Deputy City Attorney

Description
GENERAL STATEMENT OF JOB

This is the third of four levels in the Legal series. Incumbents provide legal advice and services to the Mayor, City Council, department heads, and City committees and boards. Responsibilities may include representing the City in legal matters; preparing and/or reviewing and approving all contracts, deeds, bonds, ordinances, resolutions, and similar documents; preparing and filing legal pleadings, motions, briefs, and other documents; and conducting depositions, trials and appeals.

***PLEASE NOTE: THIS POSITION WILL REMAIN OPEN THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 2025, OR UNTIL FILLED.***
Example of Duties
SPECIFIC DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Essential Functions:

• Provides general legal guidance to the Mayor, City Council, department heads, and City committees and boards, which includes preparing a variety of legal documents; serves in the City Attorney's absence including, but not limited to, making presentations and providing legal advice during department meetings and various committee meetings (such as Finance and Administration Committee meetings) and supervising office administration within the Legal Department including, but not limited to, the litigation-related duties and functions performed by the Legal Executive Assistant.

• Prepares and files legal pleadings, motions, briefs, and related documents.

• Represents the City in litigation proceedings in court, which includes determining procedural avenues for actions; taking depositions; making strategic and tactical litigation decisions; and/or performing related activities.

• Supervise and mentor in-house staff attorneys concerning litigation, drafting legislation, examination and drafting of contracts and other instruments, and drafting departmental policies; and prepares cases for hearings and trials.

• Reviews contracts, deeds, bonds, ordinances, and resolutions to verify appropriateness of terms, conditions, and applicable clauses.

• May perform and examine abstractor and title search reports, evaluates economic feasibility of obtaining title insurance and perform additional services relating to real estate including, but not limited to, preparation of deeds, easement agreements and instruments of release; evaluation of City liens against real property including, but not limited to, liens arising from abatement of overgrown vegetation, debris and unsafe structures.

• Performs other duties of a similar nature or level.
  
  

Typical Qualifications

MINIMUM EDUCATION AND TRAINING

Education and Experience

• Juris Doctorate from an American Bar Association accredited school of law.

• Four (4) years of experience as a practicing attorney, with significant civil litigation (federal and state) experience during those years.

• An equivalent combination of education and experience sufficient to perform the job's essential duties.

License and Certifications

• Tennessee State Law License.

Supplemental Information
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AND STANDARDS REQUIRED

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

Knowledge of:

• Legal theory.

• Applicable Federal, State, and local laws, rules, regulations, codes, and/or statutes.

• Contract management principles and practices include knowledge of real estate law and real estate transactions.

• Court procedures.

• Criminal justice system.

• Interview methods and techniques.

• Research methods.

• Legal document preparation techniques.

• Computers and related software applications.

Skill in:

• Interpreting and applying applicable laws, rules, and regulations.

• Providing sound legal advice.

• Analyzing complex information.

• Conducting legal research.

• Preparing legal documents.

• Applying legal principles to determinations on individual cases and problems.

• Trying cases in court.

• Analyzing, appraising, and organizing facts, evidence, and precedents relevant to assigned cases.

• Using computers and related software applications

• Communication, interpersonal skills as applied to interaction with subordinates, coworkers, supervisor, the public, etc. sufficient to exchange or convey information and to receive work direction.

Physical Requirements:

The work is sedentary work which requires exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally and/or negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects, including the human body. Additionally, the following physical abilities are required:

• Feeling: Perceiving attributes of objects, such as size, shape, temperature, or texture by touching with skin, particularly that of fingertips.

• Fingering: Picking, pinching, typing, or otherwise working, primarily with fingers rather than with the whole hand as in handling.

• Grasping: Applying pressure to an object with the fingers and palm.

• Hearing: Perceiving the nature of sounds at normal speaking levels with or without correction. Ability to receive detailed information through oral communication, and to make the discrimination sound.

• Mental Acuity: Making rational decisions through sound logic and deductive processes.

• Reaching: Extending hand(s) and arm(s) in any direction.

• Repetitive Motion: Substantial movements (motions) of the wrist, hands, and/or fingers.

• Speaking: Expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word including the ability to convey detailed or important spoken instructions to other workers accurately and concisely.

• Standing: Particularly for sustained periods of time.

• Talking: Expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word including those activities in which they must convey detailed or important spoken instructions to other workers accurately, loudly, or quickly.

• Visual ability 1: sufficient to perform an activity like preparing and analyzing data and figures; transcribing; viewing a computer terminal; and/or extensive reading.

• Walking: Moving about on foot to accomplish tasks, particularly for long distances or move from one work site to another.