Chief Deputy Counsel - Litigation - Promotional

Closing Date: 5th January, 2026

Description:

Position Information:
This recruitment is promotional only. You must presently be a full or part-time regular or probationary County of Sonoma, Community Development Commission, Sonoma County Fairgrounds, or Sonoma County Water Agency employee in order to apply for this position.

The County Counsel Department (CNS) has requested a department promotional certification to fill a Chief Deputy Counsel - Litigation position. Only qualified permanent and/or probationary County Counsel Department employees on the eligible list may be eligible for referral to the department for the advertised position. This employment list may also be used to fill future full-time or part-time positions as they occur during the active status of the list. The Civil Service title of this position is Chief Deputy County Counsel.

As the Chief Deputy Counsel - Litigation, you will report to the Assistant County Counsel and function as the Litigation Practice Group's Division Chief. The Chief Deputy Counsel – Litigation exercises a high degree of independent judgment and discretion in supervising litigation staff, including assigning and prioritizing work, evaluating performance, providing mentorship and corrective guidance, and making recommendations regarding hiring, discipline, and professional development. Additionally, the Chief Deputy Counsel – Litigation is responsible for administering and overseeing all litigation involving the County of Sonoma and its affiliated entities, with the exception of land use litigation.
The Litigation Practice Group advises the following Departments:

• District Attorney
• Human Resources, including Risk Management
• Probation
• Public Defender
• Sheriff's Office

The ideal Chief Deputy Counsel - Litigation candidate should be familiar with all aspects of legal services in connection with trial and appellate litigation in state and federal courts, including coordination with outside counsel, administrative hearings, labor advice, ordinance enactments and policy adoptions, employee discipline, discrimination and disability issues, and general counsel advice.

Application submissions require the Supplemental Questionnaire to be completed.

Minimum Qualifications:
Experience: Any combination of training and experience which would provide the opportunity to acquire the knowledge and abilities listed. Normally, five years of responsible legal experience with emphasis on practicing civil law as a licensed attorney, at least two years of which should be at the level of Deputy County Counsel IV. Coursework, training, or supervisory and administrative experience in a public agency law office is highly desirable.

License: Current active membership in the State Bar of California. Possession of a valid driver's license at the appropriate level including special endorsements, as required by the State of California, may be required depending upon assignment to perform the essential job functions of the position.

The position advertised on this announcement does not require possession of a valid California Driver's License.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
Extensive knowledge of: and proficiency in the interpretation and application of the law as it relates to a general law county government; legal research methods and judicial procedures; the principles and application of civil law; the statutory and constitutional laws of the State of California.

Thorough knowledge of: organization, powers, and limitations of local government functions; trial and hearing procedures, and of rules of evidence.

Considerable knowledge of: modern public personnel and finance administration; effective supervisory techniques; written and oral communications, including language mechanics, syntax and English composition.

Ability to: analyze and present legal considerations related to the policies, programs and operations of the County; further County policies, programs and operations through creative interpretation and application of the law; assist in the management of a government law office, and to administer the office budget; explain complex principles to lay County officers in simple concise written and oral form; research, analyze and apply legal principles, facts, evidence and precedence to complex legal problems; orient, train, supervise and evaluate subordinate legal and office support staff; consistently prepare and present statements of law, fact and argument clearly, logically and persuasively in written and oral form, including the most complex legal matters; effectively communicate an understanding of the legal aspects of Affirmative Action to lay County officers and employees; establish and maintain effective relationships with fellow staff members, departmental representatives, County officials, members of advisory and policy-making bodies, legislative representatives, the courts, and the public; understand and accept differences in human behavior and cultural and ethnic backgrounds; analyze and draft ordinances and other regulations.

Selection Procedure & Some Helpful Tips When Applying

• Your application information and your responses to the supplemental questions are evaluated and taken into consideration throughout the entire selection process.
• You should list all employers and positions held within the last ten years in the work history section of your application. Be as thorough as possible when responding to the supplemental questions.
• You may include history beyond ten years if related to the position for which you are applying. If you held multiple positions with one employer, list out each position separately.
• Failure to follow these instructions may impact your competitiveness in this process or may result in disqualification.

Please visit Getting a Job with the County of Sonoma (https://sonomacounty.ca.gov/administrative-support-and-fiscal-services/human-resources/divisions-and-units/recruitment-and-classification-division/services/getting-a-job) to review more detailed information about the hiring process, including the application process, examination steps, and department selection process.

Application submissions require the Supplemental Questionnaire be completed.

Responses to supplemental questions may be scored using position-specific criteria. Please provide specific and detailed responses of a reasonable length to allow for a thorough assessment of your qualifications. Responses that state, "See Resume" or "See Application" may be considered insufficient and therefore may not be scored.

The selection procedure will consist of the following examination:
An Application and Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal Examination (weight 100%) will be conducted to evaluate each applicant's application and supplemental questionnaire for satisfaction of minimum qualifications (pass/not pass); and for educational coursework, training, experience, knowledge, and abilities which relate to this position. Personally identifiable information (PII) is removed from the standard application fields and applicable attachments. This PII blind screening practice redacts a candidate's personal information that could potentially influence or bias the scoring process. Personal information includes the applicant's name, former last name, address, phone number, email, driver's license number, school name, education start and end dates, age, date of birth, gender, and race. This PII blind screening practice helps contribute to a fair and equitable examination process.

Each applicant will be evaluated based on the following criteria: