Assistant City Attorney I/II/III

City of Mesa•Mesa, AZ

4h•Onsite

About The Position

The City Attorney’s Office is recruiting for an Assistant City Attorney position, with the current vacancy to be filled at either the I, II, or III level. The primary assignment will be in the Land Use Unit, where the attorney will advise City departments and officials on a wide range of land use and development matters. Land use and development law experience is preferred. Depending on the needs of the office and the applicant's experience, the successful applicant may instead be assigned to the Administrative Unit. These are non-classified, non-merit system, at-will positions.

Requirements

Graduation from a school of law, accredited by the American Bar Association, with a Juris Doctor degree.
Active membership in the State Bar of Arizona at the time of hire.
Assistant City Attorney I: No specific years of experience required beyond law degree and bar admission.
Assistant City Attorney II: At least two years of experience in the practice of law.
Assistant City Attorney III: At least four years of progressively responsible experience in the practice of law.

Nice To Haves

Land use and development law experience is preferred.
For the Administrative and Land Use Units, work experience involving municipal or public law, or land use is desirable.
A strong background in contract drafting is highly desirable and preferred.
Experience in municipal or public law is highly desirable.
For the Administrative Law and Land Use Units, a strong background in drafting and negotiating contracts or legislation is preferred.
For the Administrative Law and Land Use Units, advanced experience advising public-sector clients, drafting and negotiating complex contracts or legislation, or handling complex civil litigation is desirable.

Responsibilities

Perform professional civil municipal legal work involving a wide variety of legal issues, cases, and projects.
Provide legal research, drafting, representation, and practical legal advice to City clients on departmental matters, programs, and projects.
Serve as legal counsel to the City Council, City management, and the City’s numerous departments, boards, and committees.
Draft and negotiate agreements, policies, ordinances, and resolutions.
Represent the City at administrative hearings.
Attend meetings as counsel for various advisory boards and committees.
Advise on planning and zoning matters.
Advise on the construction of buildings and infrastructure.
Draft complex real estate or land use-related legal documents.
Handle legal issues involving environmental and natural resource topics, such as water rights.
Negotiate water leases.
Address liability for environmental contamination.
Handle all legal issues related to water, sewer, gas, and electric utility services.
Advise the Mesa Police Department on criminal and civil law issues, including department policy, criminal investigations, and constitutional law matters.
Provide training to new recruits.
Negotiate and draft contracts.
Handle other public safety matters.
Perform difficult professional and administrative legal work.
Provide advanced legal services to the City Council and City management.
Perform senior-level legal decision-making.
Handle the most complex work, high-profile, or high-exposure matters.
Specialize in a specific area of the law and independently perform these duties at the highest technical level of expertise.
Serve as a mentor or lead attorney for less experienced attorneys to assist in their training and development.