Assistant City Attorney/Prosecutor

Pay: $85,611 annual compensation

Job Posting Closing on: Tuesday, November 12, 2024

Benefits for this position include: 11 Paid Holidays, Medical, Dental, Vision, Paid Time Off, Pension Plan, Professional Development Opportunities, and much more.

The City of Fort Worth is one of the fastest growing large cities in the U.S. Our employees serve the needs of nearly 1,000,000 residents, promoting our values of exceptional customer experience, mutual respect, embracing our diversity, continuous improvement, ethical behavior, and accountability.

The Fort Worth City Attorney’s Office is a collegial team of legal professionals providing excellent legal service to the City of Fort Worth. As an in-house legal department, we practice in a wide range of civil and criminal law on behalf of and for the City, including general counsel, litigation, and prosecutorial areas. Local government is the form of government that is closest to the people and working for a well-managed city like Fort Worth gives meaning and purpose as you see the direct and positive impact your legal work has on improving the community.

The City Attorney’s Office places strong emphasis on mentorship and career development and the majority of our attorneys receive in-house training for their positions. We highly value diversity and work life balance and we consistently strive to be a respectful and supportive work place with a great culture.

This position, Assistant City Attorney/Prosecutor, is where most of the attorneys in our office began their tenure at the City Attorney’s Office and is a stepping stone into other positions within the office with a broader legal practice, providing opportunity for growth. This position provides for immediate trial experience, both judicial and jury, in a low stress environment and is usually confined to regular business hours.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Juris Doctorate from an accredited law school with no experience required.
• Possession of a license from the Supreme Court of Texas to practice law is required at the time of hiring.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Municipal law experience.

The Assistant City Attorney/Prosecutor job responsibilities include:

• Prosecute State and local criminal offenses in the City’s municipal courts, conducting case screening and evaluation, case preparation, pre-trial hearing, case-in chief presentations, appeals and other post-judgment requirements.
• Advise City departments and prepare legal opinions on class “C” misdemeanor prosecution matters.
• Prepare and review City Code ordinances carrying class “C” misdemeanor prosecution consequences.
• Negotiate appropriate settlements of municipal court cases with attorney representatives and unrepresented defendants.
• Represent the City/State in administrative hearings and other civil proceedings in the City’s municipal court.
• Represent City departments in litigation and administrative hearings in courts other than the City’s municipal courts when connected with class “C” misdemeanor prosecution.
• Conducts review of legal documents, including public information requests, subpoenas, discovery, contracts, grant agreements, letters, motions, briefs and correspondence.
• Conducts research, analysis, and writing to draft legal opinions for assigned legal issues or case areas; utilizes a variety of resources for research, including computerized legal databases and reference materials; and determines whether information is pertinent and relevant to specific issue or case.

Working Conditions

Depending on assignment, positions in this class typically require touching, talking, hearing, seeing, grasping, standing, walking and repetitive motions.

Applicants for this position must pass a Criminal Justice Information Systems (CJIS) fingerprint-based background check and maintain CJIS eligibility.  Due to CJIS requirements related to system access, the following will result in being disqualified for this position:  Felony Convictions, Felony Deferred Adjudication, Class A Misdemeanor Conviction, Class B Misdemeanor Convictions in the last 10 years, Class A Misdemeanor Deferred Adjudication, Class B Misdemeanor Deferred Adjudication in the last 10 years, an Open Arrest for Any Criminal Offense (Felony or Misdemeanor), and ALL Family Violence Convictions regardless of class.

Physical Demands

Sedentary Work – Depending on assignment, positions in this class typically exert up to 10 pounds of force occasionally, a negligible amount of force frequently, and/or or constantly having to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects. Sedentary work involves sitting most of the time. Jobs are sedentary if walking and standing are required only occasionally and all other sedentary criteria are met.