City Attorney

The City Attorney is a key member of the City’s leadership team and acts as a legal advisor to all levels of City government.  This position provides a wide range of legal services; analyzes complex legal issues, evaluates alternative approaches to problems, and implements sound solutions; represents the City in civil and administrative proceedings and transactional matters; represents the city in municipal court prosecutions; and responds to inquiries from City officials, City staff, community organizations, state and local agencies, and the general public.  The position requires strong interpersonal skills with a demonstrated ability to engage people, resolve conflict, and coach others.

This list of duties and responsibilities is not all inclusive and may be expanded to include other duties and responsibilities, as management may deem necessary.
Provide General Legal Counsel: 85%

• Conducts legal research and provides oral and written legal advice, recommendations, and opinions to the Common Council, City Manager, Department Directors, City Committees, Commissions, and Boards on matters affecting City operations and on relevant legislation and changes in the law.
• Responds timely and appropriately to inquiries from elected and appointed City Officials, staff, the general public, media and other attorneys' inquiries regarding matters of public information, matters proposed and pending before the Common Council and City policies and procedures.
• Drafts and reviews resolutions, ordinances, policies and procedures, rules and regulations, legal opinions, contracts, leases, agreements, grievance responses, deeds, plats, administration and Council policy statements, and such other legal documents, 
• Represents the City in a variety of matters before judicial or quasi-judicial bodies or commissions, including the preparation of pleadings, conducting discovery, and preparing for and proceeding to hearing or trial.
• Coordinates the defense of the City, its elected and appointed officials, boards and commissions in all legal actions, state and Federal, legal proceedings, hearings and other forum regarding personal injury, property damage, all City contract disputes, constitutional and all other challenges to City ordinances, resolutions and administrative actions of the City.
• Work with all City departments on all aspects of municipal law, real estate, zoning, land use and development, employment, elections, bankruptcy, real and personal property taxation, property ownership, tax matters, public records and open meetings law, privacy, and contracts and agreements, including the assessment of the risks and financial exposure to the City for non-compliance and matters affecting the daily operation of the City.
• Oversees the distribution of work and manages the performance of contracted attorneys, outside counsel and legal service contracts.
• Negotiates and drafts documents for the acquisition, use, and sale of City lands.
• Reviews all contracts on behalf of the City to ensure compliance with applicable laws, assess risk, limit liability and determine necessary insurance requirements.
• Attends Common Council, City Committee and Board meetings to advise City staff and elected and appointed City Officials on applicable law, regulation and policy and serve as the City’s parliamentarian., 
• Attends meetings with Department Directors and supervisory staff, and participates in Department and inter-Departmental meetings to address projects and matters specific to the Department(s) to address the legal and public policy implications pertaining to the adoption and/or enforcement of proposed and existing laws, ordinances, regulations, rules, policies and procedures, contracts, and administrative and judicial opinions and decisions. 
• Works collaboratively as a member of the executive leadership team managing the organization in current and future initiatives.
• Assists Clerk Department with the response to requests for public records including the review of documents for release as allowed by WI State Statutes.
• Prepares and recommends the annual department budget; implements budget programs and monitors expenses through the year.

• Serves as prosecutor in Municipal Court.
• Conduct pre-trials and negotiate acceptable satisfactions to municipal violations on behalf of the City.

• Conducts other tasks or assignments as directed by the City Manager.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Education and/or Experience

• Admission to the Bar of the State of Wisconsin and current good standing status
• Minimum of three (3) years of experience as a practicing attorney including legal research and writing.
• Preferred qualifications include experience in the areas of municipal law, labor law, civil litigation, contract review, real estate transactions, and code enforcement.
• Direct counsel experience with tax incremental financing, and development agreement negotiating and drafting strongly preferred.

Language Skills

• Ability to analyze data and information using established criteria, in order to determine consequences and to identify and select alternatives. Ability to compare, count, differentiate, measure, copy, record and transcribe data and information. Ability to classify, compute, tabulate, and categorize data.
• Ability to persuade, convince, and/or train others. Ability to advise and interpret how to apply policies, procedures and standards to specific situations.
• Ability to utilize a variety of advisory data and information such as code manuals, City ordinances, directories, State statutes, procedures, guidelines and non-routine correspondence.
• Ability to communicate orally and in writing with City personnel, Department personnel and City residents.

Mathematical Skills

• Ability to calculate percentages, fractions, decimals, volumes, ratios, present values, and spatial relationships.  
• Ability to interpret basic descriptive statistical reports.

Reasoning Ability

• Ability to use functional reasoning in performing influence functions.
• Ability to exercise the judgment, decisiveness and creativity required in situations involving the evaluation of information against sensory and/or judgmental criteria.
• Ability to work well under pressure and handle stressful situations, to organize work and set priorities, managing time and resources to meet deadlines and changing demands within the entire operation of administrative services, perform duties with a minimum of supervision.

• Considerable knowledge of the practices, ethics and procedures of the legal profession, usually acquired through the attainment of a law degree, admission to practice law in Wisconsin, and extensive and varied experience in the practice of municipal law.
• Knowledge of the resources essential to research of legal questions and problems.
• Ability to work well under pressure, meet deadlines regularly, manage multiple assignments, and shift priorities, responding with a sense of urgency when issues emerge requiring immediate attention.
• Requires skill in listening, critical thinking, problem analysis and problem solving; written/verbal communication skills; ability to tailor the message, context, and mode of communication to the audience; ability to multi-task in a fast-paced environment and self-identify organizational, departmental, and individual priorities.  
• Must possess skill in monitoring one’s own work to ensure quality, accuracy, and thoroughness; sound judgment in recognizing scope of authority; ability to think strategically, commit to innovation and continuous process improvement, and work collaboratively within the organization.
• Ability to establish and maintain relationships with diverse populations at all levels of the organization, outside vendors/client representatives/peers and the public, and ability to relate effectively with people of varied academic, cultural, and socio-economic backgrounds using tact, diplomacy and courtesy.
• Ability to learn rapidly the knowledge necessary to act as in-house counsel to the City Manager, Common Council and various department directors.
• Working knowledge of modern office practices and procedures, including use of Microsoft Office.
• Ability to perform basic functions with all MS Office Suite products.
• Ability to operate phone system, desktop computer, copy machine, postage machine, fax machine, base radio and cash register.
• Proficiency in typing, 10 key calculator, computers and electronic data processing.