Assistant City Attorney

General Description:Under the direction of the City Attorney, this position is responsible for performing professional legal work in preparing and prosecuting cases in the Franklin, Licking, and Fairfield County Municipal Courts and Reynoldsburg Mayor’s Court, including all violations of the City Charter, ordinances, and Ohio statutes. This position has a certain degree of autonomy and works directly with multiple agencies including law enforcement, courts, and administration. Work is, at times, required to be performed outside normal working including serving on an on-call 24-hours/day rotation and assisting law enforcement personnel, as needed, at any time of any day.

Essential Functions of Work

• Acts as City Attorney in her or his absence
• Prepares legal documents, legal opinions, research papers, real estate contracts, draft contracts for the City, draft revised or new legislation for review based on changes in law or legislative request from member(s) of City Council or Administration, review proposed legislation, and may represent the City in hearings and appeals
• Prepare reports and analysis of civil and criminal case loads and maintain public records and confidential documents
• Respond to inquiries on legal issues from City, State and Federal officials, legislators, and the general public on an as-needed basis
• Appear in public and private forums on behalf of the City to discuss law and policy issues
• Prepare for and make presentations on behalf of the City with respect to legal issues
• Testify before government bodies on behalf of the City Attorney
• Discuss individual cases with the media/public where appropriate
• Attend Council Meetings, Planning and Zoning Board Meetings, Civilian Review Board Meetings, and other meetings on an as used basis to ensure compliance with local, state, and federal law on open meetings
• Maintains required licenses and/or certificates
• Meets all job safety requirements and all applicable OSHA safety standards that pertain to essential functions
• Demonstrates regular and predictable attendance
• Performs other related duties as assigned

Minimum Qualifications
Education
• Completion of twenty-four (24) hours of continuing legal education from accredited programs for applicable two (2) year reporting period pursuant to Rule X of Rules of Government of Bar of Ohio
• Admission to Ohio Bar pursuant to O.R.C. 5705.01; Must possess and maintain certificate of registration pursuant to Rule VII of Government of Bar of Ohio
• Must possess a valid Ohio Driver’s License

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

Knowledge of:
• Government structure and process
• Ohio Supreme Court certification/licensure requirements
• Federal, state, and municipal laws and/or regulations
• Case preparation techniques
• Department goals and objectives
• Department policies and procedures
• Public relations; media relations
• Community resources and services
• Civil and criminal law, including zoning, nuisance abatement, and contract law
• Rules of evidence; courtroom procedures; civil procedure; criminal procedure; legal terminology; court filing procedures
• Office practices and procedures; English grammar and spelling
• Records management

Skills in:

• Word processing; computer operation; use of modern office equipment

Ability to:

• Define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions
• Understand interpret, and apply laws, rules, or regulations to specific situations
• Calculate statistics; proofread technical materials, recognize errors, and make corrections
• Use proper research methods to gather data
• Develop complex reports and position papers
• Prepare documents as required; prepare legal decisions
• Respond to routine inquiries from public and/or officials
• Prepare and deliver speeches and presentations; lecture on complex topics to highly specialized groups; communicate effectively; train or instruct others
• Understand a variety of written and/or verbal communications
• Gather, collate, and classify information; maintain records according to established procedures
• Work alone on most tasks
• Cooperate with co-workers on group projects
• Answer routine telephone inquiries
• Handle sensitive inquiries from and contacts with officials and general public
• Develop and maintain effective working relationships
• Resolve complaints

Working Conditions:
• Work is performed in a normal office environment.
• Has contact with potentially violent or emotionally distraught persons

City of Cincinnati Law Department Position

The City of Cincinnati Solicitor’s Office (Law Department) is seeking an attorney to serve as the Chief Counsel of the General Counsel/Government Section.

