective and professional manne
Similar Jobs
