Civil Deputy City Attorney

Civil Deputy City Attorney

Salary

See Position Description

Location

City Hall, 316 N 26th St., Billings, MT 59101

Job Type

Full-Time

Job Number

202600173

Department

City Attorney

Division

Attorney Administration

Opening Date

07/24/2026

• Description
• Benefits

"Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis."

Position Overview

Salary Range: $109,712.93 - $146,999.42/annually. Salary reflects Step 1 and Step 7 of a 7-step pay scale. Salary at hiring will be dependent upon the applicants education, experience, and training.

Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Required Attachments for Application:

• Resume
• Cover Letter
• Legal Brief
• Legal Letter
• One Other Legal Writing Sample

Job Summary:

Under general direction, performs a variety of professional duties involved in providing a full range of legal services related to municipal government operations; represents the City in civil proceedings as assigned before courts, administrative agencies and boards, and arbitrators; may occasionally prepare and prosecute misdemeanor criminal cases in courts; and advises City departments, staff, advisory boards, and commissions.

Scope of Responsibility:

Incumbent has a high degree of understanding of department and functional operations and is able to work with considerable initiative. Working with senior management guidance, incumbent applies professional and managerial principles that can affect the entire department with the potential to have a major effect on the City. Incumbent's decisions can have a moderate to major financial impact on the overall organization. Incumbent solves complex and technical legal problems, which can have significant impact on the entire organization. Incumbent must have the ability to exercise discretion regarding confidential matters and diplomacy in communications.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Legal

• Handles legal issues related to assigned City departments, including analyzes, reviews, and drafts ordinances, deeds, releases, contracts, and other legal documents which bind or obligate the City; provides legal opinions and recommendations to ensure the City is properly and effectively represented in such matters; reviews rules, regulations, and policies to ensure legal compliance.
• Represents the City and its boards, commissions, and agents in civil and/or criminal legal proceedings before courts (including Municipal Court, Montana District Court, Montana Supreme Court, Federal Court), administrative agencies and boards (including Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Montana Human Rights Commission, Board of Personnel Appeals), arbitrators, and other administrative agencies.
• Prepares pleadings, conducts legal research, prepares briefs and memoranda, appears in court, and negotiates with other parties.
• Defends and negotiates as assigned by the City Attorney or Assistant City Attorney legal disputes which may involve significant amounts of City funds.
• Provides legal advice and opinions as requested by the City Attorney or Assistant City Attorney to City employees, City Council, and City boards and commissions on a variety of legal issues; advises staff and officials on the legal requirements and consequences of proposed actions; appears and presents information at City Council meetings as required; provides training to City staff and others on current laws and effective enforcement procedures; conducts ongoing legal research in connection with legal issues pertaining to the City.
• Occasionally represents the City by prosecuting various misdemeanor criminal offenses; initiates prosecutions; prepares cases for prosecution; reviews reports and conducts legal research; prepares court orders, petitions, affidavits, and briefs; tries cases; determines and recommends appropriate sentences.

Department Duties

• Participates in the development, planning, and implementation of policies and procedures for the City Attorney's Office; devises and implements systems and forms for most efficient operations.
• Participates in a variety of boards and commissions; attends and participates in professional group meetings; stays abreast of new trends and innovations in the field of law.
• Responds to and attempts to diplomatically resolve difficult and sensitive citizen inquiries and complaints.

Performs other duties as assigned, which may include work in the criminal area.

Qualifications and Skills

Required Qualifications and Skills:

• A juris doctorate from an American Bar Association approved law school
• Minimum of three years of increasingly responsible civil legal experience
• Member in good standing with the Montana State Bar
• Current license to practice law in state and federal courts in Montana

Preferred Qualifications and Skills:

• Minimum of three years of contract review, drafting, and negotiating
• Municipal or other government civil legal experience.

Physical Demands and Working Conditions

Work is a normal office environment. Intermittent effort involving lifting of amounts between 5 and 25 pounds is required. Work requires high attention to detail and deadlines between 45% and 70% of the time. Incumbent may be exposed to disagreeable elements on an intermittent basis including but not limited to dealing with angry people or offensive language. Driving is required rarely.

Some requirements in this job description may exclude individuals who pose a direct threat or significant risk to the health and safety of themselves or other employees. All requirements are subject to modification to reasonably accommodate individuals with disabilities.

Requirements are representative of minimum levels of knowledge, skills, and experience required. To perform this job successfully, the worker must possess the abilities and aptitudes to perform each duty proficiently.

This document does not create an employment contract, implied or otherwise. The City retains the discretion to add duties or change the duties of this position at any time.

The City of Billings offers a complete benefits package to our full-time employees including medical, dental, and vision insurance, retirement/pensions, paid holidays, vacation and sick leave. The City offers life and long term disability insurance to all full-time employees. Optional plans are available for employees that include health savings account, flexible spending account, and 457 deferred compensation accounts.

To learn more details, visit the link below.

Benefits-at-a-Glance

Employer City of Billings

Address 316 North 26th Street

Billings, Montana, 59101

Phone 4062376210

Website https://billingsmt.gov