Corporation Counsel

City of West Chicago•City of West Chicago City Hall, IL

3d•Onsite

About The Position

To serve as the City's primary in-house legal advisor, providing timely, practical, and strategic legal guidance to the Mayor, City Council, City Administrator, department directors, City staff, and City boards and commissions. The Corporation Counsel is expected to function as a trusted partner in City governance; not simply as a reviewer of documents, but as an engaged legal resource who anticipates issues, communicates clearly with both elected officials and operational staff, and helps the City navigate a broad and varied municipal law practice.

Requirements

Minimum three (3) years of experience in municipal, governmental, or public sector law with demonstrated experience serving Illinois municipalities as general counsel, city attorney, corporation counsel, or assistant corporation counsel.
Working knowledge of Illinois municipal law, including the Illinois Municipal Code, Open Meetings Act, FOIA, home rule authority, procurement law, and zoning and land use law.
Juris Doctor (J.D.) from an ABA-accredited law school with an active license to practice law in the State of Illinois in good standing.
Demonstrated ability to provide clear, practical legal advice to elected officials, administrators, and operational staff.
Thorough understanding of local governmental law with expertise in state, federal, and local laws, particularly in local government law and Illinois municipal law.
Current social, political and economic trends and problems of municipal government.
Concerns and interests of civic groups, governmental agencies and the general public.
Legal research and reporting methods, techniques and procedures.
Risk management and insurance best practices, coverage, terminology and applications.
Thorough knowledge of the principles, best practices and techniques for effectual human resources management.
Sources of information related to a broad range of municipal programs and services.
Pertinent Federal, State and local laws, codes and regulations.
Determine whether a legal or administrative approach will best resolve a particular issue.
Organize, interpret and apply legal principles and knowledge to complex legal problems.
Display proficiency in local government mission and operations, budget development and administration, relevant employment laws, codes, regulations, policies, collective bargaining agreements, contracts and records management principles.
Consistently perform detailed legal research and analysis to support sound legal advice.
Demonstrate practical judgment and deliver actionable legal advice under time pressure.
Use excellent interpersonal, written and verbal communication skills with a range of audiences including elected officials, staff, and the public.
Maintain a high degree of responsiveness and availability for urgent matters.
Manage a broad, varied practice across multiple concurrent matters.
Collaborative, service-oriented approach consistent with an in-house municipal role.
Commit to ethical conduct, transparency, and public interest.
Analyze, interpret, summarize and present administrative, technical, and statistical information and data in an effective manner.
Prepare clear and concise reports and develop appropriate recommendations.
Establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with those contacted in the course of work including city and other government officials, community groups, the general public, and media representatives.

Nice To Haves

Five (5) or more years of municipal or public sector law experience.
Experience with home rule municipalities in DuPage, Kane, or adjacent Illinois counties.
Familiarity with IML-RMA or IRMA risk management coordination and insurance defense oversight.
Experience with TIF districts, economic development agreements, and incentive structures.
Experience advising on legal issues related to cybersecurity incident response, data privacy, and local government technology obligations.

Responsibilities

Serve as the City's primary municipal attorney and general legal counsel.
Advise the Mayor, City Council, City Administrator, and department directors on all legal matters affecting City operations, governance, and policy.
Attend regular and special City Council meetings, executive sessions, committee meetings, and other meetings as required; provide real-time legal guidance on procedure, motions, voting, and executive session compliance.
Draft, review, and negotiate ordinances, resolutions, contracts, agreements, intergovernmental agreements, and other legal documents.
Provide written legal opinions when requested by authorized City personnel.
Advise on the Illinois Open Meetings Act, Freedom of Information Act, Local Records Act, State Officials and Employees Ethics Act, Gift Ban Act, and applicable conflict of interest laws.
Advise on municipal home rule authority, statutory authority, public meeting requirements, and elected official and staff roles and responsibilities.
Advise on procurement, competitive bidding requirements, cooperative purchasing, RFPs, RFQs, and lawful exceptions or waivers.
Monitor and advise on new state and federal legislation, court decisions, and regulatory developments affecting Illinois municipalities.
Provide legal support for zoning, annexation, subdivision, planned developments, special uses, variations, development agreements, and related Community Development matters.
Advise on building code enforcement, administrative adjudication, nuisance abatement, licensing, and permit enforcement.
Advise on TIF districts, business district matters, sales tax sharing, economic incentive agreements, and downtown development initiatives.
Provide legal advice on routine personnel matters, employee leave, FMLA, ADA accommodation matters, discipline, workplace issues, and labor contract interpretation.
Support grievance response and initial grievance processing; coordinate with specialized outside labor counsel for collective bargaining, arbitration, and unfair labor practice proceedings.
Conduct or coordinate workplace investigations as appropriate; identify when outside investigators are warranted.
Monitor and coordinate pending litigation involving the City, including matters handled by insurance-appointed counsel, IML-RMA, and outside counsel.
Advise on cybersecurity incident response obligations, data privacy compliance, and breach notification requirements under PIPA and applicable federal law.
Manage relationships with and coordinate specialized outside counsel; control legal costs by avoiding duplication and clarifying roles.
Assist with investigating, responding to and resolving difficult and sensitive inquiries and complaints.
Attend and participate in professional groups, committees and/or boards as assigned.
Perform related duties and complete special projects or responsibilities as assigned.
Becomes familiar with and adheres to all City and Department safety and security policies/procedures.
Report all potential hazards, accidents and injuries consistent with City policy and procedure.
Immediately reports all unsafe conditions and acts to a supervisor.
Recommends improvements to safety and security practices.
Obeys and adheres to all work safety rules and practices.
Completes assigned safety training.