Senior Associate County Attorney

The purpose of this classification is to provide legal counsel and representation for the Cobb County Board of Commissioners, other County elected officials, and various County agencies, departments, appointees and employees as assigned.

Serves as legal counsel representing the legal interests of the County for assigned departments, with a primary focus on information technology-related matters and initiatives; Provides strategic legal advice to the represented clients and other department heads, elected officials and managers on issues involving the acquisition, deployment, and governance of technology solutions that support the County’s modernization efforts. Actively collaborates with IT leadership to align contract strategies and legal reviews with enterprise architecture, cybersecurity priorities, and innovation goals. Assists departments as requested or assigned under the direction of the County Attorney; researches internal regulations, policies and procedures, and relevant state and federal laws; advises clients of legal solutions and execution of appropriate steps and implementation; writes legal opinions and memoranda.

This attorney will be assigned to the Transaction Team.  Negotiates, drafts and reviews contracts; reviews contracts for compliance with internal policies and procedures, as well as local, state and federal laws; analyzes terms and conditions to ensure County’s interests are protected against potential liability; resolves contract disputes.  

Develops, reviews and interprets pending and new legislation; analyzes impact on County polices and services; provides advice and direction to County officials and departments regarding the same; drafts County ordinances and internal policies; provides advice regarding the Georgia Open Records Act and the Georgia Open Meetings Act.

Maintain a comprehensive, current knowledge of applicable laws, regulations, policies and procedures, including trends and advances in the profession, to include familiarity with relevant state and federal laws related to technology and data protection; reads professional literature; maintains professional affiliations; participates in training and continuing education activities; attends and conducts meetings, workshops and seminars as appropriate.

This position will have an emphasis on technology transactions, to include software licensing, maintenance, SaaS, cybersecurity, data privacy/security matters, and emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence.  This attorney will work closely with the County’s Information Technology Services Department (ITS) and will coordinate with other County Departments in connection with their technology-related contracts. 

To promote efficiency, mitigate risk, and support innovation, the County aims to standardize the legal treatment of technology-related agreements across all departments. This position, in collaboration with ITS, will manage a centralized technology contract knowledgebase and clause library, promote consistent contract language, negotiation strategies, and legal review protocols, ensuring all technology contracts comply with the County’s legal, operational, and security standards. 

This position will partner with ITS in developing policies, procedures and contract templates to streamline technology contract processes across the County. Other practice areas include government contracting, procurement, construction, transportation, real property transactions, telecommunications, memorandum of understandings, and intergovernmental agreements.  

Preferred Qualifications: 

At least 5 years of progressively responsible legal experience, including significant experience negotiating, drafting, and reviewing a wide range of technology-related contracts (e.g., software licensing, cloud services, SaaS/PaaS agreements, hardware procurement, software/hardware maintenance, and IT consulting services), including lead or supervisory experience.

Experience ensuring technology contracts comply with public sector requirements, including data privacy, cybersecurity, records retention, compliance with digital accessibility standards, and open records laws. Demonstrated experience advising clients or organizations on technology procurement, vendor risk, and compliance obligations.

Experience advising on technology procurement strategy, vendor disputes, contract enforcement, or regulatory compliance issues related to technology services.

Familiarity with contract lifecycle management systems (CLM) and digital legal workflow tools. Support the deployment and use of CLM systems and contribute to digital legal process improvements.

Strong analytical skills to assess potential liabilities and ensure compliance with internal policies and procedures.

Excellent communication skills to provide clear legal advice and direction to County officials and departments.

Must possess and maintain a valid Driver's License. Must possess and maintain certification and licensure from the Georgia Bar Association.

Tasks require the ability to exert light physical effort in sedentary to light work, but which may involve some lifting, carrying, pushing and/or pulling of objects and materials of light weight (5-10 pounds). Tasks may involve extended periods of time at a keyboard or work station.

Sensory Requirements

Some tasks require the ability to perceive and discriminate colors or shades of colors, sounds, and visual cues or signals. Some tasks require the ability to communicate orally.

Environmental Factors

Essential functions are regularly performed without exposure to adverse environmental conditions.