Chief Deputy City Attorney

Undergraduate Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree and degree of Juris Doctorate from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association, supplemented by seven (7) years’ experience in civil or administrative law.  Preference will be given to those individual bar members that have some or substantial experience in labor and employment law, construction law or real property law.

Must be admitted to practice law in Florida and be a member of the Florida Bar.   Must be admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida, and U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, 11^th Circuit within six (6) months of hiring.  Must possess a valid Florida Driver's License and have and maintain an acceptable driving record.

Preferred candidate will be Board Certified.  

Non-essential employees will not be required to work during a declared emergency but may be required to work during an undeclared emergency or in the aftermath of an event associated with a declared emergency.  On an incident by incident basis, the employee’s Department Head will make the determination when the employee will be required to work. 

Professional work assisting the City Attorney in providing legal services to the City.  Duties include assisting the City Attorney in performing the responsibilities of general legal counsel for the City, including the rendering of legal advice and assistance to the City Council, City Manager, and Department Heads and serving as Acting City Attorney in the absence of the City Attorney.  Other duties include researching legal questions, preparing resolutions, issuing briefs and legal documents, representing City in various civil lawsuits and rendering legal opinions.  May supervise other attorneys, paralegals, and administrative staff as assigned. May provide Sunshine Law and Public Records Act training to employees or boards. Work is performed under the direction of the City Attorney and is reviewed through conferences, inspection of documents, and evaluation of results obtained. Reports directly to the City Attorney.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

Effectively communicates with people of all ages by giving information and directions, mediating disputes and advising of rights and processes.

Functions as a representative to the judiciary.

Functions as Acting City Attorney in the absence of the City Attorney.  

Evaluates current practices and participates in developing new policies and procedures.

Assists with the resolution of citizen complaints when requested.

Prepares and files legal documents and presents case to proper jurisdiction regarding construction litigation issues.  

Renders oral and written opinions, synopses, abstracts or summaries of legal issues and publications pertaining to law enforcement as required.

Conducts research using state and federal statute books or websites, codes and ordinances, policy manuals and other sources to assist the department with procedural issues on a daily basis.

Locates, reviews and advises appropriate staff of judicial decisions for applicability to pending cases or actions.

Interfaces with the client and conveys a level of professionalism and competence in terms of both the legal issues and the strategic practical issues regarding road construction, developer agreements, procurement and/or planning and zoning issues.

Attends seminars at the local, state and national level to secure continuing education in specialized areas of law relevant to City issues.

Provides Sunshine Law and Public Records Act training to employees or boards as requested.

Monitors internal controls for fraud, errors, and omissions within the department.

This job description is not intended to be and should not be construed as an all-inclusive list of all the responsibilities, skills or working conditions associated with the position.  While it is intended to accurately reflect the position activities and requirements, Management reserves the right to modify, add or remove duties and assign other duties as necessary that are a logical assignment to the position.