Description:
Position Overview:Salary Range: $116,100.19 - $155,579.63/annually. Salary reflects Step 1 and Step 7 of a 7-step pay scale. Salary at hiring will be dependent upon the applicant's education, experience, and training.
Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Job Summary:
Under general direction, performs a variety of professional duties involved in providing a full range of legal services related to municipal government operations including both civil and criminal litigation; conducts legal research and prepares ordinances, resolutions, memoranda, administrative rules and regulations, and other legal documents; and advises City departments, staff, boards, and commissions.
Scope of Responsibility:
Incumbent has a high degree of understanding of Department and functional operations and is able to work with considerable initiative. Working with senior management guidance, incumbent assists in establishing Department policy and procedure and makes decisions that can affect the entire Department, with the potential to have a large effect on the City. Incumbent's decisions can have a significant financial impact on the overall City organization. Incumbent solves complex legal and technical problems and makes decisions, which can have significant impact on the entire City organization. Incumbent must have the ability to exercise great discretion regarding confidential matters.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
Legal:
- In cooperation with the City Attorney, provides legal advice and opinions to the City Administrator, Assistant City Administrator, Department Directors, City employees, City Council, and City boards and commissions, as required; advises staff and officials on the legal requirements and consequences of proposed actions; conducts on-going legal research in connection with legal issues pertaining to the City.
- Represents the City and its boards, commissions, and agents in civil and criminal legal proceedings before courts (including Municipal Court, District Court, Montana Supreme Court, and Federal Court), administrative agencies and boards (including Montana Human Rights Commission, Board of Personnel Appeals), arbitrators, and other administrative agencies.
- Prepares pleadings, conducts legal research, prepares briefs and memoranda, appears in court, and negotiates with other parties.
- Negotiates, defends, or participates in settlements of legal disputes which may involve significant amounts of City funds.
- Represents City management on labor issues; participates in collective bargaining on behalf of City management; participates in contract interpretation and administration; represents the City in grievance and labor and contract arbitration.
- Analyzes, reviews, and drafts ordinances, resolutions, deeds, releases, contracts, and other legal documents which bind or obligate the City; provides legal opinions and recommendations to ensure the City is properly and effectively represented in such matters; reviews rules, regulations, and policies to ensure legal compliance.
Department Duties
- Participates in the development, planning, and implementation of policies and procedures for the City Attorney's Office; devises and implements systems and forms for most efficient operations.
- Serves as acting City Attorney as required and as directed by the City Attorney and City Administrator; attends City Council meetings as directed; serves as parliamentarian for City Council; supervises Department staff as directed.
- Performs prosecutorial duties in absence of Deputy City Attorney.
- Participates in selecting, training, motivating, and evaluating City Attorney's Office personnel as directed; provides and coordinates staff training; works with employees to correct deficiencies.
- Participates on a variety of boards and commissions; attends and participates in professional group meetings; stays informed on new trends and innovations in the field of law.
- Responds to and resolves difficult and sensitive citizen inquiries and complaints.
Performs other duties as assigned by City Attorney or City Administrator.
Qualifications and Skills:
Required Qualifications and Skills:
- Juris doctorate from an accredited law school
- Seven (7) years or more of increasingly responsible professional legal experience in municipal or other government law, or the equivalent.
- Membership in good standing in the Montana State Bar and license to practice law in the state and federal courts
- Must be able to successfully pass a Federal and State criminal history background check.
Preferred Qualifications and Skills:
Supervisory and/or management experience
Physical Demands and Working Conditions:
Work is a normal office environment. Intermittent effort involving lifting of amounts between 5 and 25 pounds is required. Work requires high attention to detail and deadlines between 45% and 70% of the time. Incumbent may be exposed to disagreeable elements on an intermittent basis including, dealing with angry and/or threatening people, or offensive language. Driving is required rarely.
Some requirements in this job description may exclude individuals who pose a direct threat or significant risk to the health and safety of themselves or other employees. All requirements are subject to modification to reasonably accommodate individuals with disabilities.
Requirements are representative of minimum levels of knowledge, skills, and experience required. To perform this job successfully, the worker must possess the abilities and aptitudes to perform each duty proficiently.
This document does not create an employment contract, implied or otherwise. The City retains the discretion to add duties or change the duties of this position at any time.