Sr Assistant City Attorney

POSITION TITLE: Sr Assistant City Attorney (Full-Time Regular) (Unclassified Management)

REQUISITION #: req7975

DEPARTMENT: City Attorney's Office

LOCATION: CITY HALL

BENEFIT CATEGORY: Unclassified Management View Classifications & Benefits

EMPLOYMENT TYPE: Full-Time Regular

ANNUAL SALARY RANGE: $116,750.00 - 175,304.00 (Salaries are paid biweekly)

ANNUAL ANTICIPATED HIRING RANGE: $145,000.00 - 170,000.00 (Salaries are paid biweekly)

SELECTION PROCESS: Application deadline is 3:00 p.m. MT on 2/12/2025.

The City of Fort Collins is a bias-conscious employer. We ask that you please avoid the use of photos when submitting a resume and/or an application for employment. You will receive an email acknowledgment when you have successfully submitted an application. Your completed application will be forwarded to the hiring manager. You will be notified if you are selected for further testing or interviews. Please keep your contact information up-to-date. The status of your application will be updated in your applicant profile. Post-offer background check and CJIS fingerprints required.

Why Work For the City of Fort Collins?

• Medical, dental, vision (for self, spouse, children) – eligible on the 1st of the month following date of hire
• Paid vacation, paid holidays, sick leave, and additional one-time bank of 40 PTO hours for new, full-time, Classified and Unclassified Management hires
• Retirement company contributions – after 6 month probation period and immediate vesting
• Flexible spending: Medical expenses FSA, dependent FSA or both
• Employee Assistance Program: counseling, legal, financial assistance
• Life insurance, short-term and long-term disability
• Wellness program, workout facilities
• Employee/family onsite health clinic
• Learning and development opportunities at all levels in the organization with opportunities for career mobility
• Collaborative work environment
  
  

To learn more about The City of Fort Collins and Our Community, please read Our Community and Our Organization Brochure

Job Summary

The City of Fort Collins City Attorney's Office is hiring a Senior Assistant City Attorney. Applicants should have at least 10 years of experience as a practicing attorney or comparable legal work with an emphasis on municipal or other government law as well as a license to practice law in the State of Colorado or qualified for admission On Motion in Colorado.

This position is responsible for managing and coordinating City litigation matters, including claims under 42 U.S.C.

• 1983, employment claims and others. This attorney will also support the Human Resources department and other management on employment law issues. The successful candidate will represent the City in litigation, negotiations and in administrative and court proceedings. This attorney provides oversight of legal work within the City Attorney's Office including the work of other attorneys and paralegals, and the work of outside legal counsel, as needed. They will coordinate a team of attorneys and support staff working on litigation, litigation reports, and advise City officers and City management on pending or potential claims.
  
  

The City Attorney's Office is a busy and interesting hub situated in Fort Collins' City Hall. This is an in-person role that has a remote/hybrid component that will on average allow 3 days in the office and up to 2 days remote in a typical week, but the demands of the work may require more days in the office. We invite you to apply!

Essential Duties And Responsibilities

The following duties and responsibilities are illustrative of the primary functions of this position and are not intended to be all inclusive.

Duties

Works in a team office environment within the office of the City Attorney and performs the following duties independently or in consultation with the City Attorney:

• Conducts or supervises complex legal research and drafts legal opinions and memoranda.
• Interprets laws, rulings, and regulations.
• Oversee litigation in coordination with the City Attorney and Senior Deputy City Attorney.
• Advise City leaders and employees about potential and pending claims, including claims based on 42 U.S.C
• 1983.
• Focus on preventing risk through coordination with department leaders and Safety & Risk Management.
• Provides legal advice, possibly on complex issues, to City Council, City departments and officials, and various City boards and commissions.
• May be assigned to advise City Council committees.
• Collaborate with Human Resources leaders, City management and officers to strategically address employee relations and other employment matters.
• Communicates directly and effectively with clients, outside counsel, opposing counsel and others, manages the strategic direction of projects in cooperation with clients, and negotiates deadlines, deliverables, and competing priorities for multiple clients.
• Works with senior City management staff to coordinate legal work for one or more service areas.
• Mediates and facilitates collaboration across departments and service areas of the City to legally achieve City objectives.
• Prepares complex contracts, ordinances, resolutions, and other legal documents.
• Reviews complex contracts and other legal documents for legal sufficiency and potential legal implications.
• Identifies potential and actual legal issues raised by City policies and practices and recommends actions to address such issues.
• Represents the City in negotiations and in administrative and court proceedings.
• May attend executive and upper management team meetings for the City Attorney as needed.
• May administer or manage the City Attorney's office or aspects of it by assignment.
• Initiates or volunteers to participate in the implementation of constructive process improvements, office projects, special teams and work within the CAO to further City or CAO goals.
• Provides oversight of legal work within the City Attorney's Office including the work of other attorneys and paralegals, interns, and the work of outside legal counsel, as needed.
• May participate in the direction and strategic planning of City Attorney’s Office operations.
• Reviews, critiques and edits others’ legal writing and documents.
• Design and present training to client staff and officials.
  
