Lead Assistant City Attorney

• Represent the City in All Stages of Civil Litigation Matters:
  • Analyze pleadings to determine legal issues, immunities, and liabilities.
  • Establish an efficient and effective research plan to determine a case's proper course of action.
  • Conduct research using a caselaw database, such as Westlaw, to locate relevant controlling or persuasive cases that address specific legal issues presented in litigation.
  • Apply case law to the facts in a persuasive briefing to the court with proper assertions of support cited accurately from case law.
  • Respond within time-sensitive timelines to discovery requests with responses asserting appropriate defenses and seek requests to reinforce City defenses and minimize liability.
  • Gather relevant documents and determine the witnesses' identities.
  • Direct investigative staff to conduct any additional necessary investigation.
  • Review and analyze evidence, including physical evidence, body-worn cameras, squad, transit, and surveillance footage, and jail and 911 tapes.
  • Evaluate and secure expert witnesses.
  • Review and analyze medical records, laboratory reports, and expert witness reports.
  • Make appropriate recommendations to City staff, including the City Attorney, client departments, elected officials, and internal colleagues, to minimize legal exposure. This includes analysis and advice on whether to settle the matter and for how much, appeal an adverse decision or verdict, and consider the risks and benefits of continuing litigation.
  • Attend and engage in negotiations at settlement conferences with council members and department administration.
  • Deliver well-thought-out, persuasive oral arguments advancing the case's legal theories and strengths both internally (client departments, CAO colleagues, and elected officials) and externally (judge and jury).
  • Respond to asserted claims of weaknesses in the case with well-reasoned counterarguments.
  • Meet and communicate with the plaintiff's counsel regarding the status of the case and related issues.
  • Prepare cases, including those of the most complex nature, for presentation in court by determining trial themes, identifying trial exhibits, drafting witness examinations, and thoroughly preparing City witnesses for direct and cross-examination.
  • Communicate regularly with decision-making clients and city employees impacted by the litigation.
  • Research, draft briefs, and present oral arguments for appeals at the Minnesota Court of Appeals, the Minnesota Supreme Court, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the U.S. Supreme Court.
  • Manage an assigned caseload, coordinating court dates and other schedules with all concerned parties.
  • Provide advice for responses to media inquiries.
  • Assist in adjusting damage claims and claims arising under the Worker's Compensation Act.
  • Foster trusting relationships with elected officials, department heads, city staff, state and federal judges, partner agencies, other governmental subdivisions, and internal colleagues.
  • Act as team lead for all projects assigned with ACAs/SACAs and coordinate the team's work product.
  • Provide training to and mentor other attorneys.
  • Conduct training on matters within expertise, including the most complex nature.
  • Secondary review and edit of written work produced by other attorneys.
• Represent the City in Transactional Legal Matters and Provide Legal Opinion, Advice, and Drafting:
  • 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.
  • Advise on applying legal requirements to specific data and facts.
  • Advise on the defensibility and risk of City policies and procedures.
  • Make or facilitate legal determinations based on factual situations in the City.
  • Represent the CAO position in meetings with department staff, enterprise leadership, and elected officials.
  • Research, negotiate, and draft leases, deeds, liens on real property, lien releases, sales agreements, contracts, memoranda of understanding, and similar documents.
  • Structure, negotiate, draft, and close the most complex financing and real estate transactions.
  • Serve as members of various enterprise policymaking and policy-implementation teams (e.g., data breach response team).
  • Lead/work on cross-departmental multi-disciplinary work groups and task forces to develop and implement policies.
  • Staff subcommittee meetings of the City Council, from time to time meetings of the City Council, and meetings of appointed boards and commissions to provide legal advice on substantive questions and procedural matters in real-time.
  • Serve as subject matter experts, assisting with litigation matters.
  • Partner with and provide legal consultation on collaborations with internal and external stakeholders in support of the Mayor's and City Council's policy-making functions.
  • Manage assigned client department expectations, setting priorities and mutually agreeable timelines.
  • Recommend, research, and draft ordinances, resolutions, and other legislative documents.
  • Prepare and conduct public presentations and provide training on various legal and compliance topics, including of the most complex nature, to other attorneys, city departments, elected officials, and outside partner agencies.
  • Foster trusting relationships with elected officials, department heads, city staff, state and federal judges, partner agencies, other governmental subdivisions, and internal colleagues.
  • Act as team lead for all projects assigned with ACAs/SACAs and coordinate the team's work product.
  • Provide training to and mentor other attorneys.
  • Secondary review and edit of written work produced by other attorneys.

Minimum Education: The position has a minimum educational requirement of a Juris Doctorate (J.D.)

Minimum Experience: Eight 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.

License/Certifications: Minnesota attorney licensure through the successful bar examination and current active bar membership; ability to be licensed in federal court.

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. No specific weight will be assigned to the resume and cover letter.

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 cover letter 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 three (3) months after it has been established.

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 employer.