The General Counsel/Government Section provides practical legal advice to the City’s elected officials, City Manager, City departments, and City boards and commissions to facilitate the effective delivery of municipal services and implementation of City policies. Attorneys in the division provide legal advice on a wide range of municipal issues, draft legislation, manage public records requests, and provide relevant training to clients on applicable legal topics. Their work involves drafting legislation ranging from routine budget ordinances to new chapters of the Cincinnati Municipal Code; drafting formal legal opinions and providing oral and email advice on a variety of topics; responding to public records requests; and staffing Council committee and board and commission meetings.  Common subject matter encountered by attorneys in the Section includes the First Amendment and free speech, municipal home rule authority and preemption, constitutionality of proposed legislation or policies, public records and open meetings, ethics, public health, policing, and various municipal income and excise tax and retirement matters.

The Chief Counsel serves as the supervisor and lead attorney of the General Counsel/Government Section. The Chief Counsel manages an active workload of assignments and guides the work output of the Section, including reviewing the legal research and analysis, legislation, and documents generated by attorneys and staff within the Section.  The Chief Counsel also performs a full range of supervisory duties including establishing overall Section policies and practices; ensuring a productive and supportive work environment; setting Section priorities and goals; maintaining administrative documents related to Section work, such as a legislation drafting guide; and drafting employee evaluations.   

The ideal candidate will have prior supervisory experience and substantial experience in all aspects of general municipal law, including constitutional law relevant to municipalities, public records, open meetings law, and ethics; Ohio home rule and preemption; statutory drafting and interpretation, including city charters; and relevant laws and regulations.  Candidates must possess excellent oral and written communication skills and the ability to edit others’ work and provide effective and supportive critiques; creative-yet-practical legal thinking; sound judgment, discretion, adaptability, and self-awareness; and be able to work independently and efficiently in prioritizing and performing assigned responsibilities.  Excellent drafting, research, communication, project management, and interpersonal skills are required.  Successful candidates will have a demonstrated commitment to public service and understanding of government operations.

Candidates should possess a minimum of seven years relevant legal experience and must be licensed in Ohio. The City of Cincinnati is an equal opportunity employer. The salary for the position will be competitive commensurate with experience and skill set.

Please send resume and letter of interest to Lisa Kunz, Law Department, Room 214, City Hall, 801 Plum Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202, Lisa.Kunz@cincinnati-oh.gov.

City of Piqua Law Director/Prosecutor

Excellent Career Opportunity

The City of Piqua, Ohio is seeking a Law Director/Prosecutor to direct the activities of the Law Department for a full-service city with known for responsible government. This is an outstanding opportunity for senior leadership in an independent Ohio community.

The Piqua Community

The City of Piqua is home to more than 21,000 residents and offers small-town charm with big-city convenience. Piqua is 25 miles north of Dayton -- a residential, commercial and light manufacturing community with a distinctive downtown. It is located on the Great Miami River, along the I-75 corridor, north of the I-70 interchange, well connected to the rich and historic culture of Ohio and to national markets.

City of Piqua municipal owned utilities include Electric, Water, Wastewater, Refuse, and Stormwater. The City employs 192 full-time employees with a General Fund budget of approximately $25.7 million and an overall budget of approximately $89.6 million. Annual debt service is $5.4 million in the Utility areas.

The Ideal Candidate

The next Law Director/Prosecutor is expected to plan, organize, and direct the activities of the Law Department including responsibility for civil litigation, drafting and reviewing legal documents, providing legal representation at City Commission and other City meetings, criminal prosecutions, and providing municipal related legal advice to elected officials and City staff.

Minimum qualifications include graduation from an accredited law school and membership in good standing of the Ohio State Bar is required and a minimum of ten (10) years of municipal law, with supervisory experience.

Compensation & Benefits

The City of Piqua offers a competitive hiring salary range of $111,000 - $142,000, depending on qualifications and experience. In addition to a competitive salary, the City provides a generous benefits package that includes comprehensive medical with wellness incentives and employer contributions to a Health Savings Account (HSA) or Health Reimbursement Account (HRA), Dental, Vision, Life, ST&LT Disability insurance, up to 5 weeks of paid vacation, 5 personal days, sick leave and 11 paid holidays. Remote work is also available, as applicable. The Law Director will be a member of the Ohio Public Employees Retirement system.