Assistant City Attorney I/II

Closing Date: 5th August, 2026

Description:

Job Summary:
The City of Fort Collins City Attorney's Office is seeking an Assistant City Attorney I, or II. The Assistant City Attorney I should have 1-2 years' experience practicing law whereas the Assistant City Attorney II should have a minimum of 5 years' legal practice in a field or position directly related to the work of the City Attorney's Office. Applicants must have a license to practice law in the State of Colorado or qualify for admission On Motion in Colorado.

We are seeking a transactional attorney with experience in at least one area of public sector law, including contract drafting, real estate, procurement, technology, open records or advising governmental personnel on policy development or implementation.

We are looking for intellectually curious, dedicated, civic-minded professionals eager to use their legal skills to serve the community.

The City Attorney's Office is a busy and interesting hub situated in Fort Collins' City Hall. This is an in-person role that has a remote/hybrid component that will on average allow 2 days in the office and up to 3 days remote in a typical week after the initial onboarding process, dependent on the demands of the work. We invite you to apply!

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
The following duties and responsibilities are illustrative of the primary functions of this position and are not intended to be all inclusive. Both the Attorney I and Attorney II positions work in a team office environment with the office of the City Attorney and perform their duties with some attorney supervision and feedback.

The following are essential duties and responsibilities for both the Attorney I and Attorney II positions:

• Conducts legal research, interprets laws, rulings and regulations, and drafts legal opinions and memoranda.
• Provides legal advice and training to City departments and various City boards and commissions.
• Communicates directly and effectively with clients, orally and in writing, including managing deadlines and deliverables.
• Prepares contracts, ordinances, resolutions, and other legal documents.
• Reviews contracts and other legal documents for legal sufficiency and potential legal implications.
• Identifies potential and actual legal issues raised by City policies and practices and recommends actions to address such issues.
• Represents the City in negotiations and in administrative and court proceedings.
• In addition to the above essential duties and responsibilities, the following essential duties are performed by the Attorney II position with minimal attorney supervision:
• Conducts or supervises complex legal research and drafts related legal opinions and memoranda.
• Provides legal advice, possibly on complex issues, and training to City Council, City departments and officials, and various City boards and commissions.
• Communicates directly and effectively with clients, opposing counsel and others, manages the strategic direction of projects in cooperation with clients, and negotiates deadlines, deliverables, and competing priorities for multiple clients.
• Works with senior City management staff to coordinate legal work for one or more service areas.
• Mediates and facilitates collaboration across departments and service areas of the City to legally achieve City objectives.
• Prepares complex contracts, ordinances, resolutions, and other legal documents.
• Reviews, critiques and edits others' legal writing and documents.
• Provides oversight of legal work within the City Attorney's Office including the work of other attorneys and paralegals, interns, and the work of outside legal counsel, as needed.
• Develop and maintain strong working relationships with departmental clients, and board and commission members.

Management Responsibilities:
No

City Competencies

• Demonstrated cultural competence to effectively interact, work, and develop meaningful relationships with people of diverse identities, perspectives, and cultural backgrounds.
• Strong learning orientation. Leverages all resources and is creative in ways of learning for self to continue adapting to changing issues and trends.
• A desire and ability to understand the diverse needs of internal and external customers, and to create experiences and deliver services that exceed their expectations.
• A desire and ability to utilize digital tools for organizational information, individual, and teamwork.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
Attorney I:

• General knowledge of the law.
• General knowledge of municipal law.
• Skilled in legal writing and research.
• Strong analytical skills.
• Ability to communicate to diverse audiences clearly and concisely both orally and in writing.
• Able to perform duties effectively with regular supervision and assistance.
• Demonstrated ability to solve problems.
• Ability to recognize and develop awareness of political and organizational dynamics within the City.

In addition to the above, an Attorney II is expected to meet the following required knowledge, skills, and abilities:

• Advanced knowledge of municipal law.
• Advanced legal writing and research skills. Produces documents that need minimal editing or revision.
• Strong analytical skills when applied to complex or specialized areas of municipal law.
• Able to use word processing, collaboration, time tracking, and presentation software, and do online research.
• Able to perform duties effectively with minimal supervision and assistance.
• Able to coordinate and facilitate projects.
• Comfortable with public speaking.
• Leadership skills.
• Demonstrated ability to solve problems.
• Sufficiently experienced in advising clients to effectively fill in for attorneys in other subject matter areas if needed.

Required Qualifications:

• Minimum Preferred
• Juris Doctorate required Juris Doctorate from an accredited law school

Experience Requirements:

• Attorney I: Preferred Experience: 1-2 years experience as a practicing attorney with an emphasis in civil law
• Attorney II: Five years of legal practice in a field or position directly related to the work of the City Attorney's Office.

Certifications/Licenses/Specialized Training
License to practice law in the State of Colorado.

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