Closing Date: 12th June, 2025
Description:
About This Position:If you enjoy, or would enjoy, having primary responsibility for litigating a variety of matters in both state and federal courts, we invite you to apply to join a team of dedicated and highly qualified attorneys defending the City and its employees against a wide range of legal claims that arise in connection with providing services to the community. The City of Phoenix Law Department is comprised of two divisions, the City Attorney's Office, which represents the City in civil matters, and the City Prosecutor's Office, which prosecutes misdemeanor crimes committed in Phoenix.
Assistant City Attorneys in the Civil Division work in one of six areas: Public Safety, Litigation, Transportation, Human Resources, City Services, and Community Development. Currently, the Litigation Section is seeking a qualified individual to serve as an Assistant City Attorney IV to handle a challenging litigation caseload.
The Litigation Section defends the City and its employees in both state and federal courts against a wide variety of claims, including wrongful death, motor vehicle accidents, roadway design and construction, use of force and deprivation of rights, premises liability, and public records requests. Attorneys in this section also handle Special Actions and Appeals, present cases to the Claims Committee for potential settlement, and may appear before the Phoenix City Council in Executive Session to present cases for discussion and consultation. All attorneys in the Law Department are assigned and may be reassigned based on the best interests of the City, at the discretion of the City Attorney.
The City of Phoenix is honored to be recognized on the Forbes list of America's Best-In-State Employers for the past two years. The City provides its employees excellent benefits and flexible work options. This position is eligible for up to 4 days a week of remote telework, with one in-office day per week for meeting with your section, implemented at the discretion of the City Attorney. Attorneys are expected to meet the needs of the City, including handling all court obligations, city council or city management meetings, and other in-office obligations.
The Law Department may consider the opportunity to underfill this position with candidates who require additional experience to meet the qualifications of the Attorney IV classification. Responsibilities of underfill candidates increase, and assignments may become more complex, as training and experience progress. The Attorney III underfill may be non-competitively promoted to the Attorney IV classification once they obtain sufficient experience.
Ideal Candidate:
- Has a high professional and ethical standing in the legal community.
- Demonstrates knowledge of tort and municipal liability law.
- Exhibits a willingness to work extended hours, when necessary, and a flexible schedule.
Salary:
Assistant City Attorney III
Pay Range: $110,219.20 - $154,294.40 annually.
Hiring Range: $110,219.20 - $139,900.80 annually.
Assistant City Attorney IV
Pay Range: $126,734.40 - $177,444.80 annually.
Hiring Range: $126.734.40 - $168,272.00 annually.
Pay Range Explanation:
- Pay range is the entire compensation range for the position classification.
- Hiring range is an estimate of where you can receive an offer. The actual salary offer will carefully consider a wide range of factors, including your skills, qualifications, experience, education, licenses, training, and internal equity.
- The City contributes 9% of salary into 457/401(a) plans with no matching required. $4,200/annual car allowance and $1,440/annual cell phone allowance.
Benefits:
A comprehensive Middle Manager benefits package is offered which includes:
- Traditional pension with employer and employee contributions, click here for more details: Pension Information (https://www.phoenix.gov/content/dam/phoenix/hrsite/documents/talent-acquisition/Pension%20Information.pdf)
- 401(a) and 457 plans with employer contributions
- Choice of generous medical HMO, PPO, or HSA/HDHP plans
- Medical enrollment includes a monthly $150 City contribution to a Post-Employment Health Plan
- Wellness incentive of up to $720 annually
- Dental, vision, and life insurance options
- Employer paid long-term disability
- Free Bus/light rail pass
- Tuition reimbursement program up to $6,500 per year
- Paid time off includes 13.5 paid holidays, 12 vacation days, and 15 sick days and personal leave days
- Paid Parental Leave for eligible employees up to 480 hours (12 weeks) of paid leave for the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child during a 12-month period
- Federal Student Loan Forgiveness offered through Savi (https://cityofphoenix.bysavi.com/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=NF&utm_source=exacttarget&utm_content=RPPT:na:na:na:na:ERP02123&utm_term=662842.314156&WT.dcsvid=314156)
Minimum Qualifications:
Assistant City Attorney III
- Three years of experience as a practicing attorney, including the review, negotiation, and drafting of contracts or participation in other transactional work.
- Experience with client contact.
- Experience in litigation, pleading, and motion-practice.
- Some experience with government law practice or advising on federal, state, and local laws and regulations.
- Some knowledge of the legal subject matter involved with the department to which assignment will be made.
- Four years of experience as a practicing civil or criminal attorney.
- One year of government law practice or advising on federal, state, and local laws and regulations.
- Working knowledge of the legal subject matter involved with the department to which assignment will be made.
- Experience in the practice of municipal law; the review, negotiation, and drafting of contracts or other primary responsibility for participation in transactional work.
- Experience with significant client contact.
- Primary responsibility for civil litigation and pleading and motion-practice.
- Juris Doctor from an accredited school of law and admission to the State Bar of Arizona (or from a state with Arizona bar reciprocity). Please include your Arizona State Bar license number on resume or cover letter.
- Other combinations of experience and education that meet the minimum requirements may be substituted
- All finalists for positions are subject to a criminal background check applicable to the department or position.
- For information regarding pre-screening and driving positions, click here (https://www.phoenix.gov/content/dam/phoenix/hrsite/documents/talent-acquisition/Pre-Employment%20Information%209.12.2023.pdf).
- The City job description can be found here (https://www.phoenix.gov/content/dam/phoenix/hrsite/jobdesc/10140.pdf).
Preferred Qualifications:
The minimum qualifications listed above, plus:
- Minimum two years' experience with primary responsibility for tort and/or municipal liability litigation.
- Experience:
- Conducting and providing litigation risk analyses, including both liability and damages risk.
- Taking and defending depositions.
- Retaining and countering expert witnesses.
- Engaging in alternative dispute resolution and negotiating settlement agreements.
- Writing and arguing pretrial and dispositive motions.
- Drafting pleadings, written disclosure statements, written discovery, and pretrial and dispositive motions.
- Experience and/or a willingness to take cases to trial when necessary.
