Salary: $36.89 - $40.00 Hourly
Location : City Hall, 442 W. Washington Street, Suffolk, VA
Job Type: Part Time
Job Number: 4600
Department: CITY ATTORNEY
Opening Date: 07/27/2026
Closing Date: 8/11/2026 11:59 AM Eastern
Description
Under general supervision, the Legal Intern performs professional work for the Office of the City Attorney. Duties include drafting legal pleadings, reviewing correspondence, conducting legal research, and drafting legal memoranda. The Legal Intern must exercise tact, courtesy, and discretion in frequent contact with attorneys, City officials, City staff, court personnel, judges, and the public. Reports to the Deputy City Attorney.
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform the essential job functions satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the primary job functions herein described. Since every duty associated with this position may not be described herein, employees may be required to perform duties not specifically spelled out in the job description, but which may be reasonably considered to be incidental in the performing of their duties just as though they were actually written out in this job description.
Essential Job Functions
- Reviews legal correspondence from the Courts and attorneys.
- Conducts legal research on various issues including child welfare, conflict of interest law, eminent domain, employment, freedom of information, procurement, and zoning law.
- Drafts legal pleadings, motions, and memoranda.
- Assists attorneys in preparation of child welfare, litigation, and zoning cases.
- Attends meetings for City Council, City departments, boards, and commissions as needed.
- Communicates with supervisor, department employees, other departments, and other individuals as needed to coordinate work activities, review status of work, exchange information, or resolve problems.
- Performs other related duties as required.
Required Qualifications
Juris Doctor degree from an accredited law school.
Valid Driver's License.
Preferred Qualification: Sat for the July 2026 Virginia Bar Exam or already passed the Virginia Bar Exam.
Supplemental Information
- Knowledge of Virginia law pertaining to the operations, authority and responsibilities of municipal government.
- Knowledge of the principles and procedures of civil law, especially as related to municipal government.
- Knowledge of municipal government structure and operations.
- Knowledge of legal research and investigation methodology, judicial procedure, and rules of evidence.
- Knowledge of the current literature, trends and developments in the field of municipal law.
- Knowledge and proficiency with computers and related software programs.
- Skilled in civil litigation and legal writing.
- Ability to interpret and apply laws and court decisions, and to use legal source material in technical research.
- Ability to express ideas effectively, orally and in writing.
- Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships as necessitated by work assignments.
- Ability to compare and/or judge the readily observable, functional, structural, or compositional characteristics (whether similar to or divergent from obvious standards) of data, people or things.
- Ability of speaking and/or signaling people to convey or exchange information. Includes receiving assignments and/or directions from superiors.
- Ability to read, comprehend, and interpret caselaw, ordinances, regulations, and statutes.
- Ability to read a variety of reports, letters, and memos, contracts, deeds, ordinances, resolutions, legal briefs, etc. Requires the ability to prepare correspondence, reports, contracts, deeds, legal briefs, ordinances, resolutions, etc., using prescribed formats and conforming to all rules of punctuation, grammar, diction, and style.
- Ability to speak before groups of people with poise, voice control and confidence.
- Ability to record and deliver information, to explain procedures, to follow oral and written instructions. Must be able to communicate effectively and efficiently in a variety of technical or professional languages including legal, engineering, medical and tax terminology.
Seasonal Employees- No Benefits
Part-time Employees - Sick Leave (See below)
Full Time Employees are eligible for the following benefits;
Retirement (Virginia Retirement System employer) for employees hired on or after 1/1/14 -
Hybrid Members
Hybrid plan members contribute 4 percent of creditable compensation to the defined benefit plan and 1 percent to the defined contribution plan each month. Members may voluntarily contribute up to an additional 4 percent in 0.5 percent increments to the defined contribution plan each month. Members can increase or decrease their voluntary contributions on a quarterly basis. With the mandatory and voluntary contributions to the defined contribution component of the plan, members can contribute a maximum of 5 percent with a 3.5 percent match from the employer. Members invest in various investment options that best fit their needs.
Vested after 5 years in the defined benefit part of the plan. Vested in phases based on years in the Defined Contribution part of the Plan. The retirement eligibility for a full or reduced retirement pension in the Hybrid Plan is very detailed. Please contact the Virginia Retirement System or the Human Resources Department for details.
Paid Time Off (PTO)Yearly earnings
120 Hours (1-59 months), 144 Hours (60-119 months), 168 Hours (120- 179 months), 192 Hours (180 and over)
Sick Leave
Part Time employees earn 4 hours per month Sick leave accrues at the end of the month and may be accrued with no ceiling.
Personal Leave
All regular full time employees are granted 24 hours of personal leave each calendar year. Personal leave must be preapproved and is not cumulative.
Health Insurance
Coverage available for you and your eligible dependents using pre-tax payroll deductions if elected.
Supplemental Insurances
Employees may purchase the following supplemental insurance policies: short term and long term disability, cancer, accident, supplemental hospitalization, and group universal life insurance.
Employer Sponsored Short Term and Long Term Disability
Provides disability coverage for employees work and non-work related disabilities. Work related disabilities are covered starting on day one (1). Non work related disabilities are covered starting on day eight (8), after you have been employed for one year.
Flexible Spending Accounts
Employees may participate in the Health Reimbursement, Dependent Care Reimbursement and Premium Reimbursement Accounts. All deductions are made on a pre-tax basis and will reduce your taxable income.
Life Insurance
The city pays the entire premium for life insurance coverage in the amount of 2 times annual salary for natural death and 4 times annual salary for accidental death.
Optional Life Insurance
Employees have the option of electing additional life insurance coverage in the amount of 1, 2, 3 or 4 times their annual salary. Employees may only purchase optional life insurance on spouses and children if they are enrolled in optional life insurance for themselves.
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
12 weeks of job protected leave for leaves approved in accordance with the Family Medical Leave Act. Employees receive continuation of health insurance, job protection and consideration for a comparable job when available, or an equivalent job, upon return to work.
Funeral Leave
24 hours of paid leave of absence in case of death in immediate family.
Holidays
Suffolk follows the Virginia State holiday calendar as set by the Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Jury Duty
Time off with pay with difference between jury pay and regular pay or use annual leave and keep check.
457 Deferred Compensation, ROTH IRA, Traditional IRA
Offered through ICMA Retirement Corporation as a way to shelter a portion of your salary from income taxes and save for retirement.
Employee Assistance Program
Offers employees and immediate family members (3) free, confidential counseling sessions related to a broad range of issues such as marital or family conflict, job or personal stress, alcohol or drug abuse, financial or legal worries, etc.
Worker's Compensation
Should an employee have an on the job injury, he/she could be eligible for Workmen's Compensation Benefits, except in cases of willful neglect.
Pay Days
Employees will be paid on the 15th and last working day of each month.
Credit Union
A Suffolk Credit Union is available to employees.
Legal Services
Employees may prepay for access to legal assistance.
Notary Public Services
Services available in the Human Resources Department.
Alternative Work ScheduleFor some positions -Offers 4 Alternative Work Schedule options to provide employees with greater control over their personal and professional time, as well as reducing absences.
01
Do you have a valid driver's license?
02
Did you graduate from an accredited school of law with a Juris Doctorate degree?
- Yes
- No
- Currently enrolled in a Juris Doctorate Program
03
Please provide your status in relation to the Virginia Bar Exam:
Required Question
