Deputy Attorney III- Labor & Employment

Overview

The City Attorney's Office seeks a well-qualified individual to join our office's Labor & Employment Advisory Unit. The incumbent will be exposed to a wide range of personnel matters across a variety of City's departments, including police personnel matters. Duties will include, but will not be limited to: collaborating with other attorneys, City staff, and City leadership to analyze labor and employment issues and resolve disputes;

advising City investigators and department heads on employee misconduct, due process, and related grievances; representing the City in administrative hearings to resolve labor and/or employment disputes; drafting and reviewing opinions, legislation, contracts, and other legal documents requiring the application of labor law and/or employment law; and, potentially, advising on police officer administrative investigations and discipline.

This position is represented by the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, Local 21. The incumbent may receive general supervision from a Deputy City Attorney V, Special Counsel, Chief Assistant City Attorney or the City Attorney. The City Attorney may assign the selected attorney new, additional, or different duties or practice areas in litigation, advisory, or transactional work.

• Advising on administrative investigations of misconduct, as well as the disciplinary process, including throughout the pendency of the grievance process.
• Advising on the investigation and resolution of labor and employment and/or personnel-related claims and complaints against the City or City management, including allegations involving harassment and discrimination, and recommending appropriate actions to be taken.
• Advising clients, including the City Administrator, Employee Relations Director, Human Resources Director, Chief of Police, and the Office of the Inspector General, on personnel matters to help them comply with laws and policies and to help them identify various risks and manage them accordingly.
• Representing the City in administrative proceedings, including labor arbitration hearings, Civil Service Board hearings, and hearings before the Public Employee Relations Board.
• Advising the City Administrator, Employee Relations Director, and other designated representatives in preparation for and during labor-contract bargaining and other labor negotiations.
• Developing training materials and providing training to staff, managers, and officials on relevant legal issues.
• Performing legal research; interpreting and applying laws and court decisions; and preparing opinions for departments, programs, boards, commissions and officials.
• Preparing, reviewing, and revising ordinances, resolutions, employment contracts, MOU's, settlements, and other legal documents; revising such documents as necessary to meet legal standards.

• Interpret and apply various government codes and ordinances.
• Conduct research on legal problems and prepare sound legal opinions.
• Analyze and prepare a wide variety of legal documents.
• Present cases in administrative proceedings.
• Handle stressful and sensitive situations with tact and diplomacy.
• Provide professional leadership, guidance, and technical expertise to assigned staff.
• Work independently or as part of a team.
• Work with a multidisciplinary team.
• Manage multiple demanding programs, cases, and projects with competing deadlines.
• Communicate effectively in both oral and written forms with City officials and representatives.
• Complete varied assignments within a narrow time frame.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with clients and other contacts encountered in the course of work.
• Inspire confidence and respect for legal advice.
• Skillfully and professionally present legal advice to clients, including the elected officials and high-level appointed officials.

• Education: Graduation from an accredited school of law.
• Experience: Two (2) years of increasingly responsible work experience comparable to a Deputy City Attorney II in the City of Oakland.
• License or Certificate / Other Requirements: A member in good standing of the California State Bar; individuals appointed to this position must maintain a valid California drivers license or demonstrate the ability to travel to various locations as required.

• For DCA III position:
  Four (4) years of increasingly responsible work experience in one or more relevant areas of law.
• The ideal candidate will have experience in one or more of the following areas: labor and employment law matters; conducting and/or advising on workplace or misconduct investigations, collective bargaining, and labor-dispute resolution.
• Candidates must have excellent verbal communication skills as well as strong writing and oral presentation skills.
• Working knowledge of municipal, state, and federal laws affecting City governance, particularly laws related to open meetings and public records.
• Language skills, especially in Spanish,…