City of Bellingham · 2 months ago
City Attorney
Bellingham, WA
Full-time
Onsite
Director/Executive
$178K/yr - $215K/yr
7+ years expThe City of Bellingham is seeking a City Attorney to provide strategic leadership and oversight to the City Attorney’s Office. The role involves developing programs and policies, providing comprehensive legal services, and collaborating with various stakeholders to enhance the City’s effectiveness and community engagement.
Government Administration
No H1B
Responsibilities
Serves as a member of the City’s senior leadership team
Provides information and advice to the Mayor, City Council, and leadership team on strategic planning and accomplishment of City mission goals and objectives
Coordinates the Department’s activities with those of other City departments and offices to ensure a consistent approach towards common projects and interests and the cost-effective delivery of services
Plans, organizes, directs, and evaluates the work of the Legal Department, including providing legal counsel to the elected officials and City departments, prosecuting crimes and misdemeanors under municipal law, and overseeing the City’s risk management and liability and property and insurance programs
Directly or through staff, researches federal, state and local laws and regulations, and issues legal opinions and provides option based legal counsel to the elected and appointed officials of the City and to various City boards and commissions
Maintains close liaison with the Mayor, City Council, City departments, boards and commissions
Staffs or attends all regular City Council meetings, and committee meetings to provide legal guidance to elected officials
Drafts legal documents on behalf of the City, including ordinances, resolutions, code provisions, contracts, and other legal instruments
Approves as to form and content all City legal documents prior to execution by the Mayor or other approving authority
Oversees the preparation, maintenance, and updating of the City Municipal Code and related documents
Directly or through staff, brings legal action on behalf of the City
Defends the City, its officials and employees acting on behalf of the City, when charged with violation of law or regulation
Hires special (outside) legal counsel to provide special expertise or to handle exceptional legal workload
Directly or through staff, prosecutes criminal violations before the Municipal Court
Works cooperatively with law enforcement agencies to deal with patterns of criminal activity and code violations
Recommends code provisions to address nuisance, disruptive, or criminal behavior in the City
Oversees the City’s risk management and loss liability programs
Recommends levels and types of liability insurance coverage and procures necessary insurance protection; recommends and manages self-insured liability coverage and funds; and provides for efficient claims processing and management
Works with City departments to review liability risk situations and to manage and reduce City exposure to adverse claims
Develops accident review and claims risk assessment response programs
Contributes to state and federal government relations and tribal relations initiatives; supporting effective communications, media relations and community engagement; organization-wide policy development, and sound fiscal and business management practices
Qualification
Required
Seven years of experience in the practice of municipal law
Three years of experience in the practice of municipal law in the state of Washington
Graduation from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association
Licensed to practice law in the State of Washington
In good standing with the Washington State Bar Association
Five or more years of demonstrated experience in a management position
An equivalent combination of education and experience sufficient to provide the candidate with the knowledge, skill and ability to successfully perform the essential functions of the job
Preferred
Significant Litigation and Trial experience
Demonstrated creativity and innovation in programs and processes
Benefits
20 hours of vacation leave per month, with increased accrual over time
12 paid holidays + 1 floating holiday per year
40 hours of sick leave upon hire + 8 hours accrued monthly
Medical, dental, and vision insurance for employees and their families
Life insurance and long-term disability coverage
Flexible spending accounts and medical insurance opt-out program
Access to an Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
Washington State Retirement plan (DRS) for retirement security
Optional 457 deferred compensation savings plan and 401(a) Retirement Savings Plan up to 3% with employer match
Company
City of Bellingham
Join the City of Bellingham, where throughout our organization talented, dedicated employees are delivering quality public services and stepping up every day to address the opportunities and challenges of our growing community.
501-1000 employees
Funding
Current Stage
Late StageCompany data provided by crunchbase