Senior Assistant County Counsel Grade K10

Minimum Qualifications:

Juris Doctorate Degree required; supplemented by five (5) years of experience in law as a practicing attorney or licensed judicial law clerk; or any equivalent combination of education, training, and experience which provides the requisite knowledge, skills, and abilities for this job.

Specific License or Certification Required Must possess and maintain certification and licensure from the State Bar of Georgia or obtain within six months of hire. Must possess and maintain a valid driver's license.

Specific Knowledge, Skills, or Abilities: Must be able to demonstrate proficiency in performance of the essential functions and learn, comprehend, and apply all county or departmental policies, practices, and procedures necessary to function effectively in the position.

ALL APPLICATIONS MUST BE COMPLETED IN FULL BEFORE THEY ARE SUBMITTED. PLEASE REVIEW ALL APPLICATIONS FOR ACCURACY AND MAKE ALL CORRECTIONS BEFORE SUBMITTAL BECAUSE ERRORS CAN RESULT IN NOT MEETING THE MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED AFTER ALLOCATIONS ARE RECEIVED BY THE PERSONNEL DEPARTMENT.

Purpose of Classification:

The purpose of this classification is to provide legal counsel to assigned departments, boards, elected officials, and employees. This classification is distinguished from Assistant County Counsel in that incumbents in this class are assigned multiple or larger departments, are assigned more complex matters and have sufficient law experience and skills to function with significant autonomy representing the interests of Fulton County-related clients with limited supervision. The Fulton County Attorney’s Office (FCAO) serves as in-house counsel for all non-criminal legal matters in Fulton County, an organization consisting of over 5,000 employees and officials. The FCAO handles a broad range and high volume of transactions and lawsuits that touch upon all operational aspects of the largest county in the State of Georgia, as well as handling routine and complex litigation. Matters handled in this office span from administrative to constitutional law, with clients and practice areas that include public health and safety, labor and employment, compliance, real estate, finance, taxation, emergency services, licensing and code enforcement, personal injury, premises liability, community development, arts and culture, film industry, information technology, public works and infrastructure, elections, libraries, courts, boards, and authorities.

Essential Functions:

The following duties are normal for this position. The omission of specific statements of the duties does not exclude them from the classification if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment for this classification. Other duties may be required and assigned.

Serves as counsel in representing the legal interest of the County for assigned departments in accordance with state and federal laws and rules of professional conduct: provides legal advice to represented clients and other department heads, elected officials or managers as requested or assigned; attends meetings; assesses nature of the legal issue presented; provides legal support to senior attorneys; handles complex transactional assignments independently; researches and analyzes internal regulations, policies and procedures or relevant state and federal law; advises client of legal solution and execution of appropriate steps and implementation; researches legal issues and writes legal opinions and memoranda; reviews legal opinions and memoranda of junior attorneys; develops strategies and solutions to ensure compliance; provides information regarding updated laws and regulations as needed.

Manages litigation for assigned county-related clients: prepares and responds to interrogatories, requests for production of documents, requests for admissions and other discovery requests; prepares appropriate motions and other necessary pleadings; takes and defends depositions; meets with clients and other witnesses; conducts legal research; determines case strategy; attends and participates in mediations, trials, and hearings; argues client's position; makes and responds to legal arguments; presents and examines witnesses; introduces and/or opposes to evidence; issues subpoenas; prepares and responds to appellate filings; communicates with clients, opposing counsel, and adverse parties; maintains related documentation and files; coordinates litigation tasks for assigned cases.

Represents assigned department in personnel matters: attends classified employee hearings and other proceedings; conducts research; interviews clients; represents County's interests

.Drafts and reviews contracts and agreements: reviews contracts for compliance with internal policies and procedures, as well as local, state and federal laws; identifies contract issues and leads implementation of solutions; conducts research; analyzes terms and conditions to ensure County's interests are protected and safeguard against potential liability; gives legal advice regarding contract details; maintains related documentation and files.

Represents County in tax appeals: responds to the Notice of Appeal; prepares and responds to interrogatories, requests for admission and requests for production of documents; attends mediations, arbitrations and hearings; prepares for and attends and participates in trial, in state and federal courts; meets with client and expert witnesses; reviews and analyzes data submitted by client and taxpayer.

Develops and reviews legislation: reviews, drafts, and interprets laws, ordinances, regulations, and resolutions; reviews and interprets pending and new legislation; analyzes impact on County policies and services; provides advice to County officials and departments regarding the same.

