THE OPPORTUNITY

The City of Stockton offers a stellar opportunity for municipal attorneys with extensive litigation experience and/or advisory experience to municipal service departments who are looking to work in a dynamic, fast paced environment and an organization characterized by a friendly, productive, and collegial team atmosphere. In this recruitment, the City is seeking highly skilled candidates to fill Deputy City Attorney III and IV roles in the City Attorney’s Office.

THE CITY OF STOCKTON

Located in California’s great Central Valley, Stockton has grown from a community with deep agricultural roots to an urban destination with a rich arts and culture scene, fine dining, shopping, sports, recreation, and family activities. With a multi-ethnic and multicultural population of over 320,000 residents, Stockton is the 11th largest city in California. It is centrally located 60 miles east of the San Francisco Bay Area and 45 miles south of Sacramento, offering an easy and scenic drive to numerous world-famous attractions such as Lake Tahoe, Yosemite National Park, and the California Coast. In addition, Stockton has many local natural resources, including the San Joaquin Delta.

THE CITY ATTORNEY’S OFFICE

The City Attorney’s Office operates on a FY 2024-25 budget of $1.6 million which supports a team of eight attorneys, one paralegal, one executive assistant, two full-time legal secretaries, and one part-time legal secretary, and is divided into two divisions. One division is primarily focused on litigation and code enforcement. The second division is primarily focused on advisory and employment-related matters. The office currently has three attorney vacancies at the Deputy City Attorney III and IV levels.

The Office supports a significant volume of litigation, criminal prosecution, and code enforcement matters and expects this activity will continue. The Office works with City departments to find and implement solutions to high-priority issues like crime reduction, workforce development, expansion of youth programming, program and resource availability targeted toward community wellbeing, homelessness, including the provision of affordable housing, and allocation of economic development efforts to develop business incentives and engage private employers to increase employment opportunities consistent with the Council’s priority goals.

THE POSITIONS

Under general direction from the City Attorney and the Assistant City Attorney, the Deputy City Attorneys (DCA’s) perform legal work related to municipal government operations; conduct legal research, prepare opinions, memoranda, administrative rules, regulations, and other documents; advise City departments, board, commissions, and committees; prosecute misdemeanor and/or infraction criminal violations of the Municipal Code and/or other codes adopted by the City; represent the City in a variety of litigation matters; and perform other related work as assigned.

The Deputy City Attorney III is the advanced journey level and is distinguished from the DCA II level by the performance of more difficult and complex professional legal tasks involving a wide variety of municipal legal subjects with only occasional instruction or assistance. The Deputy City Attorney IV is the senior level and is distinguished from the DCA I-III by the level of responsibility assumed, complexity of duties assigned, independence of action taken, the amount of time spent performing the duties, and the nature of public contact made.

The City and City Attorney are seeking candidates with demonstrated experience working in a municipal setting or in a practice providing municipal consultation services focused on providing professional advice to City departments and in providing litigation services.

QUALIFICATIONS

Education and Licensure: A Juris Doctorate degree from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association or the California Bar Association is required. The selected candidates must promptly apply for admission to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California, if not already admitted to that court.

Experience:

• Deputy City Attorney III: At least two (2) years of professional legal experience comparable to a Deputy City Attorney with the City of Stockton. Prior public agency experience is highly desirable.

• Deputy City Attorney IV: At least three (3) years of professional experience comparable to a Deputy City Attorney with the City of Stockon. Again, prior public agency experience is highly desirable.

SALARY & BENEFITS

The salary range for the Deputy City Attorney III is $129,411 to $165,450, and for the Deputy City Attorney IV is $142,165 to $182,284. Placement is dependent on the qualifications and experience of the selected candidate.

The City offers a comprehensive benefits package including retirement provided by CalPERS with a 2% @ 60 for “classic” members, and a 2% @ 62 formula for employees new to CalPERS. The City follows a 9/80 work schedule with every other Friday off. Some remote work is allowable and may be negotiated with the City Attorney upon hire.

For additional benefit information, interested candidates are encouraged to review the detailed recruitment brochure by clicking on the .pdf link on this page.

APPLICATION & SELECTION PROCESS

To be considered for this position, interested candidates must submit a cover letter and résumé below. Candidates are encouraged to apply immediately, as this recruitment will close once a sufficiently strong pool of stellar candidates has been established.

Confidential inquiries are welcomed to:

Bryan Noblett | bryan@mosaicpublic.com | (916) 550-4100