Assistant City Attorney (Hybrid)

Your Future Begins Here!
Join one of the fastest-growing cities in Arizona and the youngest in Yuma County!

A Government Entity is looking for a passionate, collaborative, self-motivated candidate who recently passed the Arizona Bar or could become licensed in Arizona through the laws on reciprocal licensing from other state bars to work in a remote/hybrid status.

As the Assistant City Attorney, you will:

• Perform transactional Day-to-day tasks mainly
• Occasionally cover civil litigation and periodic prosecution for misdemeanor cases.
• Serve as legal advisor to City officials, management and staff as assigned by the City Attorney.
• Provide legal assistance in matters involving land use, employee relations, municipal taxation, real estate, contracts, procurement, law enforcement, prosecution, and miscellaneous matters.
• Prepare and review opinions, notices, contracts, agreements, resolutions, ordinances, regulations, leases, permits, deeds, options, licenses, public communications, policies and procedures and a wide variety of other legal documents
• Conduct legal research on municipal issues and present recommendations and solutions to minimize risk and safeguard the City's operations to City management, staff and City Council.
• Receive and review claims and lawsuits files against the City, assist and represent the City in its defense.
• Serve as Liaison between outside counsel and the CAO for specialized legal matters.
• Assist with reviewing and responding to open records requests pursuant to the Arizona Public Information Act.
• Attend meetings of the City Council, Employee Benefits Trust, Municipal Corporations, and conferences with the City Manager and Department Heads.
• Attend Planning and Zoning Commission meetings and provides legal assistance on land use proceedings, civil litigation and criminal prosecution.
• Handle contested code enforcement cases from pleadings and motions to witness interviews and appearances in court.
• Initiate and respond to civil and criminal complaints, pleadings, and motions as authorized.
• Support the relationship between A Government Entity and the public by demonstrating courteous and cooperative
• Train and supervise legal staff.

Ideal Candidate:
Will possess the knowledge of:

• Local, state and federal laws; rules and regulations; criminal and civil statutes; administrative orders; policies and administrative procedures.
• Principles and practices of municipal law, including land use, public contracting, personnel, labor, and tort law.
• Arizona Public Information Act and Arizona Open Meeting Act.
• Statutes and court decisions relating to municipal corporations.
• Principles and practices of policy development and implementation.
• Judicial procedures and rules of evidence.
• Legal, ethical and professional rules of conduct.
• General principles of federal laws and constitutional provisions and how pre-emption affects municipal operations and ability to legislate.
• General knowledge of Arizona trial court and litigation proceedings techniques, practices, and procedures.
• Responsibilities and obligations of public officials and administrative agencies, including conflicts of interest, and the Public Records Act.
• Municipal government organization, structure, and functional responsibilities, including powers and limitations of City government.
• Legal terminology and legal research methods, techniques, sources and databases.
• Comprehensive knowledge of English grammar, spelling and punctuation.

Will possess the ability to:

• Compile, organize, prepare and maintain an assortment of records, reports and information in an effective manner according to department and/or governmental regulations.
• Develop, implement, and interpret goals, objectives, policies, procedures, and work standards.
• Supervise and train legal staff.
• Interpret and apply City and Department policies, procedures, rules, and regulations as well as City Code.
• Learn statutes, and court decisions relating to municipal corporations; modern and highly complex principles and practices of municipal law; organization, procedures, duties, powers, limitations, and authority of the City Attorney's office, City government, and other public agencies; court civil and criminal proceedings at the municipal and superior court levels; and established precedent and sources of legal reference applicable to municipal activities.
• Represent the City in a wide variety of judicial, administrative, and legislative proceedings.
• Establish precedents and sources of legal reference applicable to municipal activities.
• Prepare clear and concise documents including correspondence, memoranda, contracts, ordinances, and resolutions.
• Properly interpret and make decisions in accordance with laws, regulations, and policies.
• Present statements of law, fact, and argument clearly, logically, and effectively.
• Establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with staff, committee members, and public officials.
• Be courteous with all internal staff and external customers of the City Attorney's Office.

Will be skilled in:

• Legal researching, investigating, evaluating, and developing solutions and resolutions to complex and politically sensitive legal issues, concerns, and complaints.
• Analyzing, reviewing, preparing, and presenting oral and written legal recommendations.
• Researching, analyzing, and interpreting legal, regulatory, and compliance issues for City departments and agencies.
• Prioritizing, delegating, assigning, and reviewing work of assigned staff and outside legal counsel.
• Communicating legal concepts in layman terms, clearly and concisely speaking and writing.
• Office 365 Suite, including Word, Outlook, Excel, TEAMS, OneDrive, SharePoint, and other technology in the contemporary practice of law.

Minimum Requirements:
Required:

• Graduation from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association with a Juris Doctorate degree; and
• Work remotely or on a hybrid status.

A legal writing sample of a Legal Memorandum, 5 pages or less.

License Requirements:

• Arizona State Bar License in good standing or ability to obtain it through reciprocity with another U.S. State.
• A valid Arizona driver's license at the time of appointment
• Both licenses must be maintained in good standing throughout employment.

Desired/Preferred:

• Residency in the United States and within 25 miles of A Government Entity.
• San Luis residency
• Experience in municipal law or related legal fields such as commercial law, real estate, code enforcement, criminal prosecution, and civil litigation is desirable.
• Proficiency using formatting tools in Microsoft Word.
• Fluency in Spanish both, written and verbal.