There is currently one (1) vacancy for an Assistant City Attorney I, II, or III level. The successful applicant will be assigned to work on either the Administrative or Land Use Team.
First review of applications will be Monday, September 23, 2024.
These classifications have been designated as non-classified, non-merit system, at-will positions.
Assistant City Attorney III ($117,126.46 - $166,968.88 annually)
An Assistant City Attorney III performs professional civil municipal legal work involving a wide variety of legal issues, cases, and projects. Depending on assignment, an Assistant City Attorney III’s practice area will be in administrative/land use municipal law or litigation. All assignments require excellent writing and legal research skills. All attorneys in this classification generally provide legal advice to clients on major departmental issues and projects. Assistant City Attorney IIIs perform work with independent judgment and discretion. Some assignments may involve specialization or a primary focus (such as land-use planning, public safety, environmental law, public utilities, procurements, human resources, public records law, commercial real estate transactions, or the defense of federal claims); however, employees are expected to assist in a variety of areas as this class is responsible for performing related duties as required.
Administrative and Land Use Municipal Law Units: Administrative and land use unit attorneys must have knowledge about general municipal law impacting the City as they serve as legal counsel to the City Council, City management, and the numerous City departments, boards, and committees. Assigned attorneys are responsible for: providing advanced legal services to the City Council and City management; performing difficult professional and administrative legal work, including the drafting and negotiation of complex agreements, policies, ordinances, and resolutions; representing the City at administrative hearings; and attending meetings as counsel for the various advisory boards and committees. Administrative unit attorneys generally handle matters involving human resources, City owned facilities, finance, purchasing, public service programs, and public safety. Attorneys assigned to the land use unit work primarily on issues related to the development and use of public and private land, including advising on the construction of buildings and infrastructure, and drafting of complex real estate or land use related legal documents. Two assignments of note within the municipal law units are the Utilities/Environmental Assignment and the Police Legal Advisor Assignment. Responsibilities for the Utilities/Environmental Assignment attorneys include handling legal issues involving environmental and natural resource topics such as water rights; negotiating water leases; liability for environmental contamination; and all legal issues related to water, sewer, gas, and electric utility services. Attorneys with the Police Legal Advisor Assignment work with the Mesa Police Department on criminal and civil law issues, such as advising on department policy, criminal investigations, and constitutional law matters; providing training to new recruits; the negotiation and drafting of contracts; and other public safety matters.
This class is distinguished from the Assistant City Attorney II class by its responsibility for senior level legal decision-making; responsibility for more complex work, high profile/high exposure cases; specialization in a specific area of the law and the ability to independently perform these duties at the highest technical level of expertise; and working as mentor or lead attorney with less experienced attorneys to assist in their training and development. Employees may progress to this class by noncompetitive promotion upon meeting the specific criteria-based promotion requirements of experience and performance. General direction is received from a Deputy City Attorney, who reviews work through reports and an evaluation of overall results achieved. This class is FLSA exempt-professional.
Assistant City Attorney II ($106,259.71 - $151,478.50 annually)
An Assistant City Attorney II performs professional civil municipal legal work involving a wide variety of legal issues, cases, and projects. Depending on assignment, an Assistant City Attorney II’s practice area will be in administrative/land use municipal law or litigation. All assignments require excellent writing and legal research skills. All attorneys in this classification generally provide legal advice to clients on major departmental issues and projects. Assistant City Attorney IIs perform most work with independent judgment and discretion, while more complex or novel issues will be performed with the assistance of a more experienced attorney with progression to handling these duties independently. Some assignments may involve specialization or a primary focus (such as land-use planning, public safety, environmental law, public utilities, procurements, human resources, public records law, commercial real estate transactions, or the defense of federal claims); however, employees are expected to assist in a variety of areas as this class is responsible for performing related duties as required.
Administrative and Land Use Municipal Law Units: Administrative and land use unit attorneys must have knowledge about general municipal law impacting the City as they serve as legal counsel to the City Council, City management, and the numerous City departments, boards, and committees. Assigned attorneys are responsible for: providing advanced legal services to the City Council and City management; performing difficult professional and administrative legal work, including the drafting and negotiation of complex agreements, policies, ordinances, and resolutions; representing the City at administrative hearings; and attending meetings as counsel for the various advisory boards and committees. Administrative unit attorneys generally handle matters involving human resources, City owned facilities, finance, purchasing, public service programs, and public safety. Attorneys assigned to the land use unit work primarily on issues related to the development and use of public and private land, including advising on the construction of buildings and infrastructure, and drafting of complex real estate or land use related legal documents. Two assignments of note within the municipal law units are the Utilities/Environmental Assignment and the Police Legal Advisor Assignment. Responsibilities for the Utilities/Environmental Assignment attorneys include handling legal issues involving environmental and natural resource topics such as water rights; negotiating water leases; liability for environmental contamination; and all legal issues related to water, sewer, gas, and electric utility services. Attorneys with the Police Legal Advisor Assignment work with the Mesa Police Department on criminal and civil law issues, such as advising on department policy, criminal investigations, and constitutional law matters; providing training to new recruits; the negotiation and drafting of contracts; and other public safety matters.
