Corporation Counsel

About the role

To serve as the City's primary in-house legal advisor, providing timely, practical, and strategic legal guidance to the Mayor, City Council, City Administrator, department directors, City staff, and City boards and commissions.

Responsibilities

• General Counsel:
  • Serve as the City's primary municipal attorney and general legal counsel.
  • Advise the Mayor, City Council, City Administrator, and department directors on all legal matters affecting City operations, governance, and policy.
  • Attend regular and special City Council meetings, executive sessions, committee meetings, and other meetings as required; provide real-time legal guidance on procedure, motions, voting, and executive session compliance.
  • Draft, review, and negotiate ordinances, resolutions, contracts, agreements, intergovernmental agreements, and other legal documents.
  • Provide written legal opinions when requested by authorized City personnel.
• Governance and Compliance:
  • Advises on the Illinois Open Meetings Act, Freedom of Information Act, Local Records Act, State Officials and Employees Ethics Act, Gift Ban Act, and applicable conflict of interest laws.
  • Advises on municipal home rule authority, statutory authority, public meeting requirements, and elected official and staff roles and responsibilities.
  • Advises on procurement, competitive bidding requirements, cooperative purchasing, RFPs, RFQs, and lawful exceptions or waivers.
  • Monitor and advise on new state and federal legislation, court decisions, and regulatory developments affecting Illinois municipalities.
• Land Use, Code Enforcement, and Economic Development:
  • Provide legal support for zoning, annexation, subdivision, planned developments, special uses, variations, development agreements, and related Community Development matters.
  • Advises on building code enforcement, administrative adjudication, nuisance abatement, licensing, and permit enforcement.
  • Advises on TIF districts, business district matters, sales tax sharing, economic incentive agreements, and downtown development initiatives.
• Personnel, Labor, and Employment:
  • Provide legal advice on routine personnel matters, employee leave, FMLA, ADA accommodation matters, discipline, workplace issues, and labor contract interpretation.
  • Support grievance response and initial grievance processing; coordinate with specialized outside labor counsel for collective bargaining, arbitration, and unfair labor practice proceedings.
  • Conduct or coordinate workplace investigations as appropriate; identify when outside investigators are warranted.
• Litigation Oversight and Risk Management:
  • Monitor and coordinate pending litigation involving the City, including matters handled by insurance-appointed counsel, IML-RMA, and outside counsel.
  • Advise on cybersecurity incident response obligations, data privacy compliance, and breach notification requirements under PIPA and applicable federal law.
  • Manage relationships with and coordinate specialized outside counsel; control legal costs by avoiding duplication and clarifying roles.

Qualifications

• Minimum three (3) years of experience in municipal, governmental, or public sector law with demonstrated experience serving Illinois municipalities as general counsel, city attorney, corporation counsel, or assistant corporation counsel.
• Working knowledge of Illinois municipal law, including the Illinois Municipal Code, Open Meetings Act, FOIA, home rule authority, procurement law, and zoning and land use law.
• Familiarity with IML-RMA or IRMA risk management coordination and insurance defense oversight.
• Experience with TIF districts, economic development agreements, and incentive structures.
• Experience advising on legal issues related to cybersecurity incident response, data privacy, and local government technology obligations.

Skills

• Thorough understanding of local governmental law with expertise in state, federal, and local laws, particularly in local government law and Illinois municipal law.
• Knowledge of current social, political and economic trends and problems of municipal government.
• Concerns and interests of civic groups, governmental agencies and the general public.
• Legal research and reporting methods, techniques and procedures.
• Risk management and insurance best practices, coverage, terminology and applications.
• Practical judgment and delivery of actionable legal advice under time pressure.
• Excellent interpersonal, written and verbal communication skills with a range of audiences including elected officials, staff, and the public.
• Ability to determine whether a legal or administrative approach will best resolve a particular issue.
• Organize, interpret and apply legal principles and knowledge to complex legal problems.
• Display proficiency in local government mission and operations, budget development and administration, relevant employment laws, codes, regulations, policies, collective bargaining agreements, contracts and records management principles.
• Consistently perform detailed legal research and analysis to support sound legal advice.
• Manage a broad, varied practice across multiple concurrent matters.
• Collaborative, service-oriented approach consistent with an in-house municipal role.
• Commit to ethical conduct, transparency, and public interest.
• Analyze, interpret, summarize and present administrative, technical, and statistical information and data in an effective manner.
• Prepare clear and concise reports and develop appropriate recommendations.
• Establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with those contacted in the course of work including city and other government officials, community groups, the general public, and media representatives.