  

Management Responsibilities

No

City Competencies

• Demonstrated cultural competence to effectively interact, work, and develop meaningful relationships with people of diverse identities, perspectives, and cultural backgrounds.
• Strong learning orientation. Leverages all resources and is creative in ways of learning for self to continue adapting to changing issues and trends.
• A desire and ability to understand the diverse needs of internal and external customers, and to create experiences and deliver services that exceed their expectations.
• A desire and ability to utilize digital tools for organizational information, individual, and teamwork.
• Experience building teams and implementing practices to lead others well in an inclusive, high-performance organization.
• Skill in integrating and synthesizing others’ viewpoints to build alignment of diverse perspectives to achieve results.
• Capable of creating conditions of emotional safety and demonstrates self-awareness and regulation in responding to others.
• Capable of systems thinking to see interdependent relationships and recognize multiple causes and effects of community issues, to predict or anticipate the consequences of policy decisions, and to community and organizational resources.
• Strong ability to assess alternatives in terms of their financial, revenue, social, environmental, and strategic advantages and disadvantages and propose solutions.
• Demonstrated ability to use a combination of feedback and reflection to gain productive insight into personal strengths and weaknesses.
  
  

Required Knowledge Skills And Abilities

• General knowledge of the law.
• Advanced knowledge of municipal law.
• Expert-level knowledge in one or more significant areas of law critical to the City organization.
• Advanced legal writing and research skills. Produces high-quality documents that require minimal editing or revision and the ability to review the work of others.
• Ability to think critically and solve complex problems while directing, assisting, and contributing to team problem-solving.
• Strong analytical skills when applied to complex or specialized areas of municipal law.
• Leadership and mentoring skills.
• Able to coordinate and facilitate projects.
• Able to clearly, concisely, and effectively communicate with diverse audiences both orally and in writing in a manner that engenders client confidence.
• Able to use word processing, collaboration, time tracking and presentation software, and to do online legal research.
• Public speaking and presentation skills.
• Able to work independently in protecting the legal interests of the City and in supporting the goals and objectives of the City Council, City Attorney and City Manager.
• Well-experienced in filling in for attorneys in other subject matter areas.
• Understands how political and organizational dynamics affect the legal work of the City Attorney’s Office and effectively helps the office manage those dynamics.
  
  

MinimumPreferred

Required Qualifications

Juris Doctorate required Juris Doctorate from an accredited law school

Experience Requirements

• Minimum of ten years related legal experience.
  
  

Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply for jobs unless they believe they can perform every job description task. We are most interested in finding the best candidate for the job, and that candidate may come from a less traditional background. The City may consider an equivalent combination of knowledge, skills, education, and experience to meet minimum qualifications. If you are interested in applying, we encourage you to think broadly about your background and skill set for the role.

Certifications/Licenses/Specialized Training

• License to practice law in the State of Colorado.
  
  

The content in this posting was created for recruitment purposes. To view the full job description click the link below.

Sr Assistant City Attorney

The City of Fort Collins will make reasonable accommodations for access to City services, programs and activities and will make special communication arrangements for persons with disabilities. Please call (970) 221-6535 for assistance.

Notice Regarding Medical And/or Recreational Marijuana Use

Because the possession and use of marijuana, whether for medical use or otherwise, constitutes a federal offense and because the City is a drug free workplace, the City will not accommodate the medical use of marijuana and enforces written policy prohibiting working for the City while marijuana is in the body. The fact that state law recognizes medical marijuana as a prescribed, or otherwise permitted, medication does not alter or otherwise change this policy.

The City of Fort Collins is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Applicants are considered for positions for which they have applied without regard to race, color, religion, creed, national origin or ancestry, sex, sexual orientation (including perceived sexual orientation), gender identity and expression, disability, age 40 years or older, pregnancy or related condition, genetic information, and, in certain specific circumstances, marriage to a coworker or any other status protected under federal, state, or local law.

Background Check Required.

Note: Some information in your application may be public information under the Colorado Open Records Act.