Maintains a comprehensive, current knowledge and awareness of applicable laws, regulations, policies and procedures: maintains an awareness of new procedures, trends and advances in the profession; reads professional literature; maintains professional affiliations; participates in training and continuing education activities; attends and conducts meetings, workshops and seminars as appropriate.

Processes a variety of documentation associated with department/division operations, within designated timeframes and per established procedures: receives and reviews various documentation, including legal and court documents, legal correspondence, contracts, open records requests, legislation, and budgets; reviews, completes, processes, forwards or retains as appropriate; prepares or completes various forms, reports, correspondence, and other documentation, including legal pleadings, discovery motions, legal correspondence, legal memoranda, and legislation; compiles data for further processing or for use in preparation of department reports; and maintains computerized and/or hardcopy records.

Operates or uses various equipment and supplies in order to complete work assignments: operates a personal computer to enter, retrieve, review or modify data, utilizing word processing, spreadsheet, database, presentation, Internet, e-mail, or other software; and operates general office or other equipment as necessary to complete essential functions.

Communicates with County officials, supervisor, other employees, clients, court personnel, third party service contractors, the public, and other individuals as needed to coordinate work activities, review status of work, exchange information, or resolve problems.

Collaborates with Elected Officials and Appointing Authorities to achieve best results in assigned matters; drafts resolutions for Commissioners; drafts policies and procedures; drafts written opinions as assigned; able to synthesize and integrate data to predict, anticipate and plan for current and future legal issues that the County is facing, or may face; applying principles of logical and legal thinking to both intellectual and practical relationships within the County to solve legal problems; assisting County employees, Appointing Authorities, Elected Officials and departments with interpreting and following laws, rules and regulations governing County operations; assisting Appointing Authorities, Elected Officials, and employees in implementing legal goals and objectives set by the Board of Commissioners; and exercising judgment, decisiveness and creativity in critical, unexpected, and ever-changing situations involving risk to the County.

Provides legal expertise in the areas of administrative law (personnel and grievance hearings and arbitrations); federal civil rights; conflicts of interest (political activities, gifts and post-employment restrictions); employee benefits; ethics (financial and non-financial conflicts of interest); labor and employment issues (overtime, discipline, Fair Labor Standards Act); taxation and revenue enhancement; purchasing; open records; grants issues (award documents, administrative matters, disputes, audit resolutions and audit appeals); real property transactions (leases, use agreements, permits, licenses, acquisition and disposal of real property and interests in real property); local government issues (governed by statutes, regulations and the Georgia Constitution of County-wide applicability); environmental law; and contracting.

Additional Functions: May provide lead guidance and direction to paralegals and administrative staff, including instructing and training, and assigning and reviewing work.

Performs other related duties as required.

Performance Aptitudes:

Data Utilization: Requires the ability to coordinate, manage, and/or correlate data. Includes exercising judgment in determining time, place and/or sequence of operations, referencing data analyses to determine necessity for revision of organizational components, and in the formulation of operational strategy.
Human Interaction: Requires the ability to function in a director capacity for a major organizational unit requiring significant internal and external interaction.
Equipment, Machinery, Tools, and Materials Utilization: Requires the ability to operate, maneuver and/or control the actions of equipment, machinery, tools, and/or materials used in performing essential functions.
Verbal Aptitude: Requires the ability to utilize consulting and advisory data and information, as well as reference, descriptive and/or design data and information as applicable.
Mathematical Aptitude: Requires the ability to perform addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division; the ability to calculate decimals and percentages; the ability to utilize principles of fractions; and the ability to interpret graphs.
Functional Reasoning: Requires the ability to apply principles of logical or synthesis functions; to deal with several concrete and abstract variables; and to analyze major problems that require complex planning for interrelated activities that can span one or several work units.
Situational Reasoning: Requires the ability to exercise judgment, decisiveness and creativity in situations involving broader aspects of organizational programs and operations, moderately unstable situations, or the direction, control and planning of an entire program or set of programs.

It is the policy of Fulton County that there will be equal opportunity for every citizen, employee and applicant, based upon merit without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, gender, genetics, age, disability or sexual orientation.

The purpose of this classification is to provide legal counsel to assigned departments, boards, elected officials and employees. This classification is distinguished from Assistant County Attorney II in that incumbents in this class are assigned multiple or larger departments and have eight years of law experience and are expected to be able to function with significant autonomy representing the interests of Fulton County-related clients with limited supervision.