DEPUTY CITY ATTORNEY - PUBLIC PROCUREMENT AND CONTRACTING DIVISION

City Attorney

Exempt | Location: Civic Center

Annual Salary

$94,127.00 - $221,390.00

contact information

Human Resources
2139787160
atty.recruit@lacity.org

job description

DEPUTY CITY ATTORNEY
PUBLIC PROCUREMENT AND CONTRACTING DIVISION
MUNICIPAL LAW BRANCH
Salary Range
DCA I: $94,127 - $137,599
DCA II: $115,696 - $169,148
DCA III: $ 151,442 - $ 221,390

THIS POSITION IS OPEN TO INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL CANDIDATES.
For current City Attorney employees this will be a lateral transfer.

About Us
The Los Angeles City Attorney's office is one of the nation's largest municipal law offices. With over 1000 legal professionals, including 500 attorneys, the Office provides the City with the highest caliber of legal services, ranging from prosecuting criminal misdemeanors and playing a leading role in criminal justice reform, advising on homelessness initiatives, defending civil lawsuits and claims, and bringing civil enforcement actions in the name of the People of the State of California.
Guided by an overarching commitment to integrity, accountability and transparency, we find great meaning in the work we do and the services we provide.

The Public Procurement and Contracting Division serves as contracting and procurement counsel to various City offices and departments, including the Mayor, City Council, City Attorney, Controller, City Administrative Officer and its Office of Procurement, City Clerk, Chief Legislative Analyst, Civil + Human Rights and Equity Department, Department of Building and Safety, Department of City Planning, Personnel Department, Convention Center, Los Angeles Fire Department, Los Angeles Police Department, Emergency Management Department, and General Services Department. Division attorneys also provide advice on HIPAA and manage contracting for major special events, such as the Olympics, World Cup, Super Bowl; NBA All-Star Game, and the Academy Awards.

The attorneys in this Division provide procurement advice and review, edit, draft and negotiate contracts and other transactional documents, frequently involving highly complex transactions. Further, the Division is responsible for drafting certain ordinances relating to procurement and contracting, preparation of advisory opinions or legal memoranda on issues of significance to the City leadership, and advising on major efforts to streamline the City’s contracting and procurement process.

Duties and Responsibilities
The attorney selected for this position will be responsible for providing legal counsel for several City Departments on transactional maters pertaining to public contracting and specifically professional services agreements. The attorney will be expected to provide expertise on all aspects of the City’s public procurement and competitive bidding procedures, as well as all applicable Codes and laws governing City contracts. The attorney will also be responsible for providing support to team members on all elements of contracting, which include: negotiating, drafting, and executing contractual agreements, applying the Standard Provisions for City Contracts to such agreements, enhancing the overall efficiency of the procurement and contracting process, and addressing stakeholder contracting concerns as they arise.

Requirements
• Licensed to practice law in all courts in the State of California;
• At least three years of transactional law experience;
• Knowledge of public contracting and competitive bidding processes (or similar experience in private sector contracting that would enable the attorney to quickly adapt to the public sector);
• Strong research and writing skills in complex areas of law;
• Demonstrated abilities to exercise sound judgment;
• Ability to work effectively with governmental agencies, public officials, departmental personnel, and members of the public; and
• Ability to manage large projects, including major procurement initiatives.

Desired Qualifications
• Knowledge of the City Charter and City Administrative Code provisions pertaining to contracting;
• Familiarity with professional service contracts for public entities;
• Experience in drafting legal advice and ordinances.

Writing Sample
Candidates are required to submit one writing sample composed by the applicant in the last two years.

Benefits Offered

Medical, Dental, Vision
Life Insurance
Disability Insurance
Tax-Advantage Spending Accounts
Retirement Plan (LACERS)
Deferred Compensation Plan (457(b))
Employee and Family Assistance Program
Paid Time Off
13 Yearly Holidays
Vacation
Personal Leave
Floating Holidays
Sick Leave
Bereavement Leave

Telework
This position may qualify for up to 3 days of telework per week.

Current Location:
City Hall, 200 N. Spring Street, Los Angeles. Position is subject to assignment at any location within the County of Los Angeles.

COVID-19 Vaccine Requirement
For candidates seeking initial City employment, in accordance with Los Angeles City Ordinance 187134, information regarding COVID -19 vaccination requirements as conditions of employment may be found at: htps://clkrep.lacity.org/onlinedocs/2021/21-0921_ord_187134_8-24-21.pdf

Probation
Appointment to this exempt position (non Civil-Service) will be subject to a two (2) year probationary period as required by Section 1050 of the City Charter. Successful completion of the two (2) year probationary period will result in tenure with the office.

Classification
Internal applicants: Placement in this position will be as a lateral transfer with the selected candidate assuming the position in their current classification. The candidate’s transfer will require approval from the CAO through the Prioritized Critical Hiring process.

Application and Deadline
Attorneys interested in applying should submit their cover letter, resume, and writing samples in ONE (1) MERGED PDF FILE specifying #3399 – DCA – PUBLIC PROCUREMENT AND CONTRACTING DIVISION, via email to atty.recruit@lacity.org.
Position will remain open until filled. Qualified applicants will be invited to interview.

Conflict of Interest
This position is designated as Category 1 on the Conflict of Interest Code.

Contact
Questions? Please email atty.recruit@lacity.org.

How to apply

exempt employment

If employment is said to be exempt, it is meant that the employment is exempted from the civil service provisions of the City Charter. In order to receive a regular civil service appointment, employees must have successfully participated in a civil service examination, received a high enough score on the examination to be placed on and receive an appointment from an eligible list, and they must serve a probationary period. Exempt employees do not compete in a civil service examination, they are not placed on an eligible list and receive an appointment from that list, nor do they serve a probationary period. As a result, exempt employees do not have what is referred to as a “property interest” in their job. Exempt employees serve at the will of the appointing authority and can be terminated at any time without cause. Employees with a property interest in their job, i.e. civil service employees, cannot be deprived of their employment(discharged or suspended) without due process.

General Information About Exempt Employment

Exempt employees serve at the will of the appointing authority, and as such, they may be discharged, suspended or otherwise disciplined without cause. Exempt employees have no property interest in their employment, and any procedural benefit or other prerogative extended to them by their appointing authority is not intended to create and does not create any such property interest. No officer or employee of the City may make to any other officer or employee any representation of a property interest in employment which does not correspond to Charter provisions unless the City Council, by ordinance, permits such representation. No unauthorized representation can serve as the basis of an employee's reliance on, or expectation of, a property interest.

Employees Seeking To Become Civil Service Employees

There is no protective leave for an exempt employee appointed to a civil service position. Upon receiving a civil service appointment and passing probation, the former exempt employee will be subject to the Civil Service provisions described in Article X of the City Charter. Upon appointment, the civil service employee will begin to accrue displacement and layoff seniority on the first day of his/her civil service appointment and may file for promotional examinations for which s/he qualifies. A full or half-time exempt employee appointed to a full or half-time civil service position continues to: contribute to the Retirement System; accrue vacation time; accrue sick time; receive anniversary date salary increases; and, receive health and dental benefits identical to those received in the civil service position.

For candidates seeking initial City employment, in accordance with Los Angeles City Ordinance 187134, information regarding COVID-19 vaccination requirements as conditions of employment may be found at: https://clkrep.lacity.org/onlinedocs/2021/21-0921_ord_187134_8-24-21.pdf.

job openings