Assistant City Attorney II - Litigation

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Nature of Work

The purpose of this job is to provide a full range of legal services on issues and projects of importance to the City. Depending on assigned area(s), this job may involve litigation, municipal affairs, and/or ordinance enforcement. Position will have increased autonomy, depth of knowledge, and gain special areas of expertise from that of Assistant City Attorney I. Position will also provide support and guidance of Assistant City Attorney I in everyday duties and responsibilities.

The intent of this job description is to provide a representative summary of the major duties and responsibilities performed by employees in this job. The Department of Law is divided into three Divisions representing three primary areas of service to the City: Municipal Affairs, Civil Litigation, and Ordinance Enforcement. Although attorneys may be assigned work in more than one service area, not all attorneys will perform all of these duties.

THIS POSITION IS IN THE LITIGATION DIVISION:

• Acts as trial and appellate counsel handling litigation duties for matters of routine to moderate complexity on behalf of the City, the Mayor, the City Manager, the City Commission, all departments, employees, and boards and commissions within the City of Grand Rapids in state and federal court, and before state and local administrative and judicial bodies
• Investigates and processes personal injury and property claims through the City’s internal administrative process
• Answers complex tax petitions and manages litigation through pleadings, hearings, and motions, and processes tax exemption requests and disputes involving payments in lieu of taxes
• Manages and assists outside counsel in prosecuting and defending lawsuits on behalf of the City, the Mayor, the City Manager, the City Commission, all departments, employees, and boards and commissions within the City of Grand Rapids in state and federal court