Community Investment Jobs (NOW HIRING)

About Us
The Office of the Los Angeles City Attorney is one of the nation's largest municipal law offices. With over 1,000 legal professionals, including 500 attorneys, the Office provides the City of Los Angeles ("City") with the highest caliber of legal services, ranging from prosecuting criminal misdemeanors and playing a leading role in criminal justice reform to advising on homelessness initiatives, defending civil lawsuits and claims, and bringing 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 in the Community Investment and Equity Division serve as general counsel to various City departments, including the Civil + Human Rights and Equity Department, the Department on Disability, and the Community Investment Department. In addition, the Division advises the City Council's Civil Rights, Equity, Immigration, Aging and Disability Committee, which said departments report to, and numerous Brown Act and other bodies, including the Commission on Civil Rights, the Commission on the Status of Women, the Human Relations Commission, the Domestic Violence Alliance, and the Workforce Development Board. As they provide general counsel services, Division attorneys also develop expertise responsive to each client's unique mission to serve some of the City's most vulnerable communities and address policy issues of citywide concern. The Division, which includes the Office's Equity Officer, works closely with its assigned City departments, various other departments, and colleagues throughout the Office, including the Equity Panel, to help ensure compliance with anti-discrimination laws and promote equity and inclusion for all.
Duties and Responsibilities
The supervising attorney of the Community Investment and Equity Division will manage approximately eight to ten personnel (attorneys and support staff) in handling the work of the division. The supervising attorney ensures that high-quality legal work is provided consistently to our clients and that the division works in a coordinated, efficient and helpful manner to City clients and other lawyers in the Office. The supervising attorney will provide written and oral advice on relevant legal issues and may also be required to appear on behalf of the Office before the City Council and its Committees, as well as other City Brown Act bodies and community stakeholder groups. The supervising attorney will be responsible for organizing and directing the daily operations of the division, including making staffing assignments, approval of timesheets, case/matter assignments. This shall include participating in the daily oversight, supervision, training and mentoring of attorneys, assisting attorneys in carrying out their assignments, and participating in personnel matters for both attorneys and support staff, including disciplinary matters, evaluations, and performance reviews, and other 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:
• Minimum ten (10) years of experience in the practice of law;
• Experience in one or more of the Division's subject matter areas;
• Familiarity with the requirements of the Brown Act, California Public Records Act, contracting laws and contracting best practices;
• Demonstrated ability to problem solve;
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively and professionally with colleagues and public officials;
• Excellent research and writing skills in complex areas of the law;
• Ability to work efficiently and make decisions practically and independently;
• Experience providing legal advice to public agencies and/or regulatory agencies, and public officials;
• Strong oral communication skills; and
• Strong analytical and reasoning abilities.
Desired Qualifications
• Knowledge and experience in the area of local, state and/or federal anti-discrimination laws;
• Knowledge of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA);
• Knowledge of federal grant programs and public grantmaking;
• Experience in drafting local ordinances;
• Admission to the United States District Court for the Central District;
• Civil litigation experience; and
• Desire to work with a relatively new, fast-paced, and innovative public-facing division.
How to apply
Requirements for Application
• Cover Letter
• Resume
• Candidates are required to submit two writing samples, which may include a recent brief, report, or legal research memo.
Application and Deadline
Interested candidates should go to: https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/lacityattorney/ to apply
online.
Conflict of Interest
This position is designated as Category 1 on the Conflict of Interest Code.
Contact
Questions? Please email atty.recruit@lacity.org.
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.