Deputy Attorney

Summary

Under general direction, to perform professional legal work and legal research; to represent the City and City Attorney's Office on legal assignments; and to do related work as required.

This is the entry and training position in the professional Deputy City Attorney class series. Incumbents are expected to perform professional legal work and research with guidance and supervision from more experienced staff. This class differs from the Senior Deputy City Attorney in that the Senior Deputy City Attorney is the experienced working level with incumbents performing a broader range of legal work under less supervision.

Deputy City Attorney incumbents will be expected to increasingly perform more complex work with less guidance. In addition, Deputy City Attorney incumbents will develop special expertise in specific areas of municipal law. It is anticipated that Deputy City Attorney incumbents will devote significant, non-work hours to learning the essentials of municipal law to prepare them for advancement in the profession.

City Attorney, Chief Deputy City Attorney, or designee.

This is not a supervisory class.

The following duties are typical for this classification. Incumbents may not perform all of the listed duties and/or may be required to perform additional or different duties from those set forth below to address business needs and changing business practices.

Knowledge of:

• Principles of criminal, Constitutional, civil, and administrative law.
• California codes and statutes applicable to criminal and civil law.
• Judicial procedures and the rules of evidence in the conduct of hearings in court and before administrative bodies.
• Legal research methods.
• Interviewing techniques.
• Office procedures, methods, and equipment including computers and applicable software applications such as word processing, spreadsheets, and databases.

Ability to:

• Perform professional legal and legal research work.
• Analyze facts and apply legal precedents and principles to assigned cases.
• Prepare and present cases at all levels of the court system.
• Prepare and present a variety of special reports.
• Operate a computer and use appropriate software in the performance of professional legal work.
• Effectively represent the City and City Attorney's Office with the public, courts, law enforcement agencies, and other government jurisdictions.
• Maintain confidentiality.
• Operate office equipment including computers and supporting word processing, spreadsheet, and database applications.
• Communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of work.

Education and Experience Guidelines - Any combination of education and experience that would likely provide the required knowledge and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to obtain the…