What are the responsibilities and job description for the Assistant City Attorney position at City of Carlsbad, CA?
The Position
DEI Statement: The City of Carlsbad embraces diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace and recognizes the vital relationship of a culturally diverse, engaged work environment and innovative excellence. A diverse, equitable and inclusive work climate comprises personal experiences, values, and views shaped from differences of culture and circumstance. Our organization appreciates belonging, creativity, recognition and retention of its employees and is committed to hiring and developing motivated, productive and talented employees who provide services and enhance our quality of life. We work to embrace open and equitable access to opportunities for learning and development as our responsibility and goal. In recognition of the city’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, the City Attorney’s Office has earned a Bronze Tier DEI Leadership Seal from The State Bar of California.
The ideal candidate will have three or more years of municipal law advisory experience (seven or more years of experience preferred), including at least two to three years of experience advising staff and decision-making bodies on CEQA and land use issues. A strong working knowledge of public transparency compliance, including open meetings, public records and public agency conflicts of interest and ethics compliance are required.
The ideal candidate works well with others, excels in building internal relationships, and is dedicated, self-motivated, and able to work independently and with diverse individuals and groups. Assignments will depend on the needs of the office as determined by the City Attorney and may include providing legal services to elected and appointed officials as well as to multiple city departments. Relevant experience may also include representing public agency clients in court proceedings and administrative hearings.
About Carlsbad: Known for its financial stability, the city maintains an AAA credit rating and has a general fund reserve balance exceeding $136 million. The City of Carlsbad has long set the standard for high-quality local government services. At 115,000 residents, the city is home to corporate headquarters in the technology, life sciences and action sports industries, coupled with a thriving tourism market, well-planned neighborhoods and nearly 40 percent open space. The city’s 800 full-time staff are led by a leadership team that includes the City Manager, City Attorney, Assistant City Manager and the heads of major departments/divisions. The City of Carlsbad is a full-service coastal city with its own police and fire departments as well as a municipal water district.
Job Summary: An Assistant City Attorney performs a wide range of professional legal services and provides legal advice to assigned city departments and programs; performs legal research and renders opinions; drafts ordinances, resolutions, contracts, and other legal documents; and may serve as an independent advisor to city advisory boards. Incumbents are expected to exercise a high degree of professional independence and legal judgment in areas of municipal law such as land use, environmental, civil rights, contract preparation and negotiation, public works projects, municipal real estate transactions, municipal finance, public transparency, ethics, and conflict of interest laws related to public officials.
Join Our Team: The Office of the City Attorney is a dynamic, professional, and team-oriented environment. The office provides a broad range of legal services and manages outside counsel as needed. The mission of the City Attorney’s Office is to provide the highest quality legal services to the City of Carlsbad, including representing the city’s legal interests in court and before administrative agencies and prosecuting violations of the Carlsbad Municipal Code. The successful candidate will join the City Attorney, four other attorneys, including a city prosecutor, and two professional staff members in this collegial law office. Each attorney in the office has primary responsibility for a select group of city departments but is also expected to provide back up as needed for the other attorneys and to work collaboratively on matters affecting multiple departments. All members of the team are passionate about municipal law and enjoy working with city officials and staff to assist them in meeting their goals while complying with all applicable laws and regulations.
Application Process: Please submit a cover letter, resume and writing sample as separate attachments.
Key Responsibilities
Provide legal advice to staff on routine matters and make recommendations to the City Attorney on complex matters.
Prepare various legal documents including contracts, ordinances, resolutions, leases, motions, deeds, memoranda, opinions and other documents.
Review and update ordinances, rules and regulations necessary for municipal compliance with state and federal laws, including public contracting, environmental, financial disclosure, conflicts of interest, political reform, subdivision, planning, Coastal Act and housing laws.
Assist city staff of assigned departments in the review and modification of operational policies in the context of applicable legal parameters and procedures; recommend changes in city policies and procedures to meet changing legislative and legal requirements subject to the review and direction of the City Attorney.
Monitor changes in laws, regulations, and technology that may affect departmental and city operations; implement policy and procedural changes after approval by the City Attorney.
Support and serve as a legal advisor to boards, committees, and commissions, including attendance at public meetings, as assigned.
Review materials responsive to public record and discovery requests and advise staff on applicability of legal exemptions to production.
May assign, supervise and review the work of professional and administrative staff in a wide variety of legal research and record maintenance work.
Prosecute and defend trial and appellate level cases as assigned, including claims against the city and violations of ordinances and codes.
Represent the city in the community and with professional organizations.
Serve on committees, as assigned.
Perform other related duties similar to the above in scope and function as assigned.
Qualifications
To perform a job in this classification, an individual must be able to perform the essential duties as generally described in the specification. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential duties in a specific job. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or ability required.
Knowledge of:
- Federal, state and local government law.
- Principles and procedures of municipal law and the ability to apply this knowledge, method and practice in order to achieve the City Council's goals and objectives and to implement its policies, procedures and programs in a lawful manner.
- Judicial procedures and rules of evidence related to civil, criminal, and administrative proceedings.
- Municipal government structure and operations and relationships with other public jurisdictions.
- Local agency ethics, public transparency, and public records requirements and practices.
- Principles and requirements of professional responsibility, including organizational client representation, privilege, work product and confidentiality.
- Legal issues and practices related to municipal government functions.
- Methods of legal research, including online research.
Ability to:
- Review a wide variety of documents and identify and resolve legal issues.
- Prepare legal documents including contracts, ordinances, resolutions, and memoranda.
- Critically analyze and provide legally supportable alternatives for resolution of routine and complex legal matters related to the programs, policies and operations of the city.
- Provide professional customer service to city legislative and advisory bodies, elected and appointed officials and city staff.
- Present statements of law, fact, and argument clearly and logically.
- Properly interpret and make recommendations in accordance with laws, regulations, and policies.
- Represent the city in litigation and administrative proceedings.
- Analyze legal problems, conduct research, identify alternative solutions, project consequences of proposed actions, and make recommendations.
- Exercise sound judgment, flexibility, creativity, and sensitivity in response to changing situations and needs.
- Communicate clearly and concisely, orally and in writing.
- Work well under pressure to meet deadlines.
- Establish and maintain effective working relationships with other employees in the City Attorney’s Office, public officials, members of other departments and agencies, the general public, and others contacted in the course of work.
- Work with diverse populations and maintain an inclusive environment.
- Serve as Acting City Attorney as assigned.
Experience & Education
Graduation from an American Bar Association accredited law school , and at least three years of responsible professional legal experience in the public sector.
SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:
A member of the California Bar and qualified to practice law before all of the courts of this state and all federal courts as necessary including the United States Supreme Court.
- Medical Insurance
- Dental Insurance
- Vision Insurance
- Flexible Spending Account
- Life Insurance
- Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance
- Retirement under the CalPERS program, 2% @ 62 formula, Classic Members (those who are enrolled in CalPERS at another local agency) have the 2% @ 60 formula
- Holidays- 11 scheduled
- Floating Holiday- 2
- Paid vacation
- Executive Leave
- Computer purchase loan
- Tuition reimbursement
