THE OPPORTUNITY

The City of Orange offers a career capstone opportunity for California municipal legal leaders in its City Attorney position. With both a highly functional Council and staff, the next City Attorney will have the opportunity to lead the provision of first-class municipal legal services in a friendly, productive, and collegial environment.

THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE

The City Attorney’s Office for the City of Orange provides its services through a staff of eight, including three Senior Assistant City Attorneys, a Risk Manager, a Risk Management Analyst, a Senior Legal Assistant and a Legal Assistant. The stated mission for the department is to be an effective and impartial legal representative for the City of Orange, as governed by its Council and managed by its staff, as well as to uphold the Federal and State constitutions and all laws consistent with those constitutions.

A few of the department's current goals include effectively representing the interests of the City in direct handling of litigation and administrative proceedings, providing high quality and timely legal services to the City Council, Planning Commission, other advisory bodies, and all City departments, and maintaining effective cost control for all City legal services including effective management of outside legal counsel services and costs.

THE POSITION

Under policy direction from the City Council, the City Attorney provides a wide range of professional legal services, assistance and advice to the City Council, all City departments, the City Manager, and various boards, committees, and commissions. Additionally, the City Attorney plans, organizes, manages, and provides administrative direction and oversight for all functions and activities of the City Attorney's Office, including the City's Risk Management Division. The City Attorney also coordinates assigned activities with other City departments, officials, outside agencies, outside counsel, and the public. The City Attorney is responsible for fostering cooperative working relationships with City departments, intergovernmental and regulatory agencies, and various public and private groups.

The ideal candidate must be a solid municipal law leader with a style rich in collaboration and partnership, have a high degree of accessibility and responsiveness, and can assess risk across multiple potential courses of action and help others arrive at decisions that are sound and in the best interest of the City.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Education: Possession of a Juris Doctorate degree from an accredited school of law.

• Experience: A minimum of seven years of practice in the field of public agency law, as well as seven years of management and/or administrative experience in the same.

• Licensure: License to practice law in the State of California.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

The annual salary for the City Attorney is up to $273,000 dependent upon qualifications (DOQ). The City contributes an additional 3% on top of salary which can be taken as cash or placed into a 401A Money Purchase Retirement Plan. Employees with a Master’s degree or higher are eligible to receive $500 per month of Education Pay which is reported to the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) as pensionable compensation.

The City offers an outstanding benefits package which includes retirement benefits provided by CalPERS. The City of Orange is one of a few cities in Orange County in which an employee who is a Classic Member of CalPERS (or other reciprocal retirement system), will be enrolled in the CalPERS 2.7% @ 55 benefit formula with one-year final compensation. Classic Member employees contribute 8.0% of pension reportable salary on a pre-tax basis for this retirement benefit.

Employees who are new CalPERS members (those obtaining initial membership on or after January 1, 2013), will be enrolled in the CalPERS 2% @ 62 benefit formula with three-year final compensation in accordance with PEPRA. New member employees currently contribute 6.75% (7.75% effective June 18, 2023) of pension reportable salary on a pre-tax basis for this retirement benefit.

In addition, the City offers an on-site 9/80 work schedule from 7:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. with City Hall closures every other Friday. Interested candidates are encouraged to review the recruitment brochure for detailed information regarding the City’s comprehensive benefits package by clicking on the link above.

RECRUITMENT PROCESS

This recruitment will be handled with strict confidentiality. References will not be contacted until mutual interest has been established. Confidential inquiries are welcomed to Greg Nelson or Bryan Noblett at (916) 550-4100.

Interested candidates may review the detailed recruitment brochure by clicking on the .pdf link above and are encouraged to apply below.

A preliminary closing date has been set for Friday, April 14, 2023, but interested candidates should apply immediately, as this recruitment may close early once a sufficiently strong candidate pool has been established.

The City of Orange is an Equal Opportunity Employer.