DEPUTY CITY ATTORNEY II/III - PUBLIC SAFETY GENERAL COUNSEL DIVISION

City Attorney

Exempt | Location: Civic Center

Annual Salary

$129,101.04 - $244,421.28

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

The Public Safety General Counsel Division (PGEN) is comprised of the Police Discovery Section, Police Advocate Section and Public Safety General Counsel Section. The Division serves as general counsel to the Police Department (LAPD), Police Commission, and LAPD Inspector General. Attorneys in this Division work closely with LAPD management on cutting-edge legal issues involving constitutional law, criminal law and procedure, civil liability, municipal law, administrative law, labor and employment law. Division attorneys also serve as general counsel to other public safety-related departments and bodies within the City, including the Fire Department, Fire Commission, Emergency Management Department, and Emergency Operations Board.

Duties and Responsibilities

Duties may include providing assistance and advice on police, fire, and emergency management operations and policy issues; drafting City ordinances relating to public safety issues; appearing before the City Council and City Council committees; staffing public meetings of and advising the Board of Police Commissioners, Board of Fire Commissioners, City Council committees, and the Emergency Operations Board, including providing advice on legal issues on matters under consideration by those commissions/committees. Additional duties may include providing training to police and fire personnel; advising on the open meeting requirements of the Brown Act and the record disclosure requirements of the California Public Records Act; handling writ proceedings in the Superior Court; analyzing court opinions; preparing legal updates, reports, legal opinions, legal memoranda and written advice; drafting motions to quash; handling litigation in specialized matters; drafting oppositions to Pitchess motions, and handling court appearances.

Requirements

• Licensed to practice law in all courts in the State of California;

• Minimum five (5) years of experience in one or more of the following areas: civil litigation; labor/employment law; constitutional law; municipal law; and criminal law;

• Strong oral communication and advocacy skills;

• Demonstrated strong research and writing skills in complex areas of law;

• Strong analytical and reasoning skills;

• Demonstrated ability to handle a busy and varied workload;

• Demonstrated ability to exercise sound judgment; and

• Ability to work effectively with governmental agencies, public officials, police and fire personnel, and members of the public.

Desired Qualifications

• Civil litigation experience in California and federal courts;

• Civil writ experience;

• Knowledge of the California Public Records Act, Brown Act, Public Safety Officers Procedural Bill of Rights Act, and conflict of interest laws;

• Knowledge of the City Charter and City Administrative Code;

• Experience drafting legal advice and ordinances;

• Knowledge of labor contracts, grievance procedures, and labor laws.

How to apply

Application and Deadline

Interested candidates should go to: https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/lacityattorney/ to apply online.

Qualified applicants will be invited to interview. Position will remain open until filled.

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.

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