STAFF ATTORNEY-First review of applications on April 18, 2025

The Staff Attorney performs complex work assisting and advising the County Manager in providing guidance to County department/office/agency directors and staff. Performs administrative and supervisory work directing the Cleveland County legal department consisting of a paralegal. Work also includes taking appropriate legal action when necessary and involves setting policies and goals under the direction of the County Manager. Departmental supervision is exercised over Paralegal and other staff as may be assigned. The standard work schedule includes Monday through Friday 8am to 5pm and as needed to address any legal matters as they arise.
This individual must be familiar with laws that affect County departments, offices and agencies and must be able to deal tactfully on many matters with County department/office/agency directors, staff and the public. This role requires decision making based on legal expertise with considerable knowledge of legal principles and their application; principles of administrative, constitutional law and the organizational structure of North Carolina County governments. It requires thorough knowledge of North Carolina General Statutes.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:
Receives and responds to legal questions and researches requests from all departments/offices/agencies of County government, including the Health Department, Sheriff's Office, Register of Deeds, and all departments/offices/agencies under the supervisor of the County Manager.
Prepares for and attends at least three and up to five evening board meetings each month for the Board of
Commissioners, Board of Health, Planning Board, and Board of Adjustments.
Drafts and/or reviews contracts for all County departments/offices/agencies.
Consults with County Manager and any outside counsel retained by any County department/office/agency.
Reviews all public record's requests and redacts any responsive records; complete responsibility for complex public records requests involving major news organizations or litigious organizations.
Manages risk for the County by consulting with County insurers and by responding to letters threatening lawsuits from private attorneys.
Supervises County paralegal and particularly supervises County paralegal's work on tax foreclosure process.
Litigates matters for which the County has not retained outside counsel.
Drafts proposed legislation for consideration by the County Manager.
Drafts and reviews economic development and intergovernmental agreements.
Serves as legal counsel in enforcement matters for planning, building inspections, and environmental health departments.
Consults with staff to prepare for quasi-judicial hearings before the Board of Adjustments, Board of Health,
Board of Equalization and Review, as well as the Board of Adjustments.
Reviews and responds to all subpoenas for County employees or documents.

Supervisory Responsibilities:
Supervisors and Managers play a critical role in ensuring operational efficiency, team productivity, and organizational success through subordinate staff in the Legal department and Paralegal position(s).
Key areas of responsibilities include but are not limited to: Team Management, Performance Monitoring & Feedback, Training & Development, Recruitment & Hiring, Onboarding, Termination & Disciplinary Actions, Compliance & Policy Adherence, Problem Solving & Communication, and Workforce Planning & Delegation.
The responsibilities and duties outlined above are intended to provide a general outline and summary of this role. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or comprehensive list of duties and responsibilities. Additional tasks may be assigned as needed, with or without notice, to meet the needs of the department and county.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:
Considerable knowledge of legal principles and their application, principles of administrative and constitutional law, and of the organizational structure of North Carolina County governments.
Ability to supervise the work of subordinates including effective communication, motivation and leadership.
Ability to interpret, analyze and apply legal principles and procedures to governmental problems.
Ability to draft rules, opinions and proposed legislative measures.
Ability to deal effectively with officials, the courts, and the general public.
Thorough knowledge of North Carolina General Statutes. Ability to present statements of fact, law and argument clearly, logically and persuasively.
Ability to maintain effective work relationships with other employees.

MINIMUM EXPERIENCE & EDUCATION:
North Carolina State Bar license (active and in good standing) and 5 years of experience in the practice of law, preferably in public law or equivalent combination of education and experience.

Licenses & Certifications:
Requires license to practice law in North Carolina and possession of all other qualifications prescribed by State Statute
Valid driver's license

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
This work requires the occasional exertion of up to 10 pounds of force;
Work regularly requires speaking or hearing, frequently requires sitting and occasionally requires standing, walking and using hands to finger, handle or feel; work has standard vision requirements;
Vocal communication is required for expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word and conveying detailed or important instructions to others accurately, loudly or quickly;
Hearing is required to perceive information at normal spoken word levels and to receive detailed information through oral communications and/or to make fine distinctions in sound;
Work requires preparing and analyzing written or computer data; work has no exposure to environmental conditions; work is generally in a quiet location (e.g. private offices).

Work Location:
This role must work from the location identified at the time of hire with work travel required as needed. Any change of work location, even on a short-term or interim basis, must be reviewed by the County Manager and HR for approval.

Additional information:
Individuals hired must be able to perform essential duties satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Cleveland County provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.
This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.

APPLICATION PROCESS:
All applicants must complete and submit an online application form at www.clevelandcounty.com by the closing date.

SELECTION PROCESS:
Selection will be by structured interview. Applications will be reviewed to select the best qualified applicants for admission to a structured interview.

Cleveland County is an Equal Opportunity Employer

$102,924-$140,000(Compensation will be based on experience)

Salary Range