City Attorney

City of Sumner•City of Sumner - City Hall, WA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Applications for the City Attorney position will be accepted on a continuous basis. The first review of applications will take place on June 25, 2026. Interested candidates are encouraged to apply early for best consideration. The City of Sumner is looking for an experienced, strategic, and community-minded attorney to serve as our next City Attorney. This is far more than a traditional legal role, you'll be a key member of the City’s leadership team, helping shape policies, guide major decisions, protect public interests, and navigate the opportunities and challenges that come with a growing and vibrant community. We're looking for someone who can confidently move between the council chambers and the courtroom, provide practical legal advice to elected officials and staff, draft clear and effective ordinances, negotiate complex agreements, and help chart the City's future with a thoughtful legal perspective. The ideal candidate is a trusted advisor, collaborative problem-solver, skilled communicator, and strategic thinker who enjoys public service and isn't afraid to tackle a little bit of everything. If you thrive in a dynamic environment where no two days are the same, value building strong relationships, and want to make a meaningful impact on a community that is proud of its past and excited about its future, we'd love to meet you. This is a full-time Fair Labor Standards Act exempt position. Attendance at evening meetings is required, and the employee is subject to after-hours emergency contact. This position serves under an individual employment agreement and is not subject to Civil Service rules or protections. General Purpose: The City Attorney serves as the chief legal officer of the City and is responsible for planning, directing, and managing the provision of comprehensive legal services to the City. The City Attorney advises and represents the City Council, Mayor, City Administrator, departments, boards, commissions, and other City officials and employees on a broad range of municipal legal matters. Responsibilities include providing legal counsel regarding municipal governance, policy development, regulatory compliance, public records and open government requirements, labor and employment matters, contracts, land use and development, risk management, real property transactions, and other matters affecting the City's operations and interests. Under the general supervisory direction of the City Administrator, the City Attorney assumes responsibility for carrying out departmental operations in accordance with federal, state, and city laws and general city policy. Initiative and judgment are used in providing expert advice and policy recommendations to the City Administrator, City Council and Mayor. Work is reviewed through periodic reports on the status of programs and operations. The incumbent directs supervisory, professional, technical, and clerical staff, directly and indirectly. About Sumner: The City of Sumner’s vision is to set the standard of excellence for a progressive small city. In working to achieve that vision, Sumner prioritizes and celebrates diverse perspectives, life experiences and differences. The City actively seeks and encourages people with diverse backgrounds and characteristics to apply and all come together with a goal of continuing to learn and improve to better serve the residents, businesses and visitors of our community. Sumner remains a traditional city of just over 11,000 residents with agricultural roots, known for decades as the Rhubarb Pie Capital of the World. At the same time, its compact, walkable layout aligns perfectly with progressive planning trends, as its classic Main Street becomes repurposed for boutiques, independent restaurants and daily services such as legal offices, financial advisors and doctors. While Sumner retains historic neighborhoods of Craftsman houses and an active high school right on Main Street, it also offers over 16,000 manufacturing and distribution jobs for companies such as REI, Keurig Dr. Pepper, Amazon.com, and Dillanos Coffee Roasters. With a downtown Sound Transit station with buses and trains, it is well connected to the Puget Sound region while striving to be a full-service city with the largest YMCA facility in the state of Washington as well as a link trail system that will connect the Foothills and Interurban trails. Like the community, the city government is large enough to be professional but small enough to be creative. The City has won a variety of awards from the Governor's Smart Planning Award to recognition at the International Association of Chiefs of Police for its groundbreaking police work on victims' assistance. With a strong mayor format, the City has just over 140 employees who operate a cemetery, wastewater treatment facility, accredited police department, animal shelter, parks, senior center, full service public works and administration. Check out all of the exciting projects that our City is working on by visiting: https://connects.sumnerwa.gov/

Requirements

Graduation from law school with a Juris Doctorate degree
Licensed to practice law in the State of Washington
Five (5) years of experience in the field of law
At least three (3) years municipal experience in criminal and/or civil matters, land use, labor law, transportation, general municipal law and administrative law
Licensed to practice law in the State of Washington and a member in good standing of the Washington State Bar Association
Comprehensive municipal law, including torts, contracts, land use, utilities, labor law, public records, criminal law, constitutional law, government and administrative law, and municipal finance
Current literature, trends and developments in the field of municipal law
Courtroom procedures and techniques
Correct English usage, grammar, spelling, punctuation and vocabulary
Exercise sound judgment in evaluating situations and making decisions
Establish and maintain effective working relationships with City personnel, outside agencies, and the general public
Guide, direct, and motivate employees
Communicate effectively, both orally and in writing
Effectively delegate duties and responsibilities
Present legal arguments and opinions effectively and persuasively both in writing and verbally
Advise the City Council and staff on legal matters in a clear and concise manner
Conduct research on legal matters related to the administration of the City
Interpret and apply City policies, procedures, law and regulations relating to management activities
Use logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to various situations
Resolve conflicts and gain cooperation among conflicting groups
Complete work and projects in a thorough and timely manner
Effectively train, supervise, and evaluate department personnel (directly or indirectly)
Apply judgment and discretion in resolving problems and interpreting policies
Operate a personal computer with associated software and peripherals
Communicate effectively both verbally and in writing and possess active listening skills
Maintain confidentiality of information
Establish and maintain positive, effective working relationships with those contacted in the performance of work
Maintain regular, reliable and punctual attendance
Understand the City's political environment and sensitivities
Provide excellent customer service by using a friendly, professional, accurate and customer orientated approach to a wide variety of customers, including: business owners, government officials, general public and other staff. This would include in-person, written and oral communications
Contribute to achieving the City's Mission
Constant use of sight, hearing, and speech abilities to perform essential functions and communicate with others
Constant fine finger manipulation and use of hands and arms in reaching/handling/fingering/grasping while operating office equipment and computers, preparing written documentation, handling paperwork, etc
Frequent sitting, may be extended at times, while doing desk activities
Requires mental acuity to ensure thorough mental analysis of situations in a fast-paced environment
Stooping, kneeling, crouching, reaching, mobility, fingering, grasping, talking, seeing, hearing, and repetitive motions
Exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally and/or a negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects, including the human body
Sedentary work involves sitting, most of the time
Jobs are sedentary if walking and standing are required only occasionally and all other sedentary criteria are met
Some positions may require greater periods of walking and/or standing

Nice To Haves

Submitting a cover letter and resume is not required but is recommended.

Responsibilities

Manage the department operations, including setting overall direction, goals and objectives, and priorities for the department
Supervise staff (including City Clerk, Attorneys, Public Records staff and support staff) and delegate responsibility and appropriate authority to staff; monitor daily work activities to ensure the timely and accurate completion of functional responsibilities
Ensure appropriate training and development of department staff
Attend all regular and special City Council sessions; providing legal advice as required
As required, attend and participate in meetings and conferences with other City commissions, committees, providing legal advice as required
Prepare, interpret and enforce the ordinances and regulations of the City
Prepare and/or review, interpret and enforce any contract or inter-local agreement to which the City is a party
Review proposed and enacted State and federal legislation for impact upon the City; recommend appropriate responses where necessary to protect the City's legal interests; analyze legal trends and developments impacting the City and recommend appropriate City responses of actions
Represent the City in court and before various administrative bodies
Prepare and ensure fiscal responsibility of the department budget; control and monitor expenses within the budget
Participate in, and provide leadership to City-wide long-range, strategic planning activities in coordination with the City Administrator
Participate in the City's short and long range planning to assure proper consideration of legal issues; identify optional positions for the City on legal matters
Negotiate real property acquisitions
Prepare and conduct verbal and written employee performance evaluations; recognize superior job performance; administer corrective and/or disciplinary actions for undesirable performance consistent with established City policy; receive and investigate complaints, taking action as necessary
Evaluate and award legal contracts to outside counsel; assign, direct and coordinate outside counsel work to assure compliance with specifications, timelines, budget and legal requirements
Coordinate Department functions with other City departments to ensure unified progress towards City objectives
Perform other duties as assigned