Equity Department 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 Equity & Inclusion Division serve as general counsel to various City departments, including the Community Investment Department, the Civil + Human Rights and Equity Department, and the Department on Disability. In addition, the Division advises the City Council's Civil Rights, Equity, Immigration, Aging and Disability Committee, 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 related to discrimination, disability rights and economic and workforce development. 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 Office's Equity Panel, to help ensure compliance with anti discrimination laws and promote equity and inclusion for all.
Duties and Responsibilities
The attorney assigned to this position will work closely with, but not exclusively for, the Community Investment Department, with a focus advising the department on the five-year Consolidated Plan and legal work related to the four federal grants received each year from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), which are the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME), Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG), and Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA). This work includes advice and transaction support related to the department's administration and management of more than $300 million in grants for programs that invest in strengthening families and communities, ending generational poverty, and creating community wealth. The assigned attorney will also be expected to staff and provide counsel during public meetings subject to the Brown Act and may also be required to appear before the City Council and oversight committees. The assigned attorney will also assist the Division in ensuring that contracts and RFPs are legally compliant and conform to best contracting practices and assist other Division attorneys in advising the Civil + Human Rights and Equity Department regarding its commissions, programs and initiatives, along with other duties assigned by the Division supervisor.
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 five years of experience in the practice of law;
• Minimum three years of experience with federal grant programs, contracting, and compliance;
• Familiarity with the requirements of the Brown Act, California Public Records Act,
• Familiarity with public 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;
• Strong oral communication skills; and
• Strong analytical and reasoning abilities.
Desired Qualifications
• Experience providing legal advice to public agencies and/or regulatory agencies, and public officials;
• Specific experience with HUD grantmaking practices, as well as CDBG, HOME, ESG, and HOPWA grants;
• Experience in drafting local ordinances; 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.