Senior Attorney

Description:

• Lehigh County, a home rule county with its county seat located in Allentown, PA, focuses on delivering high quality services to its residents, while promoting community welfare through responsive and transparent governance. The Lehigh County Department of Law fosters a supportive and collaborative work environment that values integrity, professionalism, and service excellence. Joining Lehigh County means committing to public service and contributing to meaningful initiatives that positively impact the community every day. The County is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) employer.

Role Description:

• This is a full-time, exempt status, on-site position for a Deputy County Solicitor (Title: Senior Attorney) based in Allentown, PA. The County Department of Law provides representation to the County government, including the Board of Commissioners, the County Executive and County Departments, the Courts, and other elected officials. The Deputy County Solicitor reports to the County Solicitor.
• Lehigh County is responsible for running elections, operating a nursing home, providing human services to all ages, building and repairing bridges and other public works projects, maintaining a robust county park system, promoting community and economic development, and supporting the Court system and the Corrections system. County back office operations include fiscal, procurement, and general services.
• This position is responsible for working on legislation, contracts, research, litigation, and other legal matters, while ensuring compliance with Federal, State and local laws and regulations. Responsibilities include drafting legislation, agreements and contracts, attendance at evening meetings, advising county officials and departments on legal issues, providing representation in court or administrative proceedings (involving conducting research and the drafting of briefs, pleadings, and other submissions), including assessment, land use, elections, public information requests, collection matters, federal and state litigation, and personnel issues as needed. The role requires strong research and analytical skills, the ability to work collaboratively across various departments, as well as independently, and is part of a team of roughly a dozen full-time and part-time solicitors servicing the County.

Required Qualifications:

• J.D. from an accredited law school and current license to practice in Pennsylvania.
• Minimum of three (3) to five (5) years of legal experience, including judicial clerkships, with an emphasis on municipal law, or other government experience.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities, meet deadlines, and provide sound legal advice under deadline.
• Attendance at evening meetings, in person or possibly virtually.