Job Details

The Position

The City of Oakland is an equal opportunity employer that values workforce diversity, inclusion, and equity. Oakland has a long history of activism around issues of justice and equity. Both oppression and this resistance to oppression have shaped the City's historical roots and the lives of its residents to this date. As public servants in one of the most diverse cities in the nation, we strive to develop employees who understand the harm and impacts of systemic inequity to create lasting, meaningful outcomes for everyone. Oakland strives to establish an environment that embraces the richness of culture, community, and individualism of employees. Why work for the Office of the City Attorney Oakland? The Office of the City Attorney seeks highly skilled, community-oriented Senior Neighborhood Law Corps (NLC) Attorney with extensive litigation experience to lead and support major enforcement efforts addressing quality-of-life issues in Oakland. The Neighborhood Law Corps (NLC) is a unique, innovative, and award-winning community law program that focuses on a proactive, neighborhood-based, and community directed lawyering. The program described as a cross between legal aid and the Peace Corps.- brings legal resources and remedies into Oakland's diverse neighborhoods to address issues affecting quality of life in those communities. The Senior NLC Attorney will independently manage a significant caseload and lead complex and high-impact civil litigation to address nuisance conditions, blight, and other public safety and quality of life problems affecting Oakland's diverse neighborhoods. The attorney will also mentor junior attorneys and help shape strategic enforcement priorities. The position involves representing the City in state and federal courts and partnering closely with neighborhood groups, community stakeholders, and other governmental agencies.

About the Office The City Attorney's Office provides advice and counsel to the Mayor, City Council, and all City departments, boards, commissions in a wide variety of areas spanning the range of municipal law, including but not limited to, land use, real estate, personnel, elections, conflicts of interest, municipal finance, retirement, housing, public contracting and economic development. The City Attorney's Office also advocates for the City's interests in claims and lawsuits litigated in state or federal court, including high value personal injury cases, complex civil rights actions, breach of contract, personnel disputes, eminent domain actions, inverse condemnation and alleged constitutional violations. The Office has approximately 82 employees and three legal divisions: Advisory, General and Complex Litigation, and Affirmative Litigation, Enforcement and Innovation. The Advisory Division includes the Land Use & Planning. Real Estate, General Government & Finance, Labor & employment, and Code Enforcement units. The General and Complex Litigation Division includes defensive litigators and The Wirts, Appeals & Critical Motions unit. The Affirmative Litigation, Enforcement and Innovation Division include the Community Lawyering and Civil Rights, Neighborhood Law Corps and Housing Justice Initiative Laws. The work is high profile, dynamic, collaborative, and complex. The work is also a vital of importance to the City's realization of its progressive and cutting-edge policies and programs, and to the City's delivery of services to Oakland's residents and businesses.

Job Duties Duties may include but are not limited to:

• Leading case evaluation and strategy development for complex or high-profile matters.
• Drafting and reviewing pleadings, motions, and appellate briefs.
• Representing the City in settlement conferences, mediations, hearings, and trials.
• Handling emergency or expedited enforcement actions when necessary.
• Providing guidance and mentorship to NLC attorneys and law clerks.
• Collaborating with community groups, residents, merchants, and public agencies.
• Attending evening/weekend community meetings as needed.
• Working under the direction of a senior attorney while exercising a high degree of independence.
• Other duties as assigned.

Minimum Requirements for Application

Any combination of experience and education that would likely provide the required knowledge and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to obtain the requisite to knowledge and abilities would be:

• Experience: Five years of increasingly responsible work experience in one or more relevant areas of law comparable to a Deputy City Attorney III in the City of Oakland.
• A background in either federal or local government work is desirable, although not required.
• Candidates must have excellent writing and oral presentation skills.

• Education: Law school graduate

• License or Certificate: A member in good standing of the California State Bar.

• Desirable Skills: Working knowledge of municipal, state and federal laws affecting City governance. Language skills, especially in Spanish, Cantonese and/or Mandarin.

• Ability to: Interpret and apply various government codes and ordinances. Conduct research on legal problems and prepare sound legal opinions. Present cases in court and administrative proceedings. Brief and argue motions to a court. Analyze and prepare a wide variety of legal documents. Handle stressful and sensitive situations with tact and diplomacy, including across lines of difference and throughout the spectrum of diversity. Provide professional leadership, guidance and technical expertise to assigned staff. Work independently or as part of a team. Bring compassion, creativity, and clarity to challenging legal issues related to poverty and racial justice. Communicate effectively in both oral and written form with City officials, representatives of outside agencies and the public, and in litigation. Complete varied assignments within a narrow time frame. Establish and maintain effective working relationships with clients and other contacts in the course of work. Inspire confidence and respect for legal advice. Skillfully and professionally present legal advice to clients, including the elected and high-level appointed officials.

Supplemental Information

What's in it for you?

• Work/Life Balance: 37.5-hour work weeks

• 15 paid holidays

• Vacation: 2 weeks per year minimum with the ability to accrue more depending on public sector years of service

• Retirement: CalPERS (California Public Employees' Retirement System) with a pension formula of 2.5% @ 55 (for Classic CalPERS members) and 2% @ 62 for new CalPERS members. Classic Employees contribute 8% of pre-tax wages. The City of Oakland does not participate in Social Security

• Health: The City of Oakland pays the full cost of employee and eligible dependent coverage at the Kaiser rate. Other plans include Anthem, Blue Shield, United Health Care, and other HMO and PPO plans

• Dental: Delta Dental full premium for employees and eligible dependents

• Vision: VSP full premium for employees and eligible dependents

• Sick leave: Employees accrue 12 days per year

• Deferred Compensation: 457(b) pre-tax plan and an after-tax ROTH 401(k) plan

• Other benefits include a Flexible Spending Account, Wellness Program, Employee Assistance Program, Tuition Reimbursement, Life Insurance up to $200k & Employee Training.

Benefits described herein do not represent a contract and may be changed without notice. Additional information can be found at: Working for Oakland *Please Note: Salary is negotiable within the defined range depending on qualifications. Furthermore, benefits described herein do not represent a contract and may be changed without notice

Applicants are required to submit criminal history information upon request after receiving a conditional offer of employment. If the requested information is not furnished in a timely manner, applicants will not qualify for further consideration and will be removed from the eligible list.

Disaster Service Workers All employees are designated Disaster Service Workers through state and local law. Employees are required to complete all Disaster Service Worker-related training as assigned and to return to work as ordered in the event of an emergency.

HOW TO APPLY Submit a cover and resume by email to: jobs@oaklandcityattorney.org . Candidates selected to proceed in the hiring process will be asked to submit additional information (e.g., writing sample, references, answers to supplemental questions, and a formal City of Oakland employment application). The City of Oakland is an Equal Opportunity / ADA employer.