DEPUTY CITY ATTORNEY III - GENERAL LITIGATION

City Attorney

Exempt | Location: Civic Center

Annual Salary

$163,887.00 - $239,618.00

contact information

Human Resources
2139787160
atty.recruit@lacity.org

job description

About Us
The Office of the Los Angeles City Attorney is one of the nation's largest municipal law offices. It has more than 1,000 legal professionals, including more than 500 attorneys. The City Attorney is the Chief Counsel to the City and the Chief Prosecutor for the City of Los Angeles. The Office provides a wide range of legal services, prosecutes criminal misdemeanors, plays a leading role in criminal justice reform, advises on homelessness initiatives, defends civil lawsuits and claims, and brings civil enforcement actions in the name of the People of the State of California.

Guided by an overarching commitment to integrity, service and accountability, we find great meaning in the work we do and the services we provide. We seek collaborative team players who understand that fulfilling our mission is key to making a positive impact.

Description
Attorneys with the General Litigation Division defend the City of Los Angeles and its employees in civil tort litigation, particularly in personal injury and property damage actions. The cases involve allegations of dangerous condition of public property or negligence. The dangerous condition matters include roadway design, sewer backup, traffic engineering principles, trip and falls, and governmental immunities. The negligence matters primarily involve allegations of negligent driving by City employees that have resulted in traffic collisions. The primary venue for General Litigation is in Superior Courts throughout Los Angeles County as well as surrounding counties, although some Federal Court litigation is involved.

Duties and Responsibilities
The attorneys in this position are responsible for their own case intake, filing initial pleadings, motion work, discovery, settlement conferences, expert discovery and trial;

The attorney must be willing and able to conduct trials alone or with co-counsel;
Substantial knowledge of medical conditions is required since many matters involve catastrophic injuries; and
Other related duties as assigned.

Requirements
Applicants for this position must have a license to practice law in all of the courts in the State of California. Additional requirements include:

Five (5) years criminal or civil trial experience, or general litigation experience.
A sincere desire to vigorously litigate cases through pretrial and trial stages.
Strong verbal communication and writing skills and ability to exercise sound judgment.

Desirable Qualifications

Experience in representing governmental entities in Tort Litigation.
Ability to interact with public officials, city departments as well as the public.
Knowledge of medical conditions and terminology.

Current Location
City Hall East, 200 N. Main Street, Los Angeles. Position is subject to assignment at any location within the County of Los Angeles.

Probation
Appointment to this exempt position (non-Civil-Service) will be subject to a two year probationary period as required by Section 1050 of the City Charter. Successful completion of the two year probationary period will result in tenure with the office.

How to apply

Requirements for Application

-Cover Letter

-Resume

-Two writing samples that they personally have authored in the last two years.

https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/lacityattorney/

exempt employment

If employment is said to be exempt, it is meant that the employment is exempted from the civil service provisions of the City Charter. In order to receive a regular civil service appointment, employees must have successfully participated in a civil service examination, received a high enough score on the examination to be placed on and receive an appointment from an eligible list, and they must serve a probationary period. Exempt employees do not compete in a civil service examination, they are not placed on an eligible list and receive an appointment from that list, nor do they serve a probationary period. As a result, exempt employees do not have what is referred to as a “property interest” in their job. Exempt employees serve at the will of the appointing authority and can be terminated at any time without cause. Employees with a property interest in their job, i.e. civil service employees, cannot be deprived of their employment(discharged or suspended) without due process.

General Information About Exempt Employment

Exempt employees serve at the will of the appointing authority, and as such, they may be discharged, suspended or otherwise disciplined without cause. Exempt employees have no property interest in their employment, and any procedural benefit or other prerogative extended to them by their appointing authority is not intended to create and does not create any such property interest. No officer or employee of the City may make to any other officer or employee any representation of a property interest in employment which does not correspond to Charter provisions unless the City Council, by ordinance, permits such representation. No unauthorized representation can serve as the basis of an employee's reliance on, or expectation of, a property interest.

Employees Seeking To Become Civil Service Employees

There is no protective leave for an exempt employee appointed to a civil service position. Upon receiving a civil service appointment and passing probation, the former exempt employee will be subject to the Civil Service provisions described in Article X of the City Charter. Upon appointment, the civil service employee will begin to accrue displacement and layoff seniority on the first day of his/her civil service appointment and may file for promotional examinations for which s/he qualifies. A full or half-time exempt employee appointed to a full or half-time civil service position continues to: contribute to the Retirement System; accrue vacation time; accrue sick time; receive anniversary date salary increases; and, receive health and dental benefits identical to those received in the civil service position.

job openings