Senior Deputy City Attorney
Salary
$152,343.05 - $214,361.97 Annually
Location
Sacramento, CA
Job Type
Full-Time Career
Job Number
001815-26-CA
Department
City Attorney
Division
City Attorney
Opening Date
05/28/2026
Closing Date
Continuous
THE POSITION
THIS POSTING WILL BE OPEN UNTIL FILLED
Application cut-off dates are the second and fourth Thursday of each month.
With supervisor approval, incumbents may be eligible for intermittent remote work; however, they must physically reside within the Sacramento region or have the ability to regularly report to a City of Sacramento physical worksite with little notice.
IDEAL CANDIDATE STATEMENT
The City Attorney is currently seeking an experienced attorney to handle Employment Litigation. The ideal candidate would be an experienced litigator who is has the capability of independently handling a litigation caseload and has effective and persuasive written and oral advocacy skills, solid legal writing background and legal research skills. They will have the ability to work collaboratively for some projects and independently for others. The candidate will be comfortable and competent to handle civil litigation from inception to conclusion, including any potential appeal and post-trial motions. The position is project based with no billable hour requirement.
Under general direction, the Senior Deputy City Attorney provides professional legal services for the City of Sacramento and its boards, commissions, offices, and departments.
DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS
This classification is populated with multiple incumbents assigned to a City Attorney's office: Special Projects, Litigation, and Advisory. Senior Deputy City Attorney is the advanced journey-level in the City Attorneys office. Incumbents are expected to use professional judgment and skill in performing work, the acceptability of which is subject to review by professional superiors through inspection of casework, records, and documents, and through periodic conferences. The Senior Deputy City Attorney is distinguished from the Deputy City Attorney II in that the former may specialize in certain areas of the law as it applies to the City.
SUPERVISION RECEIVED AND EXERCISED
General direction is provided by a Supervising Deputy City Attorney. The Senior Deputy City Attorney may oversee and lead the work of other attorneys, paralegal and office support staff. The Senior Deputy City Attorney does not supervise.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
the City in such hearings.
QUALIFICATIONS
Knowledge of:
Skill in:
Ability to:
EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION
Any combination of education and experience that would provide the required knowledge and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to obtain the knowledge and abilities would be:
Experience:
Four years of professional legal experience comparable to a Deputy City Attorney with the City of Sacramento.
COMPARABLE CLASSIFICATION SPECIFICATION
To see the classification specification for the comparable classification of Deputy City Attorney, please click here.
Education:
Graduation from an accredited school of law.
PROOF OF EDUCATION
Should education be used to qualify for this position, then proof of education such as, but not limited to, university/college transcripts and degrees should be submitted with your application and will be required at the time of appointment. Unofficial documents and/or copies are acceptable.
An applicant with a college degree obtained outside the United States must have education records evaluated by a credentials evaluation service. Evaluation of education records will be due at time of appointment.
SPECIAL QUALIFICATIONS
Current membership in good standing the California State Bar Association.
PROOF OF MEMBERSHIP
Proof of the required membership and/or license should be submitted with your application and will be required at the time of appointment. Unofficial documents and/or copies are acceptable.
THE SELECTION PROCEDURE
Please note, the City of Sacramentos preferred method of communication with applicants is via e-mail. As such, please ensure you verify the e-mail address on your application, and check your e-mail frequently, including your spam and junk folders. All e-mail notifications can also be accessed through the governmentjobs.com applicant inbox.
Employment applications must be submitted online; paper applications will not be accepted.
Employment applications will be considered incomplete and will be disqualified:
If applicants do not list current and past job-related experience in the duties area of the "Work Experience" section. Note: Qualifying experience is based on full-time experience (40 hours per week). Qualifying experience is calculated to the full-time equivalent (pro-rated if less than 40 hours/week).
If "see resume" is noted in the "Work Experience" section; a resume will not substitute for the information required in the "Work Experience" section.
Position/job titles will not be considered in determining eligibility for meeting the minimum qualifications for this position.
Proof of education such as, but not limited to, university/college transcripts and degrees should be submitted online with your application. Proof of education will be required at time of appointment.
Proof of membership and/or license should be submitted online with your application. Proof of membership and/or license will be required at time of appointment.
Screening Committee: (Pass/Fail) - All applications received by the final filing deadline will be forwarded to the hiring department for review. The hiring department will select the most competitive applications for further consideration. Human Resources will only evaluate employment applications for the minimum qualifications, as stated on the job announcement, for applications selected by the hiring department.
Interview Process: Human Resources will forward applications to the hiring department. Those determined to be the most qualified candidates will be invited to participate in an interview process.
Conditional Hire: Upon receipt of a conditional offer, the selected candidate must complete and pass Live Scan/fingerprinting. If applicable, candidates may also need to pass a pre-employment medical exam, controlled substance and/or alcohol test, and possess any required licensure or certification prior to receiving a start date from the Department. Failure to meet these prerequisites will be grounds for withdrawal of your conditional offer of employment.
QUESTIONS:
For questions concerning this job announcement and the application process:
Bilingual Pay
Did you know that the City offers bilingual pay? Thats right, most labor agreements offer the option of providing employees with bilingual pay if the department deems it to be operationally necessary.
Pension Reform Act
The City of Sacramento is covered by the California Public Employees Retirement System, and as such, must adhere to the California Public Employees Pension Reform Act (PEPRA) of 2013. Please note that the provisions within this act may affect or impact an applicants eligibility and/or selection for open vacancies at the City of Sacramento.
Equal Opportunity Employer
The City of Sacramento is an equal opportunity employer to all, regardless of age, ancestry, color, disability (mental and physical), exercising the right to family care and medical leave, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, military or veteran status, national origin, political affiliation, race, religious creed, sex (includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and related medical conditions), and sexual orientation.
Additional Information
Civil Service Rules: https://www.cityofsacramento.gov/content/dam/portal/hr/documentlibrary/CivilServiceBoardRules62012.pdf
Union Contracts: https://www.cityofsacramento.gov/HR/labor-agreements.html
Salary Schedule: https://www.cityofsacramento.gov/content/dam/portal/hr/documentlibrary/SalarySchedule.pdf
01
APPLICATION: I understand my application must meet the minimum qualifications for consideration of employment with the City of Sacramento. The experience I list in the duties area of the "Work Experience" section of the employment application will be used to determine if I meet the minimum qualifications as stated on the job announcement. A resume, responses to the supplemental questions requiring a narrative response, employment history listed elsewhere in the application or attachments will not substitute for the information required in the "Work Experience" section of the employment application. Position/job titles will not be considered in determining eligibility for meeting the minimum qualifications for this position. Note: Qualifying experience is based on full-time experience (40 hours per week). Qualifying experience is calculated to the full-time equivalent (pro-rated if less than 40 hours/week). Please refer to the City of Sacramentos Applicant Resources Page for Screening Instructions: https://www.cityofsacramento.gov/HR/employment
02
PROOF OF EDUCATION: To qualify for this classification you may use any combination of education and/or experience as listed to provide required knowledge, skills, and abilities. I understand proof of education such as, but not limited to, university/college transcripts and degrees should be submitted with my application and will be required at the time of appointment if I am using education to qualify for this position. Please refer to the City of Sacramentos Proof of Education Requirements (https://www.cityofsacramento.gov/HR/employment) for information on accepted documentation.
03
EDUCATION CONFIRMATION: If I am using education to qualify for this position, I attest I possess or will possess the following level of education by time of appointment if I am selected for this position.
04
PROOF OF MEMEBERSHIP: I understand proof of membership to the California State Bar Association should be submitted with my application and will be required at the time of appointment.
05
MEMBERSHIP CONFIRMATION: I attest I am in good standing with the California State Bar Association with no record of practice related discipline; have no felony convictions and am of moral character. Furthermore, I attest I am qualified to practice law before all courts in California and relevant Federal Courts, including the Ninth Circuit and U.S. Supreme.
Required Question
Employer City of Sacramento
Address 915 I Street
Historic City Hall
Sacramento, California, 95814-2604
Phone (916) 808-5726