Description

Job Summary:

Under general direction, performs a variety of professional duties involved in providing a full range of legal services related to municipal government operations; represents the City in criminal or civil proceedings as assigned before courts, administrative agencies and boards, arbitrators, and other administrative agencies; investigates, prepares, and prosecutes misdemeanor criminal cases in courts; and advises City departments, staff, boards, and commissions.

Scope of Responsibility:

Incumbent has a high degree of understanding of department and functional operations and is able to work with considerable initiative.  Working with senior management guidance, incumbent applies professional and managerial principles that can affect the entire department with the potential to have a major effect on the City.  Incumbent’s decisions can have a moderate to major financial impact on the overall organization.  Incumbent solves complex legal and technical problems, which can have significant impact on the entire organization. Incumbent must have the ability to exercise discretion regarding confidential matters.

Requirements

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Legal 

• Represents the City by prosecuting various misdemeanor criminal offenses; initiates prosecutions; prepares cases for prosecution; reviews reports and conducts legal research; prepares court orders, petitions, affidavits, and briefs; tries cases; determines and recommends appropriate sentences.
• Represents the City in civil or criminal legal proceedings before courts (including Municipal Court, Montana District Court, Montana Supreme Court, Federal Court), administrative agencies and boards (including Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Montana Human Rights Commission, Board of Personnel Appeals), arbitrators, and other administrative agencies.
• Prepares pleadings, conducts legal research, prepares briefs and memoranda, appears in court, and negotiates with other parties.
• Prosecutes, negotiates, and settles misdemeanor criminal cases as assigned by the City Attorney or Assistant City Attorney.
• Provides legal advice and opinions as requested by the City Attorney or Assistant City Attorney to City employees, City Council, and City boards and commissions on a variety of criminal legal issues; advises staff and officials on the legal requirements and consequences of proposed actions; provides training to City staff and others on current laws and effective enforcement procedures; conducts ongoing legal research in connection with civil or criminal legal issues pertaining to the City.
• Analyzes, reviews, and drafts legal documents which bind or obligate the City; provides legal opinions and recommendations to ensure the City is properly and effectively represented in such matters; reviews rules, regulations, and policies to ensure legal compliance.
  
  

Department Duties

• Participates in the development, planning, and implementation of criminal policies and procedures for the City Attorney’s Office; devises and implements systems and forms for most efficient operations as assigned.
• Exercises administrative supervision over assigned criminal division staff, participates in selecting, training, motivating, and evaluating the day-to-day activities of personnel as directed; provides and coordinates staff training; works with employees to correct deficiencies.
• Runs, reviews, and analyzes various departmental audits.
• Prepares or assists in preparing grants for the department.
• Participates on a variety of boards and commissions; attends and participates in professional group meetings; stays abreast of new trends and innovations in the field of law.
• Attends and participates in Billings Adult Municipal Treatment Court or other treatment courts as assigned.
• Responds to and attempts to resolve difficult and sensitive citizen inquiries and complaints.
   

Performs other duties as assigned by City Attorney or Assistant City Attorney.

 Required Qualifications and Skills:

• Juris doctorate from an American Bar Association approved law school
• Member in good standing with the Montana State Bar
• License to practice law in the state and federal courts in Montana
• Must be able to pass a Federal and State background check

 Preferred Qualifications and Skills:

• Four (4) years of increasingly responsible professional legal experience in criminal law and/or municipal or other government law, or the equivalent
• Two (2) years of prosecutorial experience 

Physical Demands & Working Conditions:

Work is a normal office environment.  Intermittent effort involving lifting of amounts between 5 and 25 pounds is required.  Work requires high attention to detail and deadlines between 45% and 70% of the time.  Office is fast-paced, and caseload varies but is frequently high volume.  Incumbent may be exposed to disagreeable elements on an intermittent basis including, dealing with angry people, threats of injury or assault, violence, or offensive language. Driving is required rarely.

Some requirements in this job description may exclude individuals who pose a direct threat or significant risk to the health and safety of themselves or other employees.  All requirements are subject to modification to reasonably accommodate individuals with disabilities.

Requirements are representative of minimum levels of knowledge, skills, and experience required.  To perform this job successfully, the worker must possess the abilities and aptitudes to perform each duty proficiently.

This document does not create an employment contract, implied or otherwise.  The City retains the discretion to add duties or change the duties of this position at any time.