Description

Principal Assistant City Attorney – Civil Division

The City Attorney is looking for an attorney to practice in the Civil Division of the Office. The attorneys in the Civil Division are assigned to various practice areas as Office needs may change or arise over time. Those practice areas could range from administrative law to zoning; and examples include construction of public works; constitutional law; contracts and intergovernmental agreements; economic development; elections; eminent domain; employment law (Title VII, Arizona Civil Rights Act, FLSA, ADA, ADEA, FMLA, etc.); environmental law; municipal finance and taxation; open meetings and public records; procurement; public utilities and telecom; real estate; water law; land use/zoning and more. While the currently anticipated practice areas for the current position(s) include employment law, real estate development and transactions and land use, given the range of practice areas within the Civil Division the City Attorney will consider applicants whose prior experience may not include experience in the currently anticipated practice areas of need. The City Attorney may choose to hire more than one candidate from this recruitment.

This position requires:

Juris doctorate from an accredited law school and five (5) years civil practice
Member in good standing of the State Bar of Arizona

An uploaded letter of intent along with your resume is required for this application. Any application submitted without the required documents will be considered incomplete.

Applicants who meet the minimum qualifications will be evaluated on the education and work experience in their employment profile.

The most qualified applicants will then be invited to participate in a panel interview and will be required to provide a legal writing sample composed within the last 3 years, no larger than 10 pages.

INTERVIEW INFORMATION:

Highest scoring applicants will be invited to attend an in-person interview to be held on the week of February 19, 2026.

Hiring interviews will be held the week of March 4, 2026.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

The following pre-employment requirements apply to this position:

Must obtain a valid and unrestricted Arizona Driver's License.
Must successfully complete a background investigation.

The eligibility list established from this process may be used to fill positions as they become available over the next six (6) months.

If you have questions, please contact Nathan Karrel at nathan.karrel@tucsonaz.gov or (520) 837-4449.

ABOUT THIS JOB

Position Specific Summary

The Principal Assistant City Attorney position in the Civil Division of the Tucson City Attorney’s Office provides advanced-level legal services and performs advanced-level legal work in assigned areas of practice.  Attorneys at this level work with a high level of autonomy and accountability. Provides guidance and mentoring to lower-level attorney personnel.

Work is performed in accordance with general policies and established standards of the legal profession and is reviewed by the City Attorney or their designee. This position does not supervise.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Responds to legal inquiries from the City’s executive management team and their staff, typically for assigned City departments. Identifies, analyzes and explains legal issues associated with projects and programs of City-wide importance. Performs advanced-level professional and administrative legal work including development of and revisions to the Tucson Code. Consults with client decision makers regarding departmental and major legal issues. Provides legal advice and assistance.

• Prepares and reviews materials submitted to the Mayor and Council for its consideration and approval for legal issues. Prepares ordinances or resolutions for consideration by the Mayor and Council. Analyzes legal issues associated with initiatives under consideration by the City Manager or Mayor and Council. Consults with Mayor and Council and City management at public meetings and in executive sessions as needed. Guides and mentors lower-level attorneys.

• Reviews and prepares a variety of legal documents including but not limited to contracts, intergovernmental agreements, legal correspondence, notices and position statements.

• Litigates complex legal matters (in administrative matters; or in federal or state courts) in assigned area of practice, and/or supports litigation efforts in those matters by performing research, preparing and filing pleadings, making court appearances, etc.

• Serves as litigator for the City in State and Federal Courts. Identifies, analyzes, and discusses legal issues associated with projects. Handles legal matters of assigned departments and acts as liaison with departments, the City Manager, and the Mayor and Council.

• Performs other duties and tasks as assigned.  Any one position may not include all the duties listed. This position description identifies the responsibilities and tasks typically associated with the performance of the position.

Working Conditions

Mostly office environment.

All duties and responsibilities listed are subject to change.

Requirements

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Education: Juris Doctorate degree
• Work Experience: Five (5) years of relevant experience
• License/Certifications: A valid and unrestricted driver’s license with two (2) years of licensed driving is required.
  
  Any combination of relevant education and experience may be substituted on a year-for-year basis.
  
  PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
• Government law practice: including a working knowledge of the legal subject matter involved with the department to which assignment will be made.
• Experience in the practice of municipal transactional law including the review, negotiation, and drafting of federal and state grant, development, tax incentive, or intergovernmental agreements and other municipal contracts.
• Experience advising governmental leadership or executives on employment, discrimination, and labor matters.
• Experience working with state and federal agencies.
• Municipal civil litigation experience.