In most areas, the city attorney jobs include litigating, giving advice related to both civil and criminal legal disputes, and working to understanding the statutes and laws of the city to mitigate or prevent additional disputes from occurring. A city attorney may give legal guidance to the city council, mayor, and other local administrative agencies, boards, departments, and officers. She may also prosecute, on behalf of the city, misdemeanor infractions and criminal offenses in municipal court.
One of the main city attorney jobs is to represent the city as its general counsel. For example, the city attorney may give advice or legal opinions on topics that concern the municipality. She may draft legal contracts, write ordinances, and decide whether various contracts are legally binding for the city. Oftentimes, one of the most important city attorney jobs is to interpret the municipal charter, regional or national statutes, or other laws that govern the city. If there is a civil dispute, another of the city attorney jobs is to litigate on behalf of the city, its officers, departments, or agencies in a court of law.
Oftentimes the city attorney will be asked to defend claims that are brought against the city. She may also be asked to coordinate with other attorneys, such as insurance lawyers, on any claims that are brought against the city involving insurance coverage. In addition, one of the city attorney jobs is to consult with the city council on any civil legal matters.
In most cities, crime may be a problem. In those cases, one of the city attorney jobs may be to prosecute criminal cases in municipal court. In large cities, there may be several city attorneys who work closely with local and regional law enforcement agencies to prosecute crimes that occur throughout the city. Among a few of the city attorney jobs include arguing or consulting on cases involving the safety of city neighborhoods, target gangs, prevent discrimination, and protect animals. She may also argue cases related to consumer protection and litigate any misdemeanor level environmental law infractions. All these city attorney jobs are usually done through a court of law.
Because of the large volume of civil and criminal misconduct, a city attorney is necessary in most cities. Some small cities may only have one attorney, while some large cities may employ hundreds of attorneys. In some cases in which the towns are quite small, county attorneys are used as an alternative to city attorneys.