Employees in this class may progress by noncompetitive promotion to Assistant City Attorney III upon meeting the specific criteria-based promotion requirements of experience and performance. Work requires considerable exercise of initiative and independent judgement, and general direction is received from a Deputy City Attorney who reviews work through reports and an evaluation of overall results achieved. An Assistant City Attorney II may also receive training or assistance in their job duties from an Assistant City Attorney III. This class is FLSA exempt-professional.
Assistant City Attorney I ($96,371.60 - $137,385.25 annually)
An Assistant City Attorney I performs professional civil municipal legal work involving a wide variety of legal issues, cases, and projects. Depending on assignment, an Assistant City Attorney I’s practice area will be in administrative/land use municipal law or litigation. All assignments require excellent writing and legal research skills. All attorneys in this classification generally provide legal advice to clients on major departmental issues and projects. Assistant City Attorney Is work initially with the assistance of a more experienced attorney with progression to handling their duties independently. Some assignments may involve specialization or a primary focus (such as land-use planning, public safety, environmental law, public utilities, procurements, human resources, public records law, commercial real estate transactions, or the defense of federal claims); however, employees are expected to assist in a variety of areas as this class performs related duties as required or assigned.
Administrative and Land Use Municipal Law Units: Administrative and land use unit attorneys must have knowledge about general municipal law impacting the City as they serve as legal counsel to the City Council, City management, and the numerous City departments, boards, and committees. Assigned attorneys are responsible for: providing legal services to the City Council and City management; performing difficult professional and administrative legal work, including the drafting and negotiation of agreements, policies, ordinances, and resolutions; representing the City at administrative hearings; and attending meetings as counsel for the various advisory boards and committees. Administrative unit attorneys generally handle matters involving human resources, City owned facilities, finance, purchasing, public service programs, and public safety. Attorneys assigned to the land use unit work primarily on issues related to the development and use of public and private land, including advising on the construction of buildings and infrastructure, and drafting of complex real estate or land use related legal documents. Two assignments of note within the municipal law units are the Utilities/Environmental Assignment and the Police Legal Advisor Assignment. Responsibilities for the Utilities/Environmental Assignment attorneys include handling legal issues involving environmental and natural resource topics such as water rights; negotiating water leases; liability for environmental contamination; and all legal issues related to water, sewer, gas, and electric utility services. Attorneys with the Police Legal Advisor Assignment work with the Mesa Police Department on criminal and civil law issues, such as advising on department policy, criminal investigations, and constitutional law matters; providing training to new recruits; the negotiation and drafting of contracts; and other public safety matters.
An Assistant City Attorney I receives general supervision from a Deputy City Attorney who reviews work through conferences and meetings and by an evaluation of overall results achieved. An Assistant City Attorney I may also receive training or assistance in their job duties from an Assistant City Attorney II or III. Work requires exercise of initiative and independent judgment within established guidelines. Employees in this class may progress by noncompetitive promotion to Assistant City Attorney II upon meeting the specific criteria-based promotion requirements of experience and performance. This class is FLSA exempt-professional.
Please refer to the links below for the full job descriptions and additional information regarding assignments, preferred qualifications, and essential functions.
Employee Values: All employees of the City of Mesa are expected to uphold and exhibit the City's shared employee values of Knowledge, Respect, and Integrity.
Assistant City Attorney III:
Minimum Qualifications Required. Graduation from a school of law, accredited by the American Bar Association, with a Juris Doctor Degree. At least four years of experience in the practice of law.
Special Requirements. Active membership in the Arizona State Bar Association at the time of application.
Preferred/Desirable Qualifications. Experience in municipal or public law is highly desirable.
Assistant City Attorney II:
Minimum Qualifications Required. Graduation from a school of law, accredited by the American Bar Association, with a Juris Doctor Degree. At least two years of experience in the practice of law.
Special Requirement. Active membership in the Arizona State Bar Association at the time of application.
Preferred/Desirable Qualification. Experience in municipal or public law and a strong background in contract drafting is highly desirable.
Assistant City Attorney I:
Minimum Qualifications Required. Graduation from a school of law, accredited by the American Bar Association, with a Juris Doctor Degree.
Special Requirement. Active membership in the Arizona State Bar Association at the time of application.
Preferred/Desirable Qualifications. A strong background in contract drafting is highly desirable and preferred.