Senior Assistant City Attorney (Public Utilities)

About the Role

The Office of the City Attorney is seeking a full‑time, permanent Senior Assistant City Attorney for its Operations and Development Division, representing the City’s Department of Public Utilities. The role provides legal services primarily to the water utilities, with responsibilities that include regulatory compliance, real property management, transactional matters, and customer service for the City’s water, wastewater, stormwater, gas, and electric utilities.

Responsibilities

• Research legal issues and provide legal advice and direction.
• Review, draft, and negotiate transactional documents.
• Draft ordinances and interpret laws, rules, and regulations.
• Provide oversight and direction to paralegal and legal secretarial staff.
• Engage with internal and external departments to communicate legal matters.
• Conduct effective meetings and manage high‑volume workload for a public utility client.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Considerable knowledge of regulatory, environmental, local government, and real estate law, including relevant regulatory and administrative processes.
• Proficiency with standard office equipment and software such as Microsoft Office Suite, Lexis, and Legal Files.
• Skilled in persuasive legal argumentation, clear and concise written communication, and client‑focused solutions.
• Ability to manage and supervise paraprofessional staff, including scheduling, goal setting, and work assignment.
• Strong risk analysis, client communication, and ability to learn new subject matters quickly.
• Commitment to the highest standards of ethics and professionalism.

Minimum Qualifications

• Juris Doctorate.
• Four (4) years of progressively responsible legal experience.
• Seven (7) years of progressively responsible experience in environmental law or public‑utilities‑related law is highly preferred.
• An equivalent combination of training and experience may be used to meet the minimum qualifications, as approved by the department.

Licensing and Certifications

• Admission to the Virginia State Bar.
• Licensed to practice law in Virginia.
• Completion of twelve (12) hours of continuing legal education annually.

Benefits

• Virginia Retirement System (VRS).
• Language Incentive.
• Referral Bonus.
• Tuition Assistance Program.

Pay

$150,000 – $165,000 annually, based on experience and qualifications illustrated in the completed application and required attachments.

Schedule

Full‑time, permanent, unclassified position serving at the will of the appointing authority.

Application Materials

• Completed online application.
• Résumé.
• Writing sample.

Physical Requirements and Working Environment

• Ability to perform detailed work on multiple concurrent tasks with frequent interruptions and time constraints.
• Regular walking, standing, pulling, and occasional lifting (up to 20 lb occasionally, up to 10 lb frequently).
• Exposure to travel within and outside the City of Richmond, mechanical parts, electrical currents, vibrations, fumes, odors, dust, gases, and variable lighting and noise conditions.
• Light work classification, with occasional exposure to hazardous physical conditions.