Deputy City Attorney

Job Description:

Deputy City Attorney

Description

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Employment Type
Full Time

Job Summary

At the City of Olathe, Kansas, we’re "Setting the Standard for Excellence in Public Service," both for our residents and employees. It’s at the core of our Vision, Values, and Mission. It’s the basis for our organizational culture. We’re looking for employees who share our values of integrity, learning, customer service, and more. As one of the fastest growing cities in the region, we strive to find innovative, engaged employees who are excited to help shape the future of our great City.

The City of Olathe, Kansas, is seeking a highly skilled and experienced legal professional to join our City Attorney’s Office as a Deputy City Attorney. This senior leadership role involves representing the City in a broad spectrum of civil legal matters, providing expert legal counsel to City staff and elected officials, and contributing to the development of policies and strategies that uphold the City’s commitment to excellence in public service.

Join us in making a meaningful impact in Olathe's legal field. Your expertise and leadership can help guide our city toward a bright and prosperous future.

The City of Olathe offers competitive compensation and benefits, including tuition reimbursement, eight weeks of paid parental leave, and an onsite health clinic providing free onsite physical and behavioral healthcare for employees enrolled in the City’s medical coverage. You can check out the full benefits package online .

Starting Salary: $129,153 - $200,187 annually (based on qualifications)

For more details, review the full job details and requirements below.

The Deputy City Attorney is a senior member of the City Attorney’s Office team. The position is responsible for representing the City in a wide range of civil legal matters and providing thorough yet succinct expert legal advice to City staff at all levels of the organization, as well as elected officials on the Olathe City Council. This role requires working in a complex public-sector environment, taking into account legal, ethical, and political dynamics of every issue they are involved in, which requires working with ambiguity and supporting the City Attorney in making bold recommendations grounded in a sound and ethical legal framework. A significant portion of the Deputy City Attorney’s time is spent building cohesive and collaborative relationships with peers in the organization in addition to managing the day-to-day legal tasks of the City Attorney’s Office, supervising and serving as a valued resource for the two assistant city attorneys and Court Administrator, assisting and supporting the City Attorney by advising on management and budget issues pertinent to the Legal Department, and challenging the organization to strive for excellence in public service.

Key Responsibilities

• Builds an excellent relationship with the City Attorney and supports the work of the City Attorney’s Office and the Legal Department by serving as a trusted partner and advisor, and a dependable resource to the entire organization.
  
• Develops strong working relationships with staff across City departments, the City Prosecutor’s Office, the Municipal Court, and outside counsel; provides ongoing support and legal advice to the City Council, Planning Commission, and other boards and commissions; coordinates with outside counsel on litigation and development matters to achieve strategic legal objectives.
  
• Reviews and drafts a variety of municipal legal documents, including ordinances, resolutions, and contracts; provides comprehensive yet concise and clear legal opinions on municipal matters; ensures responses to request for legal work by client departments are made in a timely manner; prepares and reviews real estate contracts and assists in the negotiation of easements required for City construction projects; ensures compliance with applicable laws and organizational policies and procedures.
  
• Supervises, plans, prioritizes, and supports legal work performed by the assistant city attorneys assigned to perform general in-house civil legal work and outside counsel assigned to represent the City in civil litigation matters; supervises the Court Administrator and stays abreast of managerial issues pertinent to the operation of the Municipal Court; participates in the selection of Legal Department staff; coaches and mentors direct reports ; acts on behalf of the City Attorney in their absence, ensuring continuity in legal operations.
  
• Represents the City before various governing bodies, in court, and in administrative proceedings as needed.
  

Qualifications

Experience: Ten or more years of progressively responsible, professional, public-sector legal experience, preferably in city or county government, is required. At least three years supervising other attorneys and professional staff is required. Experience as a city attorney, deputy city attorney, or senior assistant city attorney in a comparable jurisdiction is preferred.

Education: A juris doctorate degree is required.

Licenses & Certifications: Membership in Good Standing (or the ability to obtain) in the Kansas State Bar is required. License to practice law in Kansas is required and license to practice in the Federal Courts is preferred.