Lead Assistant City Attorney

Position Description

Restricted to current City of Minneapolis employees in the City Attorney's Office

According to the City Charter, the attorneys of the CAO serve as the attorneys and counselors at law to the mayor, city council, boards, committees, departments, and officers. The attorneys of the CAO are the exclusive representatives of the City. They can provide legal advice and opinions to the City, its officers, and staff. The purpose of the Lead Assistant City Attorney ("Lead") (formerly ACAIII) position is to provide the most advanced civil litigation representation, civil transactional representation, legal drafting, legal advice and consulting, and criminal prosecution legal services for a wide range of matters, often with the highest degree of difficulty, complexity, and public visibility, to or on behalf of the elected officials, management, representatives of assigned departments, boards, commissions and agencies of the City of Minneapolis. The Lead trains and mentors other attorneys and is the team lead on all projects the Assistant City Attorneys / Senior Assistant City Attorneys assign to them. They will coordinate the work product of the team.

Resume and Cover Letter :

Individuals are required to submit a resume and cover letter in addition to the online application.

Lead Assistant City Attorney - Client Services Special Projects (one position)

• This position in the Civil Division will coordinate and lead non-litigation-related special projects with office or enterprise-wide impact. This position will also be the Client Services lead for coordination between Civil Litigation and Client Services on projects that require participation of both units.
• In addition to this special projects work, the individual is expected to perform regular client services work at the Lead Assistant City Attorney level. This position is open to Senior Assistant City Attorneys who have client services experience.

Lead Assistant City Attorney - Civil Litigation Special Projects (one position)

Lead Assistant City Attorney - Criminal Division (two positions)

These two lead assistant city attorney positions in the criminal division will be assigned to litigation on the Trial and / or Domestic Teams . An attorney's primary role will be on the trial or domestic team, but that attorney may be asked to assist with work on the alternate team as well. Responsibilities will include :

LITIGATION :

MENTORING :

TRAINING AND ADVISING :

Work Location : These positions may be eligible for flexible work arrangements, including hybrid work with some days working remotely and some days working in the office.

Job Duties and Responsibilities

Conduct legal research, interpret, and apply Federal, State, and local law to provide advice, opinions, and consultative assistance to elected officials, enterprise leadership, and appointed boards and commissions on various City issues, including those of the most complex nature.

Analyze pleadings to determine legal issues, immunities, and liabilities.

Prepare and try criminal misdemeanor and gross misdemeanor cases, including those most complex. This includes but is not limited to bail hearings, settlement negotiations, treatment courts, contested evidentiary hearings, jury and court trials, sentencing hearings, probation revocation hearings, and a wide variety of other categories of hearings under often stressful conditions requiring attorneys to think quickly on their feet.

Working Conditions : Regular indoor office environment.

Required Qualifications

Minimum Education : The position has a minimum educational requirement of a Juris Doctorate (J.D.) plus Minnesota attorney licensure through the successful bar examination and current active bar membership.

Minimum Experience : This position requires a total of eight years or more years of experience as a licensed attorney, and service as a Senior Assistant City Attorney in the Minneapolis City Attorney's Office for at least two years.

Licenses / Certifications : State licensure and the ability to be licensed in federal court. Maintaining a state license requires a minimum of 45 credits of continuing legal education courses every three years.

Selection Process

The selection process will consist of review of relevant education, experience, and achievements as documented in the resume and cover letter; review of performance evaluations and manager feedback; and an interview. No specific weight will be assigned to the cover letter. All candidates who satisfy the eligibility criteria and minimum qualifications and submit a resume and cover letter will have a passing score and be placed on the eligible list. The City of Minneapolis Human Resources Department reserves the right to limit the number in any phase of the selection process.

Background Check

The City has determined that a criminal background check and / or qualifications check may be necessary for certain positions with this job title. Applicants may be required to sign an informed consent form allowing the City to obtain their criminal history and / or verify their qualifications in connection with the position sought. Applicants who do not sign the informed consent form will not be further considered for the position.

Union Representation

This position is represented by a collective bargaining agreement between the City of Minneapolis and the AFSCME Attorneys. For more information on the terms and conditions of this agreement please visit : AFSCME Attorneys - City of Minneapolis

Eligible List Statement

The names of applicants who satisfy the eligibility criteria and minimum qualifications and submit a resume and written submission shall be placed on the eligible list for consideration. This list will be certified to the hiring manager who may use the list to fill a vacancy of the same job title. This eligible list will expire one month after it has been established.

Interview Selection

The hiring authority reserves the right to determine the maximum number of candidates to interview from the established eligible list. If the hiring authority decides to interview other than by exam score order, they may select additional people to interview based on a candidate's education or experience related to the field, work history, or skills uniquely related to the operational needs of the position.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

1. Highly advanced legal knowledge and technical skills

2. Work ethic, drive, diligence

3. Problem-solving, decision making of the highest complexity with virtually no supervision

4. Communication skills

5. Teamwork / collaboration skills

6. Contributions to CAO, the enterprise, legal systems

7. Commitment to Equity

8. Consistent demonstration of leadership

9. Takes initiative to identify and solve issues and make or recommend improvements without waiting to be assigned.

10. Strong legal research skills

11. Strong organizational, project management, and prioritization skills

12. Excellent communication skills

13. Capacity to handle the most complex projects and make the highest quality decisions

As the largest and most vibrant city in the state, Minneapolis depends on purposeful, dedicated and innovative employees. Minneapolis has a large variety of careers for people of all experiences and backgrounds who come together for a singular purpose-serving the residents, businesses and visitors of Minneapolis.

The City of Minneapolis is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer.