Description:
About Us:The Los Angeles City Attorney's office is one of the nation's largest municipal law offices. With over 1000 legal professionals, including 500 attorneys, the Office provides the City with the highest caliber of legal services, ranging from prosecuting criminal misdemeanors and playing a leading role in criminal justice reform, advising on homelessness initiatives, defending civil lawsuits and claims, and bringing civil enforcement actions in the name of the People of the State of California.
Guided by an
overarching commitment to integrity, accountability and transparency, we
find great meaning in the work we do and the services we provide.
The
Division handles appeals and writs arising out of civil litigation in a
variety of areas. While this could include any case in which the City
or its employees are sued, typical cases include the dangerous condition
of public property, state and federal civil rights laws, including
claims of false arrest and excessive force, employment law, municipal
law, constitutional law, City contracts, public health law, land use,
real property, and housing law, and the California Public Records Act.
The Division represents the City and occasionally the People of the
State of California in affirmative litigation and as amicus curiae in
appeals that touch on areas of law with potential impact on the City and
on issues of state-wide and nation-wide importance. The Division
occasionally advises the City Council on legal issues. The attorneys in
this Division practice primarily in the California Court of Appeal for
the Second District and the Ninth Circuit, and occasionally the United
States and California Supreme Courts. The attorneys in the Division also
advise and assist the City's trial attorneys in significant pre and
post-trial motions.
Duties and Responsibilities:
The selected attorney will be responsible for:- Handling writs and appeals on behalf of the City and its individual employees in federal and state appellate courts, including drafting all briefs and appearing at oral argument;
- Drafting dispositive pre and post-trial motions in some civil litigation matters and providing procedural and substantive research and advice to trial attorneys;
- Preparing regular written reports and updates on the status of pending matters to the Executive Office;
- Attending mediations and settlement conferences;
- Attending City Council hearings related to appeals handled by the Division and,
- Participating in the Office's risk management efforts.
Requirements:
- Applicants for this position must have a license to practice law in all of the courts in the State of California. Additional requirements include:
- Five or more years of practice, with primary focus on appellate practice or law and motion practice;
- Demonstrated high level of skill in legal research, writing and analysis;
- Excellent oral advocacy skills;
- Demonstrated ability to regularly and carefully read, review and analyze large records, including reporter's transcripts in excess of 1,000 pages and multiple volumes of court documents.
Desirable Qualifications:
The
primary qualifications for this position are excellent legal research
and writing skills and a serious interest in full-time appellate work.
Prior appellate work is preferred, and we encourage candidates to
include examples of appellate brief(s) among their writing samples.
Admission to practice before the
United States District Court for the Central District of California and
the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
