Position Description

The Government Affairs Section of the Seattle City Attorney's Office is seeking a litigator with an interest in public sector practice to join our team. As an Assistant City Attorney, you will defend lawsuits against the City of Seattle and bring affirmative litigation in practice areas including constitutional, charter, regulatory, ethics, and municipal law litigation and local government litigation work. Additionally, you will be involved in litigation involving the Seattle Police Department, typically defending against § 1983 cases alleging violations of constitutional rights. These claims span from relatively minor matters to intensely litigated cases involving severe injuries, death and/or matters of public importance. Government Affairs litigation matters often attract significant attention from elected officials and media representatives.

In addition to this opportunity to join a team that is dedicated to public service, the City Attorney's Office offers a generous benefit program which includes paid leave benefits, paid parental and family leave, low cost health benefits, and the opportunity to participate in a defined benefit retirement program.
 

Job Responsibilities

This position will focus primarily on litigation, although it may involve advice work on matters where litigation is anticipated. You will be successful in this role if you are capable of handling all aspects of both affirmative and defense civil litigation independently, including motions practice, discovery, trial and appellate work. You will be successful as a Government Affairs litigator if you can balance highly scrutinized matters of public importance in a fast-paced and ever-changing litigation landscape.

Because this is a general litigation position, you will need to quickly learn and develop strategies regarding a wide variety of substantive areas of the law; collaborating with your team to find creative solutions to a myriad of case and client-related concerns.
 

Qualifications

• Expertise in municipal or government-related law and other public interest topics,
• Ability to first-chair complex litigation in state and federal court,
• Demonstrated effective and independent litigation skills
• Ability to effectively represent elected and high-profile clients in prominent matters,
• Demonstrated proficiency in research, writing, and communication skills,
• Effectively complete complex assignments independently and a wide variety of tasks simultaneously.
• Comfort with novel legal issues and emerging areas of law.
• Ability to show commitment to equity, inclusion and diversity in alignment with the City of Seattle's Race and Social Justice Initiative.

This position requires membership in good standing with the Washington State Bar Association, or licensure in another state with the ability to waive into Washington upon an offer of employment.
 Additional Information

The Civil Division of the City Attorney's Office seeks to set salaries based on objective measures of experience. Salaries are not subject to negotiation.

Our office is abiding by public health guidelines and maximizing telework arrangements for our employees except for necessary essential in-person work through January 8, 2021. The selected candidate will work with their direct supervisor on alternatives to meet workload requirements while considering public health guidelines during this time frame.
 
For your application to be accepted you must:
• Complete the online City Application,
• Attach a resume detailing your relevant experience,
• Attach a cover letter describing your unique interest in the position and applying your relevant experience to the requirements and qualifications of the job, and
• Provide a legal writing sample that is less than 10 pages. This can be an excerpt from a larger sample.

For questions regarding the Seattle City Attorney's Office, this position, or the application process, please contact Bridget Lamp, HR Specialist, at 206-684-8228 or bridget.lamp@seattle.gov. If you have trouble uploading the documents, please reach out with enough time to submit the required materials prior to the closing date and time.
 

AgencyCity of Seattle

AddressSeattle Municipal Tower
700 5th Avenue, Suite 5500
Seattle, Washington, 98104

Websitehttp://www.seattle.gov/